Chances are you have accrued educational debt on the way to becoming a health professional. If you need help easing some of that debt, consider the NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs).
To be eligible, you must be a doctoral-level clinician or researcher who’s committed to conducting NIH-qualified clinical research. If NIH approves your application, we will repay up to $50,000 each year toward your qualified educational debt, as explained in Eligibility & Programs.
NIAID supports the following LRPs:
- Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Clinical Researchers (LRP-CR)
- Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds (LRP-IDB)
- Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Pediatric Research (LRP-PR)
- Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research (LRP-HDR)
- Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Research in Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health (LRP-REACH)
Note that, for LRP-REACH, the Institute will consider applications that fall within NIAID Mission areas and do not meet the eligibility criteria for the Clinical, Pediatric, or Health Disparities subcategories.
NIH’s Application Process Interactive Roadmap lays out the key steps for completing an LRP application. We recommend you start early, as collaborating with your mentor on a mentorship plan and then collecting reference letters from your mentor and referees can be time consuming.
Generally speaking, applications are evaluated on the basis of your potential to pursue a career in research and the quality of your overall environment to prepare you for that research career. Read Tips for Writing a Competitive LRP Application for helpful pointers as well as common reasons why LRP applications aren’t funded.
Additionally, the LRP Ambassador Program can connect you to a network of former and current awardees who can share their experiences and advise you on preparing a strong application.
Application and Contact Information
You must have an eRA Commons ID to complete an LRP application. Submit your application electronically through the LRP Online Application system. This year’s application window begins on September 1, 2024, and ends November 21, 2024.
Find more application instructions and details on NIAID’s Loan Repayment Programs page.
For additional assistance contact the LRP Information Center at 866-849-4047 or lrp@nih.gov. For more information about NIAID’s participation in LRPs, contact AITrainingHelpDesk@niaid.nih.gov or 301-594-5945.
You can also follow NIH’s Division of Loan Repayment on Twitter and Facebook to get more information and application cycle updates.