National Health Service Corps Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs

The purpose of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Scholarship and Loan Repayment Programs is to recruit and retain primary care medical, nursing, dental, and behavioral/mental health clinicians in eligible communities of need designated as health professional shortage areas. NHSC program applicants must be U.S citizens or U.S nationals. Visit the NHSC to learn more about these programs.

NHSC Scholarship Program

Students pursuing a career as a primary care physician (MD or DO), nurse practitioner, physician assistant, general or pediatric dentist, or certified nurse-midwife are eligible to apply for the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program. In exchange for tuition, required fees, and a monthly support stipend, eligible applicants must serve in a rural and underserved community in a Health Professional Shortage Area upon graduation and licensure. Visit the NHSC Scholarship Program for more information.

NHSC Loan Repayment Program

Fully licensed clinicians with certifications in primary care medicine (family medicine, obstetrics/gynecology, internal medicine, geriatrics, general pediatrics, general psychiatry), physician assistant, nurse practitioner (adult, family, pediatric, psychiatric/mental health, geriatrics and women’s health), general or pediatric dentistry, mental and behavioral health psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, and marriage and family therapist are eligible to apply for loan repayment assistance in exchange for working in a health professional shortage area (HPSA) and an approved NHSC site. Loan repayment funding is tied to the HPSA score and may range from $20,000 to $30,000 in tax-free loan repayment awards in exchange for two years of full-time service in a HPSA. A half-time service commitment option is available. Visit the NHSC Loan Repayment Program for more information, or review our list of frequently asked questions.

NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program

Medical students (MD or DO) in their last year of school are eligible to receive loan repayment assistance in return for working in a health professional shortage area and approved NHSC site.

NHSC Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program (NELRP)

This program targets nurse faculty, advanced practice registered nurses and registered nurses who either work in a critical shortage facility or nurse faculty employed at an accredited school of nursing. A Critical Shortage Facility is a health care facility located in, designated as, or serving a primary medical care or mental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). Funding preference is given to nurses based on the greatest financial need, the type of facility, and the mental health or primary care HPSA designation. Visit the NHSC Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program for more information.

For more information, please contact Carolyn Bern at Carolyn.Bern@adph.state.al.us or Britney Crawford at Britney.Crawford@adph.state.al.us.