Wyoming Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Wyoming offers very little student loan repayment assistance, with no program for teachers, lawyers, or most other workers. The Wyoming State Loan Repayment Program is the only one that pays down existing loans, and this cycle it has enough money for two health care providers. Students heading into health fields can get tuition support through WICHE if they return to practice in Wyoming, and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs.
Wyoming Programs At A Glance
| Program | Who Qualifies | Maximum Award | Service Required | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming State Loan Repayment Program (WY-SLRP) | Primary care, dental, and mental health providers in federal shortage areas | Up to $34,339 per award this cycle (two awards) | Service at an approved HPSA site | Open |
| WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP) | Wyoming students in medicine, dentistry, optometry, PA, therapy, podiatry, and veterinary programs | Reduced tuition at participating schools | Return to practice in Wyoming (veterinary medicine excepted) | Annual Cycle |
Programs That Help Repay Loans You Already Have
Wyoming borrowers carry an average federal student loan balance of $29,800, according to our Wyoming student loans and financial aid breakdown. Only one state program sends money toward existing loans, so most borrowers should compare it against Public Service Loan Forgiveness, since hospitals, health departments, and public schools are also PSLF employers.
Wyoming State Loan Repayment Program (WY-SLRP)
The Wyoming Department of Health's Office of Rural Health is accepting WY-SLRP applications through November 16, 2026, and it has $68,678 in combined state and federal funds for this cycle (Wyoming Department of Health). It expects to make awards of up to $34,339 to two providers, and it has funded 42 health care professionals since 2015. Doctors and nurses who miss out should compare the federal options in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.
| Administered by | Wyoming Department of Health, Office of Rural Health (Primary Care Office) |
| Who qualifies | Physicians, dentists, PAs, NPs, certified nurse midwives, registered dental hygienists, pharmacists, registered nurses, health service psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, psychiatric nurse specialists, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, and alcohol and substance abuse counselors working in a federal Health Professional Shortage Area |
| Award | Up to $34,339 per award, with two awards expected this cycle |
| Commitment | Service at an approved site; the service term is set in the 2026 program guidance rather than on the program page |
| Status | Applications due November 16, 2026 |
| Official source | WDH Health Workforce Development |
Service-Based Funding For Students In Training
Wyoming supports residents in out-of-state health programs through WICHE's Professional Student Exchange Program. The support counts as forgiveness only if you come back to practice, so compare it with a medical school student loan before committing.
WICHE Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP)
Wyoming funds residents through PSEP in allopathic and osteopathic medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy, optometry, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, podiatry, and veterinary medicine, and graduates in every field except veterinary medicine must return to practice in Wyoming (WICHE). Students at public programs typically pay resident tuition, while students at private programs pay private tuition minus their PSEP award (WICHE). Future dentists and PAs can see what federal help follows in our graduate school forgiveness breakdown.
| Administered by | WICHE, with the University of Wyoming as the state PSEP office |
| Who qualifies | Wyoming residents admitted to a participating program in one of the nine supported fields |
| Award | Resident tuition at public programs, or private tuition minus the PSEP award at private programs |
| Commitment | Return to practice in Wyoming (not required for veterinary medicine); WICHE's state page doesn't list the number of years |
| Status | Apply through the University of Wyoming PSEP office ([email protected], 307-766-3499) |
| Official source | WICHE PSEP Application Info By State |
Federal Forgiveness Options For Wyoming Borrowers
Federal programs reach far more Wyoming borrowers than the two 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). Wyoming public school teachers, state and county employees, and University of Wyoming and community college 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 Wyoming Department of Health points providers to the National Health Service Corps, Nurse Corps, and PSLF alongside WY-SLRP (Wyoming Department of Health). NHSC pays full-time primary care providers up to $75,000 for a two-year commitment, or up to $80,000 with a $5,000 Spanish-language bonus (HRSA), and Nurse Corps pays 60% of nursing debt for two years plus another 25% for a third year (HRSA). The STAR program pays up to $250,000 for six years in substance use disorder treatment (HRSA), and our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup covers eligibility for each.
Veterinarians. We couldn't confirm a funded Wyoming state veterinary loan repayment program on a current official source, but the USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program pays up to $25,000 a year for at least three years of 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 Wyoming?
Wyoming has no personal income tax, so student loan forgiveness isn't taxed at the state level (The College Investor).
Federal taxes still apply, and 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). PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness stay tax-free, and borrowers expecting IBR or RAP forgiveness can estimate the federal bill with our student loan tax bomb calculator.
Ask the Office of Rural Health how a WY-SLRP award will be reported for federal taxes, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.
If Your Job Isn't Covered
Nearly every Wyoming borrower falls outside the state's two programs, 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. Wyoming doesn't run its own 529 college savings plan, so residents use another state's plan, as our Wyoming 529 plan review explains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Wyoming Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?
Wyoming offers very little student loan repayment assistance, and its only repayment program, WY-SLRP, funds two health care providers this cycle. Most Wyoming borrowers rely on federal programs like PSLF and income-driven plan forgiveness.
What Happened To The Wyoming Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program?
Wyoming's state-funded health care provider program wasn't funded for 2023, and the Wyoming Department of Health's current workforce page lists only WY-SLRP and federal programs (Wyoming Department of Health). Providers should look at NHSC and Nurse Corps, covered in our nursing and health care forgiveness roundup.
Does Wyoming Help Veterinarians Repay Student Loans?
This page previously listed a Wyoming loan repayment program for food animal veterinarians, but we couldn't confirm it on a current official source, so we left it off. The federal USDA program pays up to $25,000 a year (USDA NIFA), and our list of private student loan forgiveness options covers private debt.
Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In Wyoming?
Wyoming has no personal income tax, so forgiveness isn't taxed by the state, though income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is federally taxable (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate the federal bill.
Related Wyoming Resources
How We Sourced This Data
Program details on this page come from the Wyoming Department of Health Office of Rural Health and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) PSEP state information pages. 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 Wyoming'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