Alaska Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Alaska offers student loan repayment assistance programs for health care workers and, now, some teachers who stay in the state and serve where staff are short. The program with the widest reach is HWEP, the successor to SHARP-3, which covers everyone from physicians to medical assistants. Teachers get their first state loan help in years through a three-year pilot the legislature passed in 2026, and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs.
Alaska Programs At A Glance
| Program | Who Qualifies | Maximum Award | Service Required | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care Workforce Enhancement Program (HWEP) | Tier 1 to Tier 3 health professionals, from physicians to paraprofessionals | $35,000/year for Tier 1 ($47,250 in hard-to-fill roles), for 3 years | 3 years at a Department-approved site | Rolling |
| Alaska State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) | Licensed health care practitioners at eligible sites | Not published on the program page | 2 years at an eligible facility in a federal shortage area | Open |
| Teacher Student Loan Repayment Pilot (HB 28) | Public school teachers in special education, English learner instruction, and STEM | Up to $15,000 over 3 years | Teach each year you receive a payment | New In 2026 |
| WWAMI Medical Education Program | Alaska residents admitted to the WWAMI medical school program | Obligation of 50% of state support, fully forgivable | 3 years of rural practice or 5 years of non-rural practice in Alaska | Annual Cycle |
| Winn Brindle Loan | Alaska residents studying fisheries and seafood fields | Up to 50% of principal forgiven | Full-time work in a qualified fisheries field | Open |
Programs That Help Repay Loans You Already Have
Alaska borrowers carry roughly $30,800 in federal student debt on average, according to our Alaska student loans and financial aid breakdown. These programs send money toward that debt once you're working in a qualifying job. Compare them against Public Service Loan Forgiveness, since many qualifying Alaska employers are also PSLF employers.
Health Care Workforce Enhancement Program (HWEP)
HWEP pays health professionals who commit to three years of service at an approved site, either as a quarterly incentive payment or as payments toward qualifying student loans (Alaska Department of Health). Full-time Tier 1 clinicians can receive $35,000 a year, or $47,250 a year in roles the state designates as hard to fill, which adds up to $141,750 over the full term (HWEP Healthcare Professional Reference). Nurses and nurse practitioners fall in Tier 2, and our roundup of student loan forgiveness for nurses covers the federal programs they can pair with it.
The program grew out of SHARP-3, which the state opened in January 2021 to cover a wider range of jobs and practice settings than the original SHARP program (Alaska Online Public Notices). Loan repayment awards are capped at 33.3% of your verified loan balance each year, so borrowers with smaller balances should run the math with our student loan calculator.
| Administered by | Alaska Department of Health ([email protected]) |
| Who qualifies | Tier 1 (physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, pharmacists, psychologists, doctors of nursing practice), Tier 2 (nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse midwives, CRNAs, registered nurses, physical therapists, clinical social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, behavior analysts, dental hygienists), and Tier 3 paraprofessionals such as community health aides, behavioral health technicians, and medical assistants |
| Award | $35,000 (Tier 1), $20,000 (Tier 2), or $15,000 (Tier 3) a year full time; $47,250, $27,000, or $20,250 in hard-to-fill roles; half-time awards are half those amounts |
| Commitment | Three years; full time means at least 36 hours a week across three service days, and Tier 1 and Tier 2 must spend at least 50% of credited hours on direct patient care |
| Eligible loans | Qualifying student loans in your own name; Parent PLUS loans don't qualify |
| Residency | Citizen or lawful permanent resident, domiciled in Alaska for the full term |
| Penalties | Breaking the agreement can mean repaying benefits and civil penalties of up to $1,000 per violation |
| Status | Quarterly application cycles (December to February, March to May, June to August, and September to November) |
| Official source | Alaska DOH HWEP page |
Alaska State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
The Alaska SLRP, formerly SHARP-1, pays down student loans for licensed health care practitioners who commit to a two-year service term at an eligible facility in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (Alaska Department of Health). The University of Alaska Anchorage describes it as partly federally funded, with required matching funds from the employer and an 80% direct patient care requirement at nonprofit or government sites (UAA). Doctors comparing it against the National Health Service Corps can see both side by side in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.
