IOWA RURAL HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE CONNECTION
  • Loan Repayment & Scholarships
    • Individual Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs
    • International Physician Recruitment Programs
    • School Administered Loan Repayment Programs
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Loan Repayment & Scholarship Programs

Iowa Rural Healthcare Workforce Connections Listserv

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​​NEW! Health Care Professional Incentive Program

​The Iowa Department of Education has launched a website for the Health Care Professional Incentive Program (HCPIP), a new initiative designed to recruit and retain licensed health care professionals in high-need communities across the state. Eligible participants who commit to five years of full-time service in designated areas may receive annual awards—either as a federal student loan repayment or an income bonus—distributed incrementally over the service period. This program consolidates several previous programs and will begin accepting applications in January 2026, with award amounts and eligible practice areas to be announced later this year.
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ICAN Financial Aid

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FIND: Dental Education ​Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: Private Practice Dentists who meet certain requirements.
What you get: Based on practice county, this program provides dental education debt repayment up to $125,000 or $200,000 over a five-year commitment period in exchange for 35% allocation of patient visits to underserved populations, with at least 15% of those visits to Medicaid-enrolled patients.    
When to apply: The annual deadline for notice of intent to apply is June 1. Applications are due July 1.
How to apply:  Contact Sara Schlievert at [email protected].
Funding Source: Delta Dental of Iowa, State of Iowa, and Local Community Match

National Health Service Corp ​​​Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: Primary care medical, dental, and behavioral and mental health practitioners who meet certain requirements. 
What you get: This program provides assistance with repayment of educational loans in exchange, practitioners for a minimum 2-year, full-time service obligation at an eligible practice site(s) located in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA). 
When to apply: Sign up for program announcements HERE.
Where to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.  
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration ​

National Health Service Corps Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: Physicians; Nurse practitioners; Certified Nurse Midwives; Physician Assistants; Behavioral health professionals; Substance use disorder counselors; Registered Nurses; and Pharmacists who meet certain requirements.
What you get: This program provides assistance with repayment of educational loans in exchange for a minimum, three-year commitment to provide substance use disorder treatment services at a SUD treatment facility with a Mental Health or Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) score that would ordinarily be too low to qualify for NHSC funding. 
When to apply: Sign up for program announcements HERE.
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

National Health Service Corps Rural Community Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: Physicians; Nurse practitioners; Certified Nurse Midwives; Physician Assistants; Behavioral health professionals; Substance use disorder counselors; Registered Nurses; Pharmacists; and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
​What you get: Eligible clinicians may receive up to $100,000 for full-time service or $50,000 for half-time service at a rural NHSC-approved SUD treatment facility in exchange for repayment of outstanding, qualifying, educational loans. 
When to apply: Sign up for program announcements HERE.
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program

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Who Qualifies: Primary Care Physicians; Dentists; Nurse Practitioners; Nurse Midwives; and Physician Assistants who meet certain requirements.
What you get: This program provides a full year of scholarship support in exchange for a minimum 2-year, full-time service obligation at an eligible practice site(s) located in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA).
When to apply: Sign up for program announcements HERE.
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.  
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

National Health Service Corps Students to Service Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: 
Medical Students (MD or DO), dental students (DMD or DDS), and nursing students (NP or CNM) in their final year of school.
What you get: 
This program provides assistance with repayment of educational loans in exchange for at least three years of service at an NHSC-approved site in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).
When to apply: Sign up for program announcements HERE.
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.  
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

Nurse Corps ​Loan Repayment Program

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Who Qualifies: Registered Nurses; Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners; and Nurse Faculty who meet certain requirements.
What you get: This program provides payments totaling 60 percent of outstanding qualifying educational loan balance incurred while pursuing an education in nursing in exchange for a two-year service commitment at a Critical Shortage Facility located in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) or an eligible school of nursing (for nurse faculty). Qualifying participants may receive an additional 25 percent of their original loan balance for an optional third year of service.  
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

Nurse Corps Scholarship Program (Nurse Corps SP)

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Who Qualifies: 
Nursing Students
What you get: 
This program provides financial assistance with tuition, fees, and other educational costs in exchange for a minimum 2-year, service commitment a Critical Shortage Facility (CFS) upon graduation. 
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

Public Service ​Loan Forgiveness Program​

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What you get: This program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for an eligible employer. 
Funding Source: Federal Student Aid

Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program

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What you get: This program provides repayment of eligible educational loans in exchange for a full-time, six-year service obligation at a STAR LRP-approved treatment facility.  
How to apply: Submit an application online via HRSA BHW Customer Service Portal.
Funding Source: Health Resources and Services Administration

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The Rural Health Workforce Connection (RHWC) is supported by the Iowa Health and Human Services. The RHWC website provides links to other websites only for the convenience of its users. RHWC is not responsible for the availability or content of these external sites, nor does RHWC endorse, warrant, or guarantee the products, services, or information described or offered at these other websites.
  • Loan Repayment & Scholarships
    • Individual Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs
    • International Physician Recruitment Programs
    • School Administered Loan Repayment Programs
  • Publications
  • Resources
  • Jobs & Apprenticeships