Medical Education Loan Repayment

Physician supply is a direct result of the number of medical school graduates, but more graduates do not assure an increased supply of primary care physicians.

A lack of interest in primary care fields can be attributed to various social and cultural factors; however, the biggest deterrent for medical students tends to be mere economics. Loan forgiveness programs greatly help medical students choose primary care specialties such as family medicine. 


Michigan State Loan Repayment Program

  • Provides loan forgiveness and scholarship opportunities to eligible primary care providers who agree to practice in a designated health professional shortage area for a specified period of time.
  • Assists employers with recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals at practice sites in health professional shortage areas.
  • The MSLRP has successfully placed hundreds of providers, including family physicians, in underserved areas of the state.
  • MSLRP receives funding from National Health Service Corps, State of Michigan, and local/private sources; however, the mix depends on the year and the budget environment.   

MIDOCs

  • A state-funded program established in 2019 to expand graduate medical education residency positions in select specialties, including family medicine
  • MIDOCs-sponsored residents in the specialties of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, and general surgery are eligible for $75,000 in education loan repayment, in return for a commitment to practice in a Michigan rural or urban underserved community for a minimum of two years post-residency
  • The number of MIDOCs residency slots each year depends on the amount of state, university, and federal funding

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program

  • Primary care medical, dental, and mental/behavioral healthcare professionals can get up to $50,000 in medical education loan repayment assistance in exchange for working a two-year service commitment in an urban, rural, or tribal community with limited access to care
  • Both federal and private student loans are eligible for the program

National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program

  • Allopathic and osteopathic medical students could be eligible for up to $120,000 in loan repayment assistance, payable in four installments of up to $30,000 per year
  • In return, students must agree to work for at least three years in full-time clinical practice at a National Health Service Corps approved site

National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program

  • Awards scholarships to students pursuing eligible primary care health professions training
  • In return, scholars commit to provide primary care health services in health professional shortage areas

National Health Service Corps Rural Community Loan Repayment Program

  • Open to healthcare professionals working to combat the opioid epidemic in U.S. rural communities
  • Makes loan repayment awards in coordination with the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy

National Health Service Corps Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program

  • Supports the recruitment and retention of health professionals needed in underserved areas to expand access to SUD treatment and prevent overdose deaths
  • Open to eligible healthcare professionals who work at a SUD treatment facility with a health professional shortage area score that would ordinarily be too low to qualify for NHSC funding

Bureau of Health Workforce Faculty Loan Repayment Program

  • Eligible allopathic and osteopathic faculty physicians may be eligible for a maximum of $40,000 in health professional student loan debt over two years, in return for serving at an eligible health professions school

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

  • Forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer (e.g., U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization)

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

  • Awards up to $40,000 for repayment of student loans in exchange for a two-year commitment to practice in health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities

National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

  • Offers loan repayment in return for developing research programs that reflect an understanding of the variety of issues and problems associated with disparities in health status

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration Primary Care Loans

  • Low-interest loans to full-time, financial-needs students to pursue a degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine
  • Students must enter and complete residency training in primary care within four years after graduation, and practice in primary care for the life of the loan

Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program

  • Apply through the Army, Navy, and Air Force
  • Attend medical school of your choice
  • Tuition and monthly is paid for by the U.S. Government