Ohio Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Ohio offers student loan repayment assistance programs for doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, addiction counselors, and chiropractors in shortage areas, plus small forgivable nursing loans for graduates who stay to work. The Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program carries the biggest awards, but the health department hasn't posted a 2026 application cycle for any of its programs. Teachers, lawyers, and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs, where the bigger dollars are.

Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program (OPLRP)

OPLRP pays up to $37,500 a year for the first two years and up to $47,500 a year for years three and four to physicians in family practice, internal medicine, med-peds, OB-GYN, pediatrics, adolescent medicine, geriatrics, and psychiatry (Ohio Department of Health). Four full-time years add up to $170,000, which rivals the federal awards in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.

Ohio Dentist And Dental Hygienist Loan Repayment Program

Practicing general and pediatric dentists and dental hygienists, plus dental residents and final-year dental students, can receive up to $25,000 a year for the first two years and up to $35,000 a year for years three and four (Ohio Department of Health). This is the program the old version of this page called the Ohio Dental Loan Repayment Program, and dentists who miss it can check our list of student loan forgiveness programs.

Ohio Health Professional Loan Repayment Program

Nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, physician assistants, psychiatric nurse specialists, and pharmacists can receive up to $25,000 a year for working at least two years at a shortage-area site (Ohio Department of Health). Nurse practitioners should compare this with federal Nurse Corps, covered in our roundup of student loan forgiveness for nurses.

Ohio Substance Use Disorder Professional Loan Repayment Program

This program pays up to $25,000 a year to full-time clinicians who spend at least half their direct client time on substance use disorder treatment, and half that for part-time providers (Ohio Department of Health). It covers a wide mix of licenses, from counselors and social workers to nurses, pharmacists, and physicians, and many of their employers also qualify for nonprofit student loan forgiveness through PSLF.

Ohio Chiropractic Loan Repayment Program (OCLRP)

Chiropractors who work in a chiropractic health resource shortage area can receive up to $10,000 a year for the first two years and up to $5,000 a year for years three and four (Ohio Department of Health). Chiropractors who don't land an award can review our list of graduate school forgiveness options.

Nurse Education Assistance Loan Program (NEALP)

NEALP lends $1,002 a year to LPN students, $1,800 a year to RN students, and $7,000 a year to students in a master's of nurse education program, and cancels the debt if you work full time in Ohio as a nurse for five years or as a nurse educator for four years (Ohio Department of Higher Education). The loan stays in non-repayment status while you're enrolled and meeting program rules, and our nursing forgiveness roundup lists larger options for after graduation.

Ohio bases its income tax on federal adjusted gross income and automatically updates with changes in federal law, so what happens to forgiveness on your federal return carries over to your Ohio return (The College Investor). 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 Ohio 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.

Ask ODH or ODHE whether your Ohio state award will be reported as income, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.

Does Ohio Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

Ohio offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs five loan repayment programs for health care providers and one forgivable loan for nursing students. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.

Does Ohio Have Loan Forgiveness For Teachers?

Ohio has no loan repayment program for working teachers, and the Grow Your Own Teacher Scholarship, which paid up to $7,500 a year in exchange for four years of teaching in your home district, is no longer accepting new nominations (ODHE). Teachers should use the federal programs in our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

Can Ohio Doctors And Nurses Get Help Repaying Student Loans?

Primary care physicians and psychiatrists can receive up to $47,500 a year through OPLRP, and nurse practitioners up to $25,000 a year through the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program (ODH). Nursing students can use NEALP, and working nurses can apply for federal Nurse Corps, covered in our nursing forgiveness roundup.

Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Ohio?

Ohio 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.