NIH wants to encourage outstanding health professionals to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research. If you commit at least two years to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit organization or U.S. federal, state, or local government entity, NIH may repay up to $35,000 of your qualified student loan debt per year, including most undergraduate, graduate, and medical school loans. Loan repayment benefits are in addition to the institutional salary you receive for your research.
If you are or will be conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit institution outside NIH, you may be eligible for one of the five extramural LRPs: You may submit only one LRP application to NIH in any fiscal year, even though your research may be appropriate for more than one of the programs.