Missouri Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Missouri offers student loan repayment assistance and forgivable loan programs centered on health care and veterinary work. The Health Professional Loan Repayment Program matters most, with awards up to $65,000 for therapists, counselors, nurses, and other health workers in shortage areas, though 2026 application dates haven't been posted. Missouri has no program for teachers or lawyers, so they and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs.
Missouri Programs At A Glance
| Program | Who Qualifies | Maximum Award | Service Required | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP) | Listed health care, mental health, and public health professionals in shortage areas | $65,000 (doctorate), $35,000 (bachelor's or master's), $10,000 (associate); $20,000 for public health nurses | 2 years full time per award in a HPSA | Annual Cycle |
| Missouri Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) | Physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists in outpatient primary care | Set before each cycle | 2 years full time per award at an approved HPSA site | Annual Cycle |
| Primary Care Resource Initiative For Missouri (PRIMO) | Students training as primary care physicians, dentists, or dental hygienists | Varies by discipline and year in school | 1 year of service per loan, capped at 5 years | Rolling |
| Professional And Practical Nursing Student Loan Program | Missouri nursing students | $2,500 (LPN) or $5,000 (RN and advanced degrees) per loan | 1 year of nursing work per loan | Annual Cycle |
| Large Animal Veterinary Student Loan Program | University of Missouri veterinary students | $30,000 | Large animal practice in a defined area of need | Annual Cycle |
Programs That Help Repay Loans You Already Have
Missouri borrowers carry roughly $35,200 in federal student debt on average, according to our Missouri student loans and financial aid breakdown. Both of these programs pay toward loans you already have once you're working in a Health Professional Shortage Area. Many of those employers also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, so check both.
Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (HPLRP)
HPLRP pays up to $65,000 toward education debt for health care, mental health, and public health professionals who work full time in a Health Professional Shortage Area for at least two years per award (Missouri DHSS). The award depends on your degree, and the eligible professions change from cycle to cycle. Nurses and therapists who don't make the list can look at the federal options in our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup.
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care |
| Who qualifies (2025 cycle) | Cardiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, dental hygienists, radiologic technologists, and hospital-employed RNs; licensed or provisional professional counselors, behavior analysts, assistant behavior analysts, and psychologists focused on substance and opioid use disorder; and public health nurses |
| Award | Up to $65,000 with a doctorate, $35,000 with a bachelor's or master's, and $10,000 with an associate degree; public health nurses with a bachelor's or master's receive up to $20,000 |
| Commitment | At least two years of full-time (40 hours a week) qualifying employment per award in a HPSA |
| Rules | 19 CSR 10-3.060 covers contract breaches and penalties |
| Status | The last cycle ran September 1 through November 1, 2025; DHSS says 2026 dates are to be determined |
| Official source | DHSS Health Professional Loan Repayment ([email protected], 573-751-6441) |
Missouri Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)
Missouri's SLRP repays education loans for physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists who provide outpatient primary care in a Health Professional Shortage Area for two years per award (Missouri DHSS). DHSS is revising the program's regulations and will set eligible professions and maximum yearly awards before the next cycle. Physicians comparing options should also read our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care |
| Who qualifies | Medical, dental, and psychiatry professionals at NHSC-approved outpatient sites that offer a sliding fee scale and accept Medicare and Medicaid; hospitalists, emergency medicine, inpatient, and prison positions don't qualify |
| Award | Not published; DHSS will post maximum yearly amounts before the next cycle |
| Commitment | Two years of full-time service (40 hours a week of direct patient care) per award |
| Rules | 19 CSR 10-3.030, now under revision |
| Status | DHSS says application dates are to be determined |
| Official source | DHSS Student Loan Repayment Program |
Service-Based Funding For Students In Training
These three programs lend money for school and forgive it through service after graduation. Missouri's health loans charge 9.5% simple interest if you repay in cash instead, so compare them with a private student loan before you sign.
Primary Care Resource Initiative For Missouri (PRIMO)
PRIMO makes forgivable loans to students training as primary care physicians, primary care dentists, and dental hygienists (Missouri DHSS). Each loan is forgiven by one year of full-time work at a HPSA site that accepts Medicaid and uses a sliding fee scale, and the service requirement tops out at five years even if you take more than five loans. Medical students should compare it with a standard medical school student loan.
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health |
| Who qualifies | Students pursuing primary care medicine (internal medicine, pediatrics, OB-GYN, family medicine), primary care dentistry (general or pediatric), or dental hygiene |
| Award | Varies by discipline and year in school; DHSS doesn't publish a cap |
| Service | One year of qualifying employment per loan, capped at five years |
| Penalty | Loans not forgiven through service are repaid in cash at 9.5% simple interest |
| Status | Apply with the Health Professional Student Loan Universal Application; DHSS doesn't publish a deadline |
| Official source | DHSS PRIMO |
Professional And Practical Nursing Student Loan Program
Missouri lends up to $2,500 to practical nursing students and up to $5,000 to professional nursing students, from diploma and associate programs through doctoral degrees (Missouri DHSS). Each loan is forgiven by one year of full-time direct patient care at a Missouri hospital or in a Health Professional Shortage Area. Nurses who graduate with other loans can add the options in our nursing forgiveness roundup.
