Student Loan Forgiveness for Nurses

The PSLF program offers student loan forgiveness to nurses who work full time (at least 30 hours a week) for a federal, state, local, or tribal government or a qualifying not-for-profit organization. Loans are paid off after the borrower makes the first 120 payments. Check to see if your loan type is eligible.

Employers must certify your employment status. If they are unable or unwilling to certify your employment, or if the organization has closed, you may be able to certify by submitting tax documents or pay stubs.

Who Is Eligible: Nurses working full time for a government (including the military) or a qualifying not-for-profit organization, who have made 120 qualifying payments and have a remaining loan balance.

If you received a Perkins Loan before 2017, you may be eligible for up to 100% loan cancellation for five years of eligible service as a full-time nurse providing health care services. If you do not have five years of nursing experience yet, but have worked as a medical technician prior to becoming a nurse, you may be eligible for this program as well.

Eligible service may also include volunteering in the military or the Peace Corps, among others. Your employment or volunteer work must have occurred after October 1998.

Who Is Eligible: Nurses who have worked full-time for at least five years as a nurse, medical technician, or volunteer, and have a remaining balance on a Perkins Loan.

The HRSA Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program pays up to 85% of unpaid nursing education debt for RNs, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and nurse faculty. In exchange, you are required to work two years full time at an eligible health care facility with a critical shortage of nurses or an eligible nursing school.

After the first two years of work, you will receive 60% of your outstanding loans repaid. You may have the option to receive an additional 25% after working a third year. Be aware that you will have to pay income tax on the amount that’s repaid.

Who Is Eligible: RNs, APRNs, and nurse faculty with government loans or private (commercial) loans.

If you enlist in the U.S. Army or the Army Reserve, nurses can receive up to $180,000 in student loan forgiveness, paid directly to your lender ($120,000 in exchange for three years of active duty or $60,000 for two years in the reserves). Repayment income is taxable.

You may also be eligible for a signing bonus of up to $30,000 and other benefits, including a salary and housing allowance. The Army also offers several scholarships to attend school.

Who Is Eligible: RNs with a bachelor’s degree in nursing or higher, and APRNs

Nursing school faculty from disadvantaged backgrounds who have at least a two-year contract to teach nursing at a public or nonprofit school are eligible for up to $40,000 in loan repayment, plus funding to offset the tax burden. You are also eligible if you teach nursing at a graduate-level public health program.

Who Is Eligible: RN or APRN graduates teaching at a public or nonprofit school

Nurses with student loan debt who commit to working at health facilities serving American Indian and Alaska Native communities for at least two years can receive up to $50,000 towards student loan repayment through the Indian Health Service. You do not have to be of Indigenous American heritage to participate.

Who Is Eligible: RNs specializing in community/public health and case management, diabetic nurse educators, and APRNs, including nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists, and nurse practitioners (NP). Non-nursing health professionals are also eligible.

The NHSC loan forgiveness program is available to APRNs who treat patients on Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). They must also be providers in an NHSC-approved facility located in a health professional shortage area. To receive the funds, they must work for two years, with an option to receive additional funds in exchange for another year of service.

Practitioners who serve as primary care providers may receive up to $75,000 for full-time service and $50,000 for part time. All other providers can receive up to $37,500 full time and $25,000 part time. Spanish-language proficiency makes you eligible for an additional $5,000 reward.

Who Is Eligible: Nurse-midwives and NPs in adult, family, geriatric, pediatric, or women’s health specialties

The NHSC Substance Use Disorder Workforce LRP program is available to APRNs and specialty nurses who participate in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP. They must specialize in primary care, mental/behavioral health care, or maternity care at an NHSC-approved substance misuse treatment facility. The program pays up to $75,000 for three years, including an additional one-time reward of $5,000 for Spanish-language proficiency.

Who Is Eligible: RNs, NPs, psychiatric nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists

The NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program is available to APRNs and specialty nurses who are substance use disorder care providers to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP recipients in a rural health professional shortage area. They must work for NHSC-approved nonprofit or governmental organizations.

This program forgives up to $100,000 in loans for three years of full-time service or $50,000 for three years of part-time service. Practitioners with Spanish-language proficiency may be eligible for an additional $5,000 reward.

Who Is Eligible: RNs, NPs, psychiatric nurse specialists, nurse-midwives, nurse anesthetists

Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans are for borrowers with outstanding federal student loan debt who receive monthly payment adjustments based on income and family size. Loans are forgiven once borrowers make a certain number of payments over 10, 20, or 25 years. You may have to pay income tax on the amount that’s forgiven.

The plan you are eligible for will determine the time it takes to reach loan forgiveness. As of April 2025, IDR plans include Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Income-Based Repayment (IBR), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR). In July 2023, portions of some plans were paused by court order, so reach out to your student loan servicer periodically for updated information.

Who Is Eligible: Nurses and other borrowers with eligible loans, including federal direct loans, federal direct consolidation loans, and federal Stafford Loans.

Actions by the school you attended when first receiving a student loan can qualify you for school-related loan cancellations (or discharges). These loan cancellations include the Borrower Defense to Repayment (BDR), False Certification Discharge, and Closed School Loan discharge.

Who is Eligible: Nurses and other borrowers with federal loans who attended a school that misled them, violated certain laws, falsely certified their loan eligibility, or discontinued operations