Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program

The Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program supports the state’s health care needs by encouraging qualified nurses to practice in Texas.

How to Apply

Apply Here

What you’ll need to apply:

  • Nursing license
  • National Provider Identifier (NPI)
    • If you do not have an NPI, please enter nine zeroes (000000000).
  • Official transcript from the institution from which you graduated
  • Student loan billing statement showing eligible debt, including account holder’s name, account number, and loan servicer name
  • Email address of your facility’s chief administrative officer (such as an administrator or director of human resources) or other official authorized to certify your employment

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for this program, you must:

  • Be licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), Registered Nurse (RN), or Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), with no restrictions.
  • Be currently working in Texas as an LVN, RN, or APRN.
  • Have been working as a nurse in Texas for at least one year.

Assistance Amount

Each year, your repayment assistance is based on whichever is lower: one-third of your total verified loan balance or the maximum annual amount based on your nursing level. Assistance is calculated using the loan balance verified during your initial application review.

Due to strong participation in the program’s first year, funding levels for the second year have been adjusted. The updated annual maximums help ensure the program can continue supporting a broad number of nurses and sustain long-term investment in the state’s nursing workforce.

Maximum Annual Assistance Amounts (Based on Full-Time Service)

LVN: $4,500
RN: $6,500
APRN: $13,333

  • If you are employed part-time1, your repayment assistance will be prorated based on the proportion of hours you work compared to the average hours worked by full-time2 nurses.
  • You may be eligible for loan repayment assistance for a maximum of three years.
  • If the loan repayment assistance you receive does not cover the full amount owed, you are responsible for the remaining loan balance. 
  • Loan repayment assistance is reported to the Internal Revenue Service by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (Coordinating Board).

1Part-time employment is fewer than 32 hours per week over a service period.

2Full-time employment is a minimum of 32 hours per week completed over a service period.

Funding Priorities

If insufficient funds are available to offer loan repayment assistance to all eligible applicants, applications will be ranked in this priority: 

  • Renewal applicants will receive priority over new applicants.
  • Applicants working in rural areas will receive priority over those working in non-rural areas.
  • Work locations with higher Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores will be prioritized over lower Primary Care HPSA scores.
  • RNs will have priority over LVNs, who will have priority over APRNs.
  • Those who apply by any stated deadline will have priority over late applicants.

Eligible Loans

To be eligible for repayment through this program, your loans must:

  • Be evidenced by a promissory note that required you to use the loan proceeds to pay for the cost of attendance for your undergraduate, graduate, or professional education.
  • Not have been made during your residency or to cover costs incurred after you completed your graduate or professional education.
  • Not be in default at the time you apply.
  • Not have an existing obligation to provide service for loan forgiveness through another state program (except the State Loan Repayment Program).
  • Not be subject to repayment through another student loan repayment assistance or loan forgiveness program, or through repayment assistance provided by your employer while you participate in this program.

What to Expect After Applying

Your application will remain in pending status until the Coordinating Board receives verification of your service from your chief administrative officer. Applications are processed in the order that service verifications are received. Due to the popularity of the program, processing may take two or more months.

If additional information is needed, you will be contacted by email using the address provided on your application. If approved, the Coordinating Board will mail a paper check directly to your lender and notify you by email. If your application is not approved, you will be notified by email and may reapply in future years.

Note: The Coordinating Board cannot send payments electronically or by Automated Clearing House (ACH). Lender processing may be longer for paper checks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You must submit an application and provide verification of your eligible service each year.

  • If you work for multiple employers or multiple clinics, your application will be ranked using the location with the highest Primary Care HPSA score.
  • If you travel for patient home visits, your application will be ranked using your agency’s base location HPSA score.

No. However, your practice site’s Primary Care HPSA score may be used if applications are ranked.

A rural county is one with a population under 150,000. You are considered to be working in a rural county if at least 75% of your work hours are spent serving that county.

No. If funding is limited, eligible applicants are ranked using program criteria to determine who receives assistance.

Before changing practice sites, please contact our office to discuss the potential impact.

Yes. The PSLF program requires you to make 120 payments before your loan is potentially forgiven, and the verification process doesn’t occur until all 120 payments are complete. However, you can complete the Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program before all 120 payments have been made on your federal loans.

No. Loan repayment assistance is awarded for your most recently completed year of service and cannot be applied retroactively to prior years.

Additional Information

Program Statute: Texas Education Code, Title 3, Subchapter L

Program Rule: Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 23, Subchapter K

Contact Us

To speak to a customer service representative regarding loan repayment programs, call 833-597-0454, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT.

Online Inquiries: Help Desk