| Administered by | Alaska Department of Health |
| Who qualifies | Licensed health care practitioners in medical, dental, and behavioral health fields working at eligible nonprofit or government sites |
| Award | The state doesn't list award amounts on its program page; terms sit in the SLRP resource portal the page links to |
| Commitment | Two years at an eligible facility in a federally designated shortage area |
| Status | Active; the Department of Health doesn't publish an application window on its page |
| Official source | Alaska DOH SLRP page |
Teacher Student Loan Repayment Pilot (HB 28)
HB 28 became law without the governor's signature in June 2026 and creates a teachers' student loan repayment pilot program (Alaska's News Source). The final bill pays up to $15,000 over three years to teachers in English as a Second Language, special education, and STEM, and lawmakers expected it to serve up to 120 teachers in its first year (Alaska Public Media). It's Alaska's only program built for teachers, so pair it with our list of student loan forgiveness options for teachers.
| Administered by | Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, the agency the bill names to run the pilot |
| Who qualifies | Certified public school teachers in English as a Second Language, special education, or STEM |
| Award | Up to $15,000 over three years, paid after each year of teaching |
| Commitment | Teach in an Alaska public school each year you receive a payment |
| Status | Law as of June 2026 (Chapter 22, SLA 2026); ACPE hasn't posted an application yet, so watch its site or call (800) 441-2962 |
| Official source | HB 28 on LegiScan |
Service-Based Funding For Students In Training
These two programs fund school up front and cancel some or all of the debt through work in Alaska after graduation. They count as forgiveness only if you complete the service, and walking away leaves you repaying the loan with interest, so weigh them against a private student loan with no strings attached.
WWAMI Medical Education Program
WWAMI lets up to 30 Alaska residents a year attend the University of Washington School of Medicine through the Alaska program, and students owe back 50% of what the state pays on their behalf, plus interest (Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education). Each year of rural practice in Alaska forgives one-third of the obligation, and each year of non-rural practice forgives 20% (ACPE WWAMI FAQ). Compare the terms with a standard medical school student loan before committing.
| Administered by | Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, with the UAA WWAMI School of Medical Education |
| Who qualifies | Alaska residents for at least two consecutive years who are admitted to the Alaska WWAMI program |
| Obligation | 50% of the annual state support fee plus interest (5.75% fixed), with no obligation for the first year |
| Service | Three years of rural practice or five years of non-rural practice in Alaska forgives the full balance; the loan stays in non-repayment status through residency |
| Official source | ACPE Exchange Programs |
Winn Brindle Loan
The Winn Brindle Loan covers tuition, room and board, books, and travel for Alaska residents in fisheries, seafood processing, and food technology programs, with no annual or total borrowing cap (ACPE). Borrowers who earn the credential and work full time in a qualified fisheries field can have 10% of the principal forgiven each year, up to 50%. Students in other career programs should look at our breakdown of trade school loan forgiveness.
| Administered by | Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education |
| Who qualifies | Alaska residents enrolled full time in a fisheries-related vocational or degree program |
| Forgiveness | 10% of principal a year, up to 50%, while working full time in a qualified fisheries field, keeping Alaska residency, and staying current on payments |
| Status | Listed as available; ACPE doesn't publish a deadline |
| Official source | ACPE Exchange Programs |
Federal Forgiveness Options For Alaska Borrowers
Federal programs reach far more Alaska borrowers than the five state programs, and each one runs on its own rules for combining with a state award. Our full list of forgiveness programs covers every federal option.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Borrowers who make 120 qualifying payments while working full time for a government agency or qualifying nonprofit get their remaining Direct Loan balance forgiven tax-free (StudentAid.gov). Alaska public school teachers, state and borough employees, and University of Alaska staff all work for qualifying employers, and our PSLF breakdown covers the 2026 employer rule litigation.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness. Teachers with five consecutive years at a low-income school can receive up to $17,500 if they teach secondary math, science, or special education, or up to $5,000 in other subjects (StudentAid.gov). The same years can't count toward both Teacher Loan Forgiveness and PSLF, which our teacher forgiveness breakdown walks through.
Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) and IBR. RAP launched July 1, 2026, and forgives any remaining balance after 360 qualifying payments (How RAP Works). Borrowers deciding between plans can run the numbers in our RAP vs. IBR comparison.
