National Health Service Corps(NHSC) Loan Repayment Program

This article explains the National Health Service Corps Student Loan Repayment Program- an LRP assist that helps medical professionals repay their student loans.

Updated by Anuroop C on 5th October 2020

There is a saying " The presence of the doctor is the beginning of the cure ". This signifies the importance of having doctors and nurses who serve the country. 
They must be paid well since they have an enormous responsibility to take care of us when we are at our worst. National Health Service Corps(NHSC) Loan Repayment Program are made to help the nurses, doctors working in the field of medical, nursing, dental, behavioral/mental health, and also assistant physicians with their loan repayment process. And the cost to become a medical professional has never been this high. Therefore most of the medical professionals opt for student loans to pay for their education.

There are a lot of underprivileged areas that require these medical professionals’ help. Therefore there are many repayment plans offered usually by the state government to facilitate medical options by attracting medical professionals to these areas and helping them pay their student loans. One of the most popular medical repayment programs is the National Health Services Corps Repayment Program.

Table Of Contents

What is the National Health Service Corps Repayment Program?

The National Health Service Corps Repayment Program is a repayment assistance program that targets to recruit and retain medical, nursing, dental, and behavioral/mental health clinicians in communities that are regarded as Health Professional Shortage Areas(HPSA).

The qualified and eligible candidates are offered in different levels of funding based on the score of the practice sites under HPSA. The repayment can go up to $50,000 and is available to candidates who agree to practice full-time for at least 2 years and up to $25,000 for part-time practice. They can extend the repayment plans, one year at a time till the loan is paid in the eligible sites.

Here is the list of the National Health Service Corps Repayment Assistance Program

  1. NHSC Loan Repayment Program

  2. NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program

  3. NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program 

The above programs have similar eligibility criteria to satisfy and also have similar other features to them. 


Looking for student loans? Find the best student loans just for you.


Eligibility for National Health Service Corps Repayment Program

The following is the criteria if you want to apply for NHSC LPR

  • Like most other programs' eligibility criteria, you must be a US citizen or hold citizenship.

  • Must work in the field of Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program as mentioned on the official website 

  • Produce an eligible degree qualification, fully trained and license

  • A Geographic Area (Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)) mentioned as per the HRSA health workforce

  • Eligible areas of disciplinaries are Primary Care Medical, Dental Care, Behavioral & Mental Health

You will need proof of status as a US Citizen, documents that your support your loan so that it can be verified(such as account statement or disbursement report).

A Geographic Area (Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)) mentioned as per the HRSA health workforce.

The main focus of the HRSA health workforce is to provide assistance to a specific population with low income, people who have migrated with the purpose of having agriculture as their occupation.

Where there is a shortage of psychiatric professionals, they want to hire more mental health caretakers to provide better service to a larger group of people.

Providing service in the hospitals for tribals and natives of Alaska also is a focus. And if you provide your service for the required years and satisfy the eligibility criteria. You can apply for this repayment program.


Application Process for NHSC Repayment Program

You are first required to create an account on the HRSA’s(Health Resources and Services Administration) website portal - NHSC loan repayment login

1- Online process 

You will be first screened to test if you are eligible. Once you have completed that screening process, then you will be asked about your general information such as name, social security number, mailing, etc. Then provide with the following details:

  • Education

  • Employment

  • Details for Employment verification

  • Loan Information

You will be hearing them usually in three weeks, once all the verification is done. If you are awarded then you will need to confirm your interest in the award, loan and employment details, and Loan Repayment Program Contract. And also you will need to provide your bank details to deposit your award within the given deadline. 

2 - Documents to be produced

The documents that must be verified to check the eligibility process and further help you with the repayment plans. Produce the below data 

  • Proof of citizenship

  • Borrowed Loan information

  • Loan Account information

  • Disbursement documents from the Department of education or school

3 - Extra information to be produced

There are a couple more details that must be produced during the application process as mentioned below. 

  • All your payments must be collected from your servicer.

  • Proof of completing service for the required amount of time which is got through the NHSC application

  • A proof from school that mentions your need for this repayment plan

  • Proof/copy of the completion of the geriatrics training program.

Once your application is filled and required documents are produced, you can check all the information online to verify. For further details regarding the National Health Service Corps(NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, you can contact NHSC at 1-800-221-9393 or email them at Link

Working hours 

Monday - Friday,
8 a.m. - 8 p.m. ET

Other blogs you may be interested in

Federal and Private Student Loan Repayment Options

Student Loan Repayment Assistance Programs

Student Loan Forgiveness and Repayment for Military and Veterans