The Nursing Loan Repayment Assistance Program was authorized by the Texas Legislature (83rd Regular Session) to improve access to nursing education programs by encouraging qualified nurses to serve as faculty at eligible institutions of higher education. The maximum annual loan repayment amount is $7,000.
State funds are not appropriated specifically for this program. However, in each fiscal year funds may be reallocated from the Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP) Account if funds remain available after all physician applications have been considered. After reviewing all physician applications received by the August 31, 2013 deadline, we have determined that there will be remaining PELRP funds to be reallocated for Nursing Faculty Loan Repayment Assistance Program awards at the end of the current fiscal year.
The Coordinating Board approved administrative rules for this new program at its quarterly meeting on October 24, 2013. An application for loan repayment assistance based on qualified faculty employment for the 2013-2014 academic year will be posted on this web page in April of 2014.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS |
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To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance, a nurse must:
(1) hold a master's or doctoral degree in nursing;
(2) be licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing for the State of Texas,
(3) apply to the Board by the published application deadline; and
(4) at the time of application for repayment assistance, have been employed full time for at least one year as, and be currently employed full time as a faculty member of a nursing program at an eligible institution in a position that requires an advanced degree in professional nursing.
PRIORITIES OF APPLICATION ACCEPTANCE |
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If there are not sufficient funds to award loan repayment assistance for all eligible nursing faculty whose applications are received by the published deadline, priority will be given to renewal applications. Initial applications will be ranked in a manner that takes into account the following information, provided by the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies:
(1) the number of vacant nursing faculty positions, as a percentage of the total number of nursing faculty positions at the eligible institutions; and
(2) the degree of difficulty in recruiting and retaining nursing faculty at the eligible institutions, indicated by the period of time nursing faculty positions remain vacant at the institutions.
Please visit this web page for any program updates. You may contact our office by telephone at the numbers shown below, or by e-mail at loanrepaymentprograms@thecb.state.tx.us.
