National Health Service Corps and Nurse Corp Programs

NURSE Corps gives nurses nationwide the opportunity to turn their passion for service into a lifelong career through the NURSE Corps Scholarship Program and the NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program. NURSE Corps helps to build healthier communities in urban, rural and frontier areas by supporting nurses and nursing students committed to working in communities with inadequate access to care.

National Health Service Corps

National Health Service Corps Established in 1970, the National Health Service Corps’ (NHSC) scholarship and loan repayment programs help under-served communities across the nation receive critically needed primary medical, oral, and mental and behavioral health care. Through the National Health Service Corps, clinicians receive scholarships and loan repayment in return for committing to practice in underserved areas for a defined period of time. More than 40,000 NHSC primary care clinicians have participated in the Corps since its inception, including 5,483 since passage of the Affordable Care Act. In addition to the recruitment of providers, the NHSC also works to retain primary care providers in underserved areas after their service commitment is completed to further leverage the Federal investment and to build more integrated and sustainable systems of care.

ScholarshipThe application cycle closes on April 25, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Students pursuing primary care careers can receive scholarships for serving communities in need upon graduation and completion of training.

About the Program: NHSC S2S LRP applicants may qualify for up to $120,000 in tax-free loan repayment for their medical, nursing and dental school student loans. Eligible health professional students in their final year of school receive the award in exchange for a three-year service commitment in a high-need (HPSA 14 or above) rural, tribal, or urban community. Read the 2024 Scholarship Application and Program Guidance (APG) carefully before you start your application.

  • Students must be U.S. citizens or nationals and enrolled or accepted in an eligible medical (MD or DO), dental (DDS or DMD), NP or CNM degree program at a U.S. accredited school.
  • Installments are paid to students annually in a lump sum which, when applied to qualified health professional student loans, can significantly lower the overall debt by reducing accrued loan interest amounts.
  • NHSC S2S LRP award recipients are eligible to continue service through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program, and could potentially pay off all of their educational debt with continued service at an approved NHSC site.

Technical Assistance

Application Webinar
Tuesday, March 19
Join the Webinar

Online Q & A Sessions
Tuesday, April 2,
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Ask a Question

Tuesday, April 16,
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM ET
Ask a Question

For additional information, including a program fact sheet, visit the NHSC website. Find NHSC-approved sites on the Health Workforce Connector.

Brian Freeman and Family

Learn more about the Students to Service Program from one of our participants – Brian Freeman, MD

Loan Repayment – NURSE Corps members help to create healthy communities in poor urban and rural areas as they build their own fulfilling and productive careers. NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program sets registered nurses (including advanced practice registered nurses and nursing faculty) on a rewarding career path while paying off 60 percent of their unpaid nursing student loans in just 2 years – plus an additional 25 percent of the original balance for an optional third year.

Nurse Corps

Nurse CorpsThe NURSE Corps Loan Repayment and Scholarship Programs have helped critical shortage facilities meet their urgent need for nurses since 2002. NURSE Corps members fulfilling their service obligation enjoy the competitive pay and benefits negotiated with their employer, which could be any one of thousands of nonprofit hospitals, clinics and other facilities located in designated mental health or primary medical care Health Professional Shortage Areas across the U.S.

Scholarship – Now accepting appliations through May 21, 2015, 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. NURSE Corps Scholarship Program enables students accepted or enrolled in a diploma, associate, baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs, including RN to BSN, RN to MSN-NP, Direct Entry MSN-NP program to receive funding for tuition, fees and other educational costs in exchange for working at an eligible NURSE Corps site upon graduation.

Loan Repayment – NURSE Corps members help to create healthy communities in poor urban and rural areas as they build their own fulfilling and productive careers. NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program sets registered nurses (including advanced practice registered nurses and nursing faculty) on a rewarding career path while paying off 60 percent of their unpaid nursing student loans in just 2 years – plus an additional 25 percent of the original balance for an optional third year.