Colorado Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Colorado offers student loan repayment assistance programs almost entirely for health care workers. The Colorado Health Service Corps matters most, paying physicians and dentists up to $120,000 and other clinicians up to $90,000 for three years in a shortage area, and dentists, hygienists, nurse faculty, and future addiction counselors each have a smaller program. Teachers, lawyers, and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs, where the bigger dollars are.
Colorado Programs At A Glance
| Program | Who Qualifies | Maximum Award | Service Required | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC) | Primary care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, and addiction treatment providers | $120,000 (physicians and dentists) or $90,000 (other providers) | 3 years at an approved site in a shortage area | Annual Cycle |
| State Dental Loan Repayment Program | General and pediatric dentists and dental hygienists | $50,000 (dentists) or $12,000 (hygienists) | 2 years at the same site serving Medicaid, CHP+, or uninsured patients | Twice Yearly |
| Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment Program | Nursing faculty with a master's degree or higher | $50,000 full time or $25,000 part time | 2 consecutive academic years | Annual Cycle |
| CHSC Scholarship Program For Addiction Counselors | Candidates working toward CAT, CAS, or LAC credentials | Up to $5,000 for training costs | 6 months full time at a CHSC site | Open |
| WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) | Colorado residents in optometry programs | State-paid tuition support at participating schools | Return to practice in Colorado | Annual Cycle |
Programs That Help Repay Loans You Already Have
Colorado borrowers carry roughly $37,100 in federal student debt on average, according to our Colorado 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 Colorado clinics and public colleges are also PSLF employers.
Colorado Health Service Corps (CHSC)
The Colorado Health Service Corps pays $120,000 to physicians and dentists and $90,000 to other providers who work three years full time at an approved site, with smaller awards for three-quarter-time and part-time service (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). It's also Colorado's HRSA-funded State Loan Repayment Program (HRSA). Doctors can compare it with the federal options in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.
| Administered by | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Primary Care Office |
| Who qualifies | Physicians in family medicine, geriatrics, psychiatry, pediatrics, OB-GYN, addiction medicine, and pain management; dentists; clinical pharmacists; psychologists; social workers; counselors; nurse-midwives; nurse practitioners; physician assistants; registered dental hygienists; and qualifying addiction specialists |
| Award | Full time, $120,000 (physicians and dentists) or $90,000 (other providers); three-quarter time, $90,000 or $67,500; part time, $60,000 or $45,000 |
| Commitment | Three years at an approved site, with minimum clinical contact hours |
| Status | CDPHE expects the next application cycle to open in March 2027 |
| Official source | CDPHE CHSC prospective applicants page |
State Dental Loan Repayment Program
This CDPHE program pays dentists up to $50,000 and dental hygienists up to $12,000 for two years at the same site, with the award tied to how many Medicaid, CHP+, and uninsured patients you see each month (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). Dentists seeing at least 80 underserved patients a month get the top award. Dentists who don't fit can check our list of student loan forgiveness programs for federal options.
| Administered by | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment |
| Who qualifies | General dentists, pediatric dentists, and dental hygienists who accept Medicaid, CHP+, or uninsured patients each month |
| Award | Dentists receive $50,000 (80 or more underserved patients a month), $37,500 (60 to 79), or $25,000 (20 to 59); hygienists receive $12,000, $8,000, or $6,000 at the same thresholds |
| Commitment | Two years at the same site, with reports twice a year |
| Status | Application cycles open in March and September each year |
| Official source | CDPHE State Dental Loan Repayment Program |
Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment Program
Colorado pays full-time nursing faculty up to $50,000, and part-time faculty up to $25,000, for two consecutive academic years of teaching at an eligible nursing school (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). Faculty at public colleges also work for PSLF-qualifying employers, which our graduate school forgiveness breakdown covers.
| Administered by | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment ([email protected]) |
| Who qualifies | Colorado residents with a master's degree or higher in nursing, a current Colorado RN license, and outstanding loans for a nursing degree, who teach full or part time at an eligible nursing school |
| Award | Up to $50,000 (full time) or $25,000 (part time) |
| Commitment | Two consecutive academic years |
| Residency | Citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident and Colorado resident |
| Status | CDPHE expects the next application cycle to open in July 2027 |
| Official source | CDPHE Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment Program |
Service-Based Funding For Students In Training
These two programs pay for training up front and ask you to work in Colorado afterward. They count as forgiveness only if you complete the service, so weigh them against a private student loan with no strings attached.
