Illinois funding guide
Illinois medical, dental, and veterinary funding
Start with money that does not require ordinary repayment: scholarships, forgivable loans, service awards, and loan repayment tied to eligible work.
Medical funding
Illinois medical programs
Illinois Podiatric Medicine Scholarship
Scholarships for podiatric physician students who agree to practice in a shortage area of Illinois upon graduation.
- Who may qualify
- To be eligible for the scholarship, an applicant must: Be an Illinois resident at the time of application Be enrolled in or accepted for admission to an accredited podiatric medical school in Illinois Exhibit financial need Agree to practice full-time at a medical facility in a HPSA in Illinois as a podiatric physician one year for each year he or she is a scholarship recipient
- Award or benefit
- The award provides full tuition, matriculation fees, and a living stipend for up to 4 years.
- Sponsor
- Illinois Center for Rural Health
Illinois Underserved Physician Workforce (UPW) Loan Repayment Program
Funding to assist communities in recruiting physicians to their nonprofit healthcare facilities in Heath Professional Shortage Areas in Illinois. Practice location sites register and agree to sponsor any provider who wishes to be considered for the program. Providers may receive loan repayment in return for service at an approved site.
- Who may qualify
- To receive loan repayment assistance, applicants must: Be a U.S. citizen Not be a current participant in any other service obligated loan repayment or scholarship program Be licensed to practice medicine in Illinois as a general internist, family practice physician, general pediatrician, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgeon, or emergency medicine physician Practice at an approved nonprofit medical facility in a HPSA in Illinois Participate as a provider in the Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program Agree to see and treat all patients at the nonprofit medical facility regardless of the patient's ability to pay for service
- Award or benefit
- Up to $50,000 based on the total amount of the applicant's qualified educational loans and available funding. Participants are typically required to enter into a contract for one year of service for each year of assistance.
- Sponsor
- Illinois Center for Rural Health
National programs to check
NHSC State Loan Repayment Program
Participating states and territories repay qualifying debt for eligible clinicians serving in approved shortage areas. Awards and application windows are set by each state.
NHSC Scholarship Program
Scholarship support for eligible primary-care students who commit to service at an NHSC-approved site after training.
Dental funding
Illinois dental programs
No direct dental award was identