Mississippi Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Mississippi offers limited student loan repayment assistance, and most of its help now goes to students who agree to serve after graduation. The only open program for borrowers who already have loans is the State Loan Repayment Program, which pays primary care doctors up to $150,000, because the Winter-Reed teacher program has no 2026–27 funding and the nurse retention program has hit its limit. Everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs, keeping in mind that Mississippi taxes PSLF.

Mississippi State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)

The Mississippi State Department of Health pays physicians up to $150,000 toward education loans in exchange for at least two years of service at an approved health care site (MSDH). MSDH says this round is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, and it accepts applications year-round with four contract start dates. That makes it one of the larger state awards in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.

Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program (MRPSP)

MRPSP gives medical students up to $35,000 a year if they commit to primary care practice in a Mississippi community of 15,000 people or fewer that sits more than 20 miles from a medically served area (University of Mississippi Medical Center). Scholars serve one year for each year of funding, starting within 90 days of finishing residency. Compare the terms with a standard medical school student loan before committing.

Dr. G. Norris Howell Rural Dentists Scholarship Program (MRDSP)

The Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program, renamed for Dr. G. Norris Howell in 2025, gives dental students up to $35,000 a year to practice general or pediatric dentistry in a community of 10,000 people or fewer (University of Mississippi Medical Center). Dentists who already carry loans should look at federal options in our list of student loan forgiveness programs instead.

Critical Needs Dyslexia Therapy Forgivable Loan (CNDT)

CNDT covers tuition, materials, and fees for licensed teachers earning a master's in dyslexia therapy, and the loan is forgiven with one year of service as a dyslexia therapist in a Mississippi public or charter school per year funded (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid). Teachers who later carry other loans can add the options in our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

Speech-Language Pathologist Forgivable Loan (SLPL)

SLPL pays public-institution tuition and required fees for Mississippi residents in a first master's program in speech-language pathology, forgiven with one year of work as a licensed SLP in a Mississippi public or charter school per year funded (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid). Recipients who skip the service repay the loan with interest plus a 5% penalty, so weigh it against our graduate school forgiveness breakdown.

SREB Regional Contract Forgivable Loan For Optometry

Mississippi has no optometry school, so the state buys seats at out-of-state schools through the Southern Regional Education Board, with nine first-year seats a year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Southern College of Optometry (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid). Each year of full-time optometry practice in Mississippi forgives one year of the loan. Students comparing costs can review the best private student loans for any gap.

Mississippi is the only state that taxes Public Service Loan Forgiveness, according to our state taxes on student loan forgiveness tracker. A Mississippi teacher or nurse who has a large balance forgiven through PSLF owes no federal tax but should expect a state tax bill on the forgiven amount.

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). We couldn't confirm Mississippi's treatment of IBR or RAP forgiveness in state guidance, so plan for state tax as well and estimate both bills with our student loan tax bomb calculator.

NHSC loan repayment awards are tax-free at the federal level (HRSA). Ask the administering agency whether your Mississippi state award will be reported as income, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.

Does Mississippi Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

Mississippi offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs one loan repayment program for primary care physicians and five service-based scholarships and forgivable loans for students in medicine, dentistry, optometry, speech pathology, and dyslexia therapy. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF, which Mississippi taxes.

Is The Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program Still Available?

The 2026–27 Winter-Reed application is closed because of inadequate funding, and no awards will be made for that year (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid). When funded, it paid up to $15,000 over three years in critical shortage areas, so watch for a restart and use our teacher forgiveness breakdown in the meantime.

Can Mississippi Nurses Get Help Repaying Student Loans?

The Nurse Retention Loan Repayment Program, which paid up to $6,000 a year for three years, has reached its maximum funding limit and closed its application (Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid). Nurses should look at federal Nurse Corps funding and PSLF in our nursing forgiveness roundup.

How Can Mississippi Doctors Get Help With Student Loans?

Practicing primary care physicians can apply to the SLRP for up to $150,000 (MSDH), and medical students can join MRPSP for up to $35,000 a year in exchange for rural practice (UMMC). Our doctor forgiveness roundup covers the federal options they can pursue next.

Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Mississippi?

Mississippi taxes PSLF forgiveness at the state level, the only state that does (The College Investor). Income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is also federally taxable, so use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.