CHSC Scholarship Program For Addiction Counselors
This scholarship covers tuition and fees for addiction counseling training, up to $5,000 or the cost of the program, for people working toward Colorado's addiction counselor credentials (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment). Recipients must then work full time for six months at a CHSC-approved site. Counselors at nonprofit treatment centers should also read our breakdown of nonprofit student loan forgiveness.
| Administered by | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment |
| Who qualifies | People on a path to becoming a Certified Addiction Technician, Certified Addiction Specialist, or Licensed Addiction Counselor |
| Award | Up to $5,000, not to exceed the cost of the training program |
| Service | Six months of full-time work at a CHSC-approved site |
| Deadlines | Applications accepted September 1 to 30, 2026 |
| Official source | CDPHE Addiction Counselor Scholarship |
WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP)
Colorado supports residents in optometry through the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education's PSEP, and graduates must return to practice in Colorado (WICHE). WICHE says states with a payback obligation require repayment of the support plus interest penalties from those who don't serve (WICHE FAQ). Optometry students should compare the terms with a private student loan.
| Administered by | Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, with Colorado paying the support |
| Who qualifies | Colorado residents applying to participating optometry programs |
| Service | Return to practice in Colorado; the length isn't published on WICHE's summary |
| Deadlines | October 15 of the year before enrollment; late applications get secondary consideration |
| Official source | WICHE PSEP state information |
Federal Forgiveness Options For Colorado Borrowers
Federal programs reach far more Colorado 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). Colorado public school teachers, state, county, and city employees, and public university 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). Our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup covers eligibility for each.
Veterinarians. This review didn't confirm a current Colorado 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 Colorado?
Colorado bases its income tax on federal taxable income rather than on its own definition of income, and our state tax tracker lists no Colorado-specific exclusion for forgiven student loans (The College Investor). Forgiveness that's tax-free on your federal return, including PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and death and disability discharges, doesn't enter that starting figure.
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). Because Colorado starts from federal taxable income, IDR forgiveness granted in 2026 is likely to flow into your Colorado return unless the state adopts a subtraction, so confirm with the Colorado Department of Revenue and estimate the bill with our student loan tax bomb calculator.
Nurse Corps payments aren't exempt from federal income and employment taxes (HRSA). Ask CDPHE whether your Colorado award will be reported as income, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.
If Your Job Isn't Covered
Borrowers outside health care won't find a Colorado program on this page, 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. Colorado savers should also review the CollegeInvest Direct Portfolio College Savings Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Colorado Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?
Colorado offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs five service-based programs for health care providers, dentists and hygienists, nurse faculty, addiction counselors, and optometry students. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.
How Much Does The Colorado Health Service Corps Pay?
CHSC pays up to $120,000 to physicians and dentists and up to $90,000 to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, mental health providers, addiction counselors, and dental hygienists for three years of full-time service (CDPHE). Nurses and other clinicians can compare it with federal programs in our nursing forgiveness roundup.
Can Colorado Lawyers Get Help Repaying Student Loans?
We didn't find a state-run attorney loan repayment program in Colorado, and the University of Colorado and University of Denver law school programs listed on older versions of this page are school benefits for their own graduates, not state programs. Government and nonprofit attorneys can pursue PSLF instead.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Colorado?
PSLF and other federally tax-free forgiveness stays out of Colorado income, but income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is federally taxable and Colorado starts from federal taxable income (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.
Related Colorado Resources
How We Sourced This Data
Program details on this page come from the administering agencies: the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Primary Care Office (Colorado Health Service Corps, State Dental Loan Repayment Program, Nurse Faculty Loan Repayment Program, and the CHSC Scholarship Program for Addiction Counselors), HRSA's State Loan Repayment Program contact list, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Federal program details come from StudentAid.gov, HRSA, and USDA NIFA. Read more about how we fact-check and update content.
Page refreshed annually in August, after Colorado'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: Claire Tak