Scholarship and Loan Repayment Opportunities

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides a variety of scholarship and loan repayment programs to help underserved communities recruit and retain primary health care providers.

Scholarship & Loan Repayment Programs for Enrolled Health Profession Students

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Nurse Corps Scholarship Program

Eligibility

Applicant must be accepted or enrolled as a full or part-time student in an accredited degree program pursuing an Associate, Baccalaureate, Graduate, or Doctorate Degree in one of the following primary care disciplines:

  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Certified Nurse Midwife
  • Registered Nurse
  • Clinical Nurse Specialist
  • Registered Nurse Anesthetists

Nurse Corps Scholarship Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-scholarship/nurse-corps

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship Program

Eligibility

Applicant must be accepted or enrolled as a full-time student in a degree program at a U.S.- accredited school in one of the following primary care disciplines:

  • Physician
  • Dentist
  • Nurse practitioner (Adult, family, pediatric, geriatrics, women’s health)
  • Certified nurse-midwife
  • Physician Assistant

Get details on eligibility.

NHSC Scholarship Program Fact Sheet

Review last year’s application and program guidance to get tips for preparing your application.

Learn more on how to apply and sign up to receive notification when the application opens here: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarships/how-to-apply

NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program - Apply by Dec 7, 2023

Eligibility

Students in their last year of medical, nursing or dental school:

Physicians

  • Allopathic (MD)
  • Osteopathic (DO)
  • Family Medicine
  • General Internal Medicine
  • General Pediatrics
  • Geriatrics
  • Obstetrics/Gynecology
  • Psychiatry 

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

  • Adult Practice
  • Family Practice
  • Pediatrics
  • Women’s Health
  • Psychiatry
  • Geriatrics

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

  • Women’s Health 

Dentists

  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
  • Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD)
  • General Dentistry
  • Pediatric Dentistry

New this year – Maternity Care Provider Supplemental Award

NHSC Students to Service Fact Sheet

Applications due December 7, 2023. Learn more on how to apply here: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-students-to-service-loan-repayment-program

Annual Monato Rural Health Essay Prize - Due June 1, 2024

32nd ANNUAL $2,500 RURAL HEALTH PRIZE

The Hermes Monato, Jr. Prize of $2,500 is awarded annually for the best rural health paper.

It is open to all students of the University of Wisconsin (any campus) as well as recent graduates (12 months before below deadline).

Students are encouraged to write on a rural health topic for a regular class (or independently) and then submit a copy to the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative as an entry before the June 1st deadline.

Previous award winners and topics as well as judging criteria and submission information are available at http://www.rwhc.com/Awards/Annual-Monato-Essay

Loan Repayment Programs for Practicing Health Professionals

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Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

Eligibility

  1. You are a:
    • Licensed registered nurse;
    • Advanced practice registered nurse, such as a nurse practitioner; or
    • Nurse faculty member with qualifying nursing debt.
  2. You received your nursing education from an accredited school of nursing located in a U.S. state or territory.
  3. You work full-time in:
    • An eligible CSF in a high need area (RNs, APRNs)
    • An accredited school of nursing

Note: HRSA gives funding preference to those who need the most help financially.

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-loan-repayment/nurse-corps

Faculty Loan Repayment Program

Eligibility

You are eligible for the Faculty Loan Repayment Program (FLRP) if

  1. You come from a disadvantaged background. We base this on environmental and economic factors.
  2. You have an eligible health professions degree or certificate.
  3. You are a faculty member at an approved health professions school. You must have a contract for two years or more.

Faculty Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply: https://bhw.hrsa.gov/funding/apply-loan-repayment/faculty-lrp

NHSC Loan Repayment Program

Eligibility

Licensed primary care clinicians in eligible disciplines can receive loan repayment.

