10 School Loan Forgiveness Programs For Doctors

Student loans may help cover the cost of your medical education, but paying back your loans can be a tall order when starting your career. The average medical school debt for 2024 graduates hovered around $200,000 at the time of graduation.

If you have debt and student loans from medical school that you’re struggling to pay off, medical school loan forgiveness programs could provide much-needed financial relief by making your debt more manageable.

10 medical school loan forgiveness programs for doctors

Below is a list of 10 student loan forgiveness programs for doctors to consider if you’re looking to reduce your medical school debt.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Best for: Doctors working in nonprofit or public medical institutions for 10 or more years

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is a federal student loan repayment plan available to many professionals who work full time for qualifying nonprofit organizations or government agencies. This can often include internships or residencies with a qualifying nonprofit or public hospital. Only Federal Direct Loans are eligible for this program.

PSLF underwent an expansion in 2022 which expanded eligibility criteria to include more borrowers. Since those changes have gone into effect, borrowers are allowed the following:

1. Credit for late, partial and lump sum payments, including certain periods of forbearance and deferment 
2. Receive loan discharges through an income-driven repayment plan (IDR) if they have made 20 to 25 years of 120 eligible payments

State student loan forgiveness programs

Best for: Doctors working in states with critical shortages of healthcare professionals

Many states offer student loan aid to doctors and other healthcare professionals through health departments, other agencies, and even local private funders. You can consult the AAMC’s database to see if your state offers student loan forgiveness, repayment programs or scholarships that might benefit you.

Requirements for state-specific medical school loan forgiveness programs can vary from one state to the next with application processes, service commitments and maximum loan repayment amounts. One requirement that most programs share is required service in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) within that state.

Here are some examples:

• Minnesota offers $33,000 in annual forgiveness (with a minimum of 3 years of service and a maximum of 4) through its Urban Physician Loan Forgiveness Program. The state also has a Rural Physician Loan Forgiveness Program that runs parallel, with forgiveness capping at $29,000 per year.
• The Texas Physician Education Loan Repayment Program awards physicians who provide primary outpatient care in increasing award levels over four service periods. The maximum student loan repayment for this program can run up to $180,000.
• The Kansas Bridging Plan offers loan forgiveness for practitioners who commit to serving an eligible rural Kansas county for a three-year commitment period. While the state contributes $10,000 in loan repayment, localities are then encouraged to contribute both a community match and a sign-on bonus.

The National Health Service Corps also provides grants through the State Loan Repayment Program to all 50 states and U.S. territories, allowing them to offer their own student loan repayment programs.

National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Programs (NIH LRPs)

Best for: Doctors seeking repayment assistance who also want to conduct research

For doctors who do research for NIH, up to $50,000 in loan repayment may be available. The NIH Division of Loan Repayment administers programs to incentivize research to help counter the high costs of medical school and the time commitment required for academic research. There are application periods in the spring and fall, depending on what research LRP program you’re considering.

4 National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Programs

Prospective healthcare professionals would be wise to consider the National Health Service Corps loan forgiveness programs. With short service requirements (2-3 years of commitment), and up to six figures in forgiveness eligibility, doctors can offset the steep costs of medical school by serving the corps in a designated HPSA.

While the 2025 application cycle closed in fall of 2024, medical students gearing up for graduation and job placements should keep an eye out for the 2026 application cycle to open, which the agency will announce through email updates should you decide to subscribe. Though there are four distinctive programs in place, students may only apply for one.

• NHSC Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP)
  

  The Health Resources and Services Administration offers a student loan repayment program (among other scholarships and support) to eligible healthcare professionals. To qualify for forgiveness, you’ll need to be a U.S. citizen and licensed to work in an eligible discipline in the state where you are applying to serve.

  If you apply for the NHSC loan repayment program and are accepted, you must agree to serve at least two years at an NHSC-approved site. These are areas and facilities facing a shortage of healthcare professionals, often in underserved communities.

  Making this commitment could wipe out as much as $75,000 of eligible student debt, tax-free for certain disciplines for physicians and others who provide primary care services. Tiers of forgiveness are available for full-time and half-time service commitments with a $5,000 additional award for providers proficient in Spanish (a pre-assessment of language skills is required).

• NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program (NHSC S2S LRP)
  

  Eligible students in their last year of medical, nursing or dental school may qualify for as much as $120,000 tax-free through the NHSC’s Students to Service Loan Repayment Program. Loan repayments are made in four annual installments, up to a maximum of $30,000 per year.

