By the time many researchers have completed their education and training, they have amassed on average $160,000 in student loan debt. The NIH Loan Repayment Programs (LRPs) are a set of programs established by Congress and designed to recruit and retain highly qualified health professionals into biomedical or biobehavioral research careers. The LRPs counteract early-career researchers’ financial pressure by repaying up to $35,000 annually ($70,000 over a two-year contract) of a researcher’s qualifying educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in research areas important to the mission of NIH.
Nearly 1,400 scientists benefit from the $68 million NIH invests each year through the extramural LRPs. On average, nearly 50% of all new LRP applications are funded, and these awards are competitively renewable (for a one or two-year period) until all educational debt is repaid.
The NIH LRPs application cycle is open from September 1 – November 15, 2018, so NOW is the time to learn more about the five extramural NIH LRPs and apply for your lifeline TODAY.
Extramural NIH Loan Repayment Programs:
Basic Extramural LRP Eligibility:
- U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Doctoral Degree
- Have student loan debt at least 20% of your annual base salary
- Research funding from a domestic or nonprofit institution
- Conducting at least 20 hours a week of research at a Domestic nonprofit institution
If you have questions, or want more details, visit
www.lrp.nih.gov, send an email to
lrp@nih.gov or call the LRP information center at 866-849-4047 (Mon-Fri 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST).
Reprinted from Mike Lauer @ NIH