Medical

  • Physician – Allopathic (MD) or Osteopathic (DO)
    • Family Medicine
    • General Internal Medicine
    • General Pediatrics
    • Obstetrics/Gynecology
    • Geriatrics
  • Physician Assistant (PA)
    • Adult
    • Family
    • Pediatric
    • Women’s Health
    • Geriatrics
  • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    • Adult
    • Family
    • Pediatric
    • Women’s Health
    • Geriatrics
  • Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

Dental Care

  • Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
    • General Dentistry
    • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD)
    • General Dentistry
    • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Dental Hygienist

Behavioral/Mental Health

  • Physician – Allopathic (MD) or Osteopathic (DO)
    • Psychiatry
  • Health Service Psychologist (HSP)
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Psychiatric Nurse Specialist (PNS)
  • Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT)
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
  • Physician Assistant (PA)
    • Mental Health & Psychiatry
  • Nurse Practitioner (NP)
    • Mental Health & Psychiatry

NHSC Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply:https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-loan-repayment-program

NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program

Eligibility

The NHSC SUD Workforce LRP combats the nation’s opioid crisis.

Trained and licensed providers in eligible disciplines can receive loan repayment. You must use evidence-based treatment models to treat substance use disorders.

In exchange, you serve at least two years at an NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility.

Is my discipline/specialty eligible to apply?

  • Physicians
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Certified nurse midwives
  • Physician assistants
  • Behavioral health professionals
  • Substance use disorder counselors
  • Registered nurses
  • Pharmacists

NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-sud-workforce-loan-repayment-program

NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program

Eligibility

The NHSC Rural Community LRP is for providers combatting the opioid epidemic in the nation’s rural communities.

Licensed primary care clinicians in eligible disciplines can receive loan repayment.

In exchange, you serve at least two years at a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility.

Is my discipline/specialty eligible to apply?

  • Allopathic/osteopathic physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Psychiatrists
  • Nurse practitioners
  • Certified nurse-midwives
  • Psychiatric nurse specialists
  • Health service psychologists
  • Licensed clinical social workers
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Licensed professional counselors
  • SUD counselors
  • Pharmacists
  • Registered nurses
  • Certified registered nurse anesthetists

NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet

HRSA website for more information and to apply: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/nhsc-rural-community-loan-repayment-program

Health Professions Loan Assistance Program - Apply by Sept 12, 2023

Wisconsin health care professionals (physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, dental hygienists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives) practicing in an outpatient setting can receive up to $50,000 in education loan assistance through the Health Professions Loan Assistance Program (HPLAP). To be eligible, providers must work full time in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Information on a community’s HPSA status can be found on the federal Health Resources and Services Administration’s HPSA site.  Providers must agree to work three years in an eligible underserved rural or urban community.

Learn more and apply here: https://worh.org/resources/for-the-workforce/loan-repayment

Rural Provider Loan Assistance Program - Apply by Sept 12, 2023

Wisconsin primary care physicians and psychiatrists practicing in an outpatient setting in a rural* community are eligible for an additional award. The Rural Provider Loan Assistance Program grants physicians practicing in a rural community up to $50,000 in loan assistance funds. Providers practicing in rural communities qualify for this funding whether or not the worksite is located in a HPSA.

Learn more and apply here: https://worh.org/resources/for-the-workforce/loan-repayment

Indian Health Service’s Loan Repayment Program

Indian Health Service’s LRP is a competitive program that awards up to $40,000 a year for a two year commitment to work in a Service-approved site. Eligible professions include physicians, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, optometrists, therapists, psychologists, social workers, environmental health, and other allied health professions.  Additional information is available on their website.

Primary Care and Psychiatry Shortage Grant

The State of Wisconsin Higher Education Aids Board (WHEAB) provides competitive grants to primary care physicians, general surgeons and psychiatrists who agree to practice in a rural or urban federally designated shortage area.  Providers must file a Notice of Intent to practice in an underserved Wisconsin community prior to accepting employment or becoming in any other way affiliated as a physician in an underserved area in the state of Wisconsin. This program is not based on loan assistance or repayment.

Learn more here: https://heab.state.wi.us/features/pcps.html

Wisconsin AHEC hosted an Info Session about the Nurse Corps Programs on January 31, 2023.

Wisconsin AHEC hosted an Info Session about the National Health Service Corps Programs on February 1, 2023.

Important Wisconsin Contacts

For Nurse Corps & NHSC Program Support:
LCDR Tara Dondzila, MPH, CPH, REHS
Public Health Analyst
HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce, Region 5
tdondzila@hrsa.gov

For Health Professions & Rural Provider Loan Assistance Program Support:
Kevin Jacobson
Loan Assistance Program Manager
Wisconsin Office of Rural Health
kmjacobson2@wisc.edu