Health care programs. The National Health Service Corps pays full-time primary care providers up to $75,000 for a two-year commitment, plus a $5,000 bonus for providers who serve patients in Spanish (HRSA). Nurse Corps pays 60% of nursing debt for two years of service and another 25% for a third year (HRSA), and the STAR program pays up to $250,000 for six years in substance use disorder treatment (HRSA). Alaska's Primary Care Office helps sites and clinicians with NHSC and Nurse Corps, and our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup covers eligibility for each.
Veterinarians. Alaska has no state veterinary loan repayment program, but the USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program pays up to $25,000 a year for service in designated shortage areas (USDA NIFA). Vets carrying private loans should also check our list of private student loan forgiveness options.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxed In Alaska?
Alaska has no state income tax, so student loan forgiveness of any kind is free of Alaska tax (The College Investor). Federal tax still applies to some forgiveness, and PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and death and disability discharges remain tax-free at the federal level.
Forgiveness under income-driven plans became federally taxable again on January 1, 2026, when the American Rescue Plan exclusion expired (Taxes And Student Loan Forgiveness). Borrowers expecting IBR or RAP forgiveness can estimate the federal bill with our student loan tax bomb calculator.
HWEP's direct incentive payments are taxable income, while its loan repayment payments may be tax-exempt if they meet the federal student loan exclusion in the tax code (Section 108(f)(2)) (HWEP Healthcare Professional Reference). Nurse Corps payments aren't exempt from federal income and employment taxes (HRSA), so read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.
If Your Job Isn't Covered
Borrowers outside health care, teaching, and fisheries won't find an Alaska program, but three options remain. Employers can pay up to $5,250 a year toward your student loans tax-free, and our list of companies that offer student loan repayment assistance shows who offers it.
Borrowers with private loans or high-rate federal loans they don't plan to have forgiven can lower their rate through student loan refinancing. Refinancing federal loans into a private loan ends eligibility for PSLF, RAP, and IBR, so don't refinance a balance you expect to have forgiven.
Families with leftover 529 money can put up to $10,000 per beneficiary toward student loans, which our 529 plan for student loan repayment explainer covers. Alaska savers should also review the Alaska 529 plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Alaska Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?
Alaska offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs five service-based programs for health care workers, teachers, medical students, and fisheries students. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.
What Happened To SHARP?
Alaska's Department of Health now runs its SHARP programs under new names: SHARP-1 is the Alaska State Loan Repayment Program, and the broader SHARP-3 program continues as HWEP (Alaska DOH). Both still pay toward student loans for health care work in shortage areas, and our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup covers the federal programs you can compare them with.
Can Alaska Teachers Get Help Repaying Student Loans?
Yes, HB 28 created a three-year pilot paying up to $15,000 to special education, English as a Second Language, and STEM teachers (Alaska Public Media). Teachers in other subjects can use federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness and PSLF, but years used for Teacher Loan Forgiveness can't also count toward PSLF.
Can Alaska Doctors And Nurses Get Help Repaying Student Loans?
Physicians and other Tier 1 clinicians can receive up to $105,000 through HWEP over three years, or $141,750 in hard-to-fill roles, and registered nurses and nurse practitioners can receive up to $60,000 in regular Tier 2 roles (HWEP Healthcare Professional Reference). Nurses can also apply for federal Nurse Corps funding, covered in our nursing forgiveness roundup.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Alaska?
Alaska has no state income tax, so forgiveness isn't taxed by the state, though income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is taxable at the federal level (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.
Related Alaska Resources
How We Sourced This Data
Program details on this page come from the administering agencies and state law: the Alaska Department of Health (HWEP and SLRP program pages, the HWEP Healthcare Professional Reference dated September 26, 2025, and state public notices), the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, and HB 28 (34th Legislature) as tracked on LegiScan. Federal program details come from StudentAid.gov, HRSA, and USDA NIFA, and 2026 changes were cross-checked against reporting from Alaska Public Media and Alaska's News Source. Read more about how we fact-check and update content.
Page refreshed annually in August, after Alaska's legislative session and agency rule approvals, and reviewed in January for tax season. Last full refresh: September 23, 2026.
Editor: Clint Proctor Reviewed by: Chris Muller