  To qualify, medical students, nursing students or dental students will need to commit to working in full-time clinical practice for three years in an NHSC-approved site.

• NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program (SUD Workforce LRP)
  

  Designed in response to the nation’s opioid crisis, the SUD Workforce LRP combines medication and behavioral health counseling in an effort to expand access to substance-use disorder treatment. The aim of this program is to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in high-need areas, broaden access for the public and prevent opioid-related deaths.

  Up to $80,000 in repayment assistance is available to full-time participants with a prorated amount available for half-time practitioners.

• NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program (NHSC Rural Community LRP)
  

  Much like the SUD Workforce LRP program, the NHSC Rural Community LRP focuses on targeting and treating the opioid epidemic in high-need, rural areas. This program operates specifically at rural health clinics. Up to $100,000 in loan repayment is available for participants who commit full-time.

Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment Program

Best for: Doctors who are interested in serving American Indian or Alaska Native communities

Doctors who commit to work for at least two years in medical facilities designed to serve American Indian or Alaska Native communities may be eligible to participate in this program. The IHS Loan Repayment Program will repay as much as $50,000 of your eligible medical school student loans in exchange for the commitment.

While you’ll need to sign on for the initial two-year service contract, you may be able to extend your contract until you’ve paid off all of your qualified student loan debt.

Armed forces loan repayment programs

Best for: Doctors and medical school students interested in serving in the armed forces

Doctors who serve in the U.S. military may receive financial aid, such as scholarships or student loan repayment perks, in exchange for their service. Different branches of the armed forces offer slightly different benefits. You can talk to a recruiter for the specific branch of the military you’re considering to learn more about your options.

The Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and National Guard all have student loan repayment incentives, but different parameters apply, depending on the branch of service. For example, the Air Force would provide you with a $45,000 annual grant during residency, plus a $2,000 monthly stipend for living expenses. Upon completion of their residency program, doctors are required to provide one year of service in exchange for each year of participation in the program, plus one additional year.

The Navy’s Health Professions Student Loan Repayment Program, open to officers who agree to a period of assigned active duty, must still be enrolled in a qualifying degree program to qualify for repayment. Once program requirements are met, graduates may qualify for up to $40,000 (before taxes) per year in loan repayment.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Specialty Education Loan Repayment Programs (SELRP)

Best for: Doctors interested in working with veterans

For resident doctors who are willing to commit to at least 24 months of service at a designated VA facility, a residency with the VA’s SELRP program can relieve up to a maximum of $160,000 in student loans. With a $40,000 annual loan repayment benefit and a high cap, the program’s eligibility is limited to those enrolled and matched into residency programs with identified shortages.

4 Alternative ways to repay medical school debt

If you can’t qualify for medical school loan forgiveness or if you’re only eligible for partial forgiveness, here are some other strategies that could help make repayment easier.

Apply for an income-driven repayment plan

Eligible borrowers may be able to lower their monthly student loan payments through an income-driven repayment plan. While this approach may keep you in debt for a longer period of time, it could also reduce your monthly payments.

The three plans actively accepting applications include Pay as You Earn (PAYE), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). All three programs calculate payments based on your discretionary income, and the best fit for you will be determined by your loan type and desired repayment term.

Refinance your student loans

Another potential way to pay off your medical school debt faster is to refinance your student loans. If you have very good or excellent credit (or a co-signer who fits this bill), you might be able to qualify for a lower interest rate on a new loan with a private lender.

If you’re considering refinancing federal student loans, be sure to factor in the benefits you would give up, such as access to income-driven repayment programs and student loan forgiveness, before making a final decision.

Federal loan consolidation

While refinancing your loans privately may not be the best fit for everyone, consolidating your federal loans is another option to explore. Borrowers who choose this path can keep their federally funded perks and protections by consolidating through the U.S. Government’s Direct Consolidation Loan Program.

Repayment terms may be extended by consolidating loans this way, but many doctors find the monthly payments to be far more manageable once they’ve entered repayment. While the Direct Loan Consolidation Program is still accepting applications, ongoing litigation may impact its future availability.

Employer repayment programs

Student loan repayment is an increasingly popular benefit offered as part of many employee compensation packages. While the tax-free portion of the benefit is limited to $5,250 per employee per year, your employer may include funds above and beyond that amount in your wages to encourage recruitment or retention.

Bottom line

Finding the right student loan forgiveness programs can be a great strategy to reduce your medical school debt. Evaluate your career goals before applying; if you’re willing to relocate or work in a high-need area, you’re more likely to qualify.