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services |
| Who qualifies | Missouri residents of more than one year enrolled full time in a Missouri nursing program with at least an 80% licensure pass rate; recipients keep a 2.5 GPA |
| Award | Up to $2,500 per loan for LPN students and $5,000 for diploma, ADN, BSN, MSN, APN, and DNP students |
| Service | One year of full-time qualifying employment per loan |
| Penalty | Cash repayment carries 9.5% simple interest |
| Deadlines | Applications accepted year-round, with priority for those received January 1 through April 30; funding decisions in May and June |
| Official source | DHSS Nursing Student Loan Program |
Dr. Merrill Townley And Dr. Dan Brown Large Animal Veterinary Student Loan Program
The Missouri Department of Agriculture lends $30,000 for living and educational expenses to 12 University of Missouri veterinary students each academic year (Missouri Department of Agriculture). The loans are forgiven at $30,000 for each year the graduate practices large animal veterinary medicine in a defined area of need. Vets who don't fit can check our list of private student loan forgiveness options along with federal programs.
| Administered by | Missouri Department of Agriculture |
| Who qualifies | Current and incoming students at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine |
| Award | $30,000 per loan; 12 recipients per academic year |
| Service | Large animal practice in a defined area of need, with $30,000 forgiven per year of service |
| Deadlines | Applications and financial disclosure forms August 15 through September 15 each year; placement forms due May 1 of the graduation year |
| Official source | Missouri Department of Agriculture veterinary programs |
Federal Forgiveness Options For Missouri Borrowers
Federal programs reach far more Missouri borrowers than the five state programs, and each one sets 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). Missouri public school teachers, state and county employees, public university staff, and nonprofit hospital workers 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). Missouri has no state loan repayment program for teachers, so this and PSLF are the main options, and our teacher forgiveness breakdown explains why the same years can't count toward both.
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 Spanish-language bonus, and pays behavioral health and dental providers up to $50,000 (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). Missouri's SLRP is the state's HRSA-supported program, and our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup covers eligibility for each federal option.
Veterinarians. Licensed vets can apply to the USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, which pays up to $25,000 a year for a three-year commitment, and Missouri nominates seven shortage areas each year (Missouri Department of Agriculture). Vets carrying private loans should also check our list of private student loan forgiveness options.
Lawyers. Missouri has no state-funded loan repayment program for attorneys, but the Department of Public Safety administers the federal John R. Justice program for prosecutors and public defenders (Missouri DHEWD). JRJ recipients must stay in those jobs for at least three years (Bureau of Justice Assistance), and most public interest attorneys should also plan around PSLF.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxed In Missouri?
Missouri automatically conforms to federal tax rules, so federal changes to the taxation of student loan forgiveness flow straight to Missouri returns, according to our state taxes on student loan forgiveness tracker. PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and death and disability discharges stay tax-free at both levels.
Forgiveness under income-driven plans became federally taxable again on January 1, 2026, when the American Rescue Plan exclusion expired, and Missouri follows that treatment (Taxes And Student Loan Forgiveness). Borrowers expecting IBR or RAP forgiveness can estimate the bill 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 Missouri state 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 and veterinary medicine won't find a Missouri 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. Missouri savers should also review MOST, Missouri's 529 Education Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Missouri Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?
Missouri offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs two loan repayment programs for health workers and three forgivable loan programs for students in medicine, dentistry, nursing, and large animal veterinary medicine. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.
Can Missouri Nurses Get Help Repaying Student Loans?
Hospital-employed RNs and public health nurses were eligible for HPLRP in the 2025 cycle, with awards up to $35,000 for RNs with a bachelor's or master's and up to $20,000 for public health nurses (Missouri DHSS). Nursing students can borrow up to $5,000 per loan and work it off, and our nursing forgiveness roundup covers federal Nurse Corps funding.
Can Missouri Doctors And Dentists Get Help With Student Loans?
Physicians, dentists, and psychiatrists in outpatient primary care can apply to the SLRP once DHSS posts its next cycle, and medical and dental students can use PRIMO forgivable loans (Missouri DHSS). Our doctor forgiveness roundup covers the federal NHSC and PSLF options.
Does Missouri Help Veterinarians With Student Loans?
The Department of Agriculture's large animal program lends $30,000 to University of Missouri vet students and forgives it through large animal practice in an area of need (Missouri Department of Agriculture). Licensed vets can apply for up to $25,000 a year through the federal VMLRP, and vets with private debt can review our private student loan forgiveness list.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Missouri?
Missouri follows federal treatment, so PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness are tax-free while income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is taxable (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.
Related Missouri Resources
How We Sourced This Data
Program details on this page come from the administering agencies and state rules: the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, 19 CSR 10-3.030 and 19 CSR 10-3.060, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. Federal program details come from StudentAid.gov, HRSA, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Read more about how we fact-check and update content.
Page refreshed annually in August, after Missouri'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