Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program

If you are a nurse working in Texas, you may qualify for a loan repayment award of up to $16,000 per year, depending on your type of nursing license.

For more details, review Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 23, Subchapter K.

Am I Eligible?

To qualify for this program, you must meet the following requirements:

Currently working as a nurse in Texas as a licensed vocational nurse (LVN), registered nurse (RN), or advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)
Have been working as a nurse in Texas for at least one year
Licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing as an LVN, RN, or APRN, with no restrictions

When Can I Apply?

The application is open year-round.

How Do I Apply?

The application portal for the Nurse Loan Repayment Assistance Program is now available in the Grant and Aid Processing Platform (GAPP) system.

To complete an application, click here.

You will need:

A copy of your nursing license.
Your National Provider Identifier (NPI). If you do not have an NPI, please enter nine zeroes (000000000).
An official copy of your transcript from the institution from which you graduated.
Information about your student loan balances, account numbers, and loan holders.
The email address for your chief administrative officer (CAO).
- Your CAO may be a facility administrator, Director of Human Resources, or another official authorized to certify your employment.
- After you have submitted your application, we will email a service verification form to your CAO.

How Much Can I Receive?

You may receive up to the following award amounts each year, for up to three years:

Licensed vocational nurses: $5,000
Registered nurses: $9,000
Advanced practice registered nurses: $16,000

NOTE: Program rules state that annual loan repayment assistance amounts cannot exceed one-third of the total principal and interest owed on eligible loans at the time of your initial application for the program.

Funding Priorities

If there are insufficient funds 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.

To find out if your site is located in an HPSA, go to the Health Resources and Services Administration Shortage Areas search page. The site address is where you are physically working, not where the headquarters or administration office is located.

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.

Are My Loans Eligible?

To qualify for repayment through this program, a loan must:

Have been used to pay for the cost of attendance for your enrollment in a nursing degree or certificate program.
Not be in default at the time of the application.
Not have an existing service obligation for forgiveness through another program (however, you may concurrently participate in the State Loan Repayment Program).
Not be subject to repayment through another student loan repayment assistance program or loan forgiveness program or repayment assistance provided by your employer while you are participating in the program.

What Happens After I Submit My Application?

After you submit your application, it will be held in a pending status until we receive the completed service verification form from your CAO. Once we receive all documentation, please allow up to six weeks for our team to review your application.

If we have questions or need additional information, we will contact you at the email address you provided on your application. If your application is approved, we will mail a paper check to your lender and email an award notification to you. If your application is not approved, we will notify you by email, and you may reapply in future years.

Frequently Asked Questions

The highest Primary Care HPSA score among the clinics will apply.

Your agency’s base location and its Primary Care HPSA score will apply.

The location with the highest Primary Care HPSA score will apply.

For this program, a rural county is a county with a population of less than 50,000, and an applicant who spends at least 75% of their work hours serving in rural counties is considered to be working in a rural county.

Yes. You will have to reapply each year for potential funds. We will also need verification of your eligible service and updated loan information each year.

No. The Texas Legislature determines the program’s funding level. If there is insufficient funding available to offer loan repayment assistance to all eligible applicants, applicants will be ranked according to the criteria listed above to determine who will receive funding.

Please be aware that changing practice sites may affect your funding priority and funding eligibility in the following application cycle.

The initial service period begins on the first day of the month following the date the application is received or the first date of employment, whichever is later. Once a service period is established, it will be the same for all years of participation.

No, However, the score may be used if the ranking of applications takes place.

Full-time employment is at least 32 hours of direct patient care per week during the service period.

Yes. You may receive a prorated award for part-time employment.

No. Since the PSLF Program requires a borrower to make 120 payments before the loan is potentially forgiven, it could be possible for a participant to qualify for both programs.

No. Your award amount is based on the verified loan balance at the time your application for enrollment is reviewed.

No. Program funding does not allow for funding of prior years of service.

The annual award will be mailed to the lender after you have completed each year of service and all required documentation has been received and reviewed. We cannot send payments electronically or via ACH, so please allow time for the check to be mailed and processed by your lender.

Contact Us

Email: LoanRepaymentPrograms@highered.texas.gov
Phone: (833) 597-0454