Health professionals now may be eligible for up to $100,000 in student loan debt repayment over a two-year period through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Loan Repayment Program (LRP).
Congress established two LRPs to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. LRPs repay up to $50,000 annually of a researcher's qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research. The LRPs are divided by NIH-employed (intramural) and non-employed (extramural) researchers.
Per the LRP applicant guide, applicants can choose from six extramural subcategories, including: Clinical Research, Pediatric Research, Health Disparities Research and Research in Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health.
Applicants who have not received prior research funding from NIH are eligible to participate in the LRP. Additionally, awardees may apply for subsequent, competitive renewal awards if they meet program eligibility.
The online application period for the extramural LRP awards is Sept. 1–Nov. 18, and Jan. 3–Mar. 15, for intramural LRP awards.