West Virginia Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

West Virginia offers student loan repayment assistance programs for health care providers, mental health professionals, and math, science, and special education teachers who work where the state needs them. The State Loan Repayment Program carries the biggest awards, though the state cut amounts after a funding decrease, and most other programs run through the Higher Education Policy Commission on an October 1 to March 1 window. Borrowers outside those fields should start with federal forgiveness programs.

West Virginia State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP)

The SLRP, run by the state's Division of Rural Health and Recruitment, repays loans for providers who work two years full time in a Health Professional Shortage Area, and the state says it reduced award amounts after a decrease in funding (West Virginia Rural Health). Physicians, dentists, NPs, PAs, and pharmacists can now receive up to $40,000 for the first two years and up to $20,000 for each of two one-year extensions, while CNMs, clinical psychologists, and SUD counselors receive half those amounts (SLRP Program Details). Physicians comparing offers should also read our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.

Recruitment And Retention Community Project (RRCP)

RRCP pays up to $20,000 toward education loans for a one-year commitment in a HPSA or medically underserved area, with up to $10,000 from the state and a required 50% match from your employer (RRCP Program Details). Participants can receive up to four one-year extensions. Providers weighing a smaller one-year award against SLRP can model their payoff with our student loan calculator.

Health Sciences Service Program

This Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) program makes about 15 awards a year to students in the last year of a West Virginia health program, paying $30,000 for medical and dental students and $15,000 for other eligible fields toward their federal loans (College For West Virginia). Recipients owe two years full time or four years half time in a West Virginia HPSA, starting within six months of finishing training, and awards made on or after January 1, 2026, are canceled rather than billed at 15% interest if the service isn't completed (Service Obligations). Nurses and therapists can compare it with the federal routes in our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup.

Mental Health Loan Repayment Program

HEPC pays licensed mental health professionals up to $10,000, based on federal loan debt, for one year of full-time or two years of part-time practice in an underserved part of West Virginia, with renewal possible for up to two more years (College For West Virginia). Eligible sites include HPSAs, licensed behavioral health centers, and state acute care psychiatric hospitals (Service Obligation). Counselors at nonprofit agencies can also work toward PSLF at the same time.

Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan Assistance Program

Current teachers and counselors in math, science, special education, elementary education, or counseling can receive up to $3,000 a year, paid directly to their federal loan servicer (College For West Virginia). Recipients owe two school years of full-time work in a high-need West Virginia public school subject or location for each year of aid. Teachers can stack federal options from our teacher forgiveness breakdown, though the same years can't count twice for PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness.

Medical Student Loan Program

Medical students at Marshall, WVSOM, and WVU can borrow up to $20,000 a year for up to four years, and each year of loan is forgiven by a year of practice in an approved specialty in an underserved part of the state (College For West Virginia). Physicians must start full-time work within nine months of finishing residency or fellowship, or repay the loans. Compare the terms with a standard medical school student loan before signing.

Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program

HEPC awards up to $10,000 a year for four years to as many as 25 high school seniors and recent graduates who plan to teach math, science, elementary education, or special education (College For West Virginia). HEPC announced 26 new scholars receiving $40,000 each on May 28, 2026 (HEPC). Future teachers can add federal options later, covered in our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

WV Nursing Scholarship Program

Nursing students can receive up to $3,000 a year (LPN), $7,500 a year (RN), or $15,000 a year (master's or doctoral), and awards vary with available funds (College For West Virginia). LPN recipients owe one year of nursing work per award year, while RN and graduate recipients owe two, and anyone who doesn't serve repays principal plus interest (Service Obligations). Our nursing forgiveness roundup covers the federal programs nurses can add later.

WV STEM Scholarship

This scholarship pays up to $3,000 a year to engineering, science, and technology students who then work full time in an approved STEM occupation in West Virginia for one year per year of award (College For West Virginia). The grant converts to a loan if employment isn't verified before the grace period ends. Engineering majors can see other options in our roundup of student loan forgiveness for engineering majors.

West Virginia bases its income tax on federal adjusted gross income as defined on a specific date, so it follows federal treatment once the Legislature adopts a newer version of the federal code (The College Investor). PSLF, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, and death and disability discharges are excluded under permanent federal rules.

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). Static-conformity states like West Virginia can lag federal changes by a year or more, so borrowers expecting IBR or RAP forgiveness should check the state's current conformity date and estimate the bill with our student loan tax bomb calculator.

Ask the Division of Rural Health and Recruitment or HEPC whether your state award will be reported as income, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.

Does West Virginia Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

West Virginia offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs nine service-based programs for health care providers, mental health professionals, teachers, nurses, medical students, and STEM graduates. Borrowers outside those fields rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.

Did West Virginia Cut Its State Loan Repayment Program?

The state says SLRP award amounts were reduced because of a funding decrease, and physicians, dentists, NPs, and PAs now receive up to $40,000 for two years plus up to $20,000 for each of two one-year extensions (West Virginia Rural Health). Providers who need more should compare NHSC, covered in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.

How Much Can West Virginia Teachers Get?

Current teachers in shortage subjects can receive up to $3,000 a year through Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan Assistance, and future teachers can earn up to $40,000 as Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars (College For West Virginia). Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness adds up to $17,500, covered in our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In West Virginia?

PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness are tax-free, and West Virginia follows federal income definitions as of a fixed date, so income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 becomes taxable once the state adopts the current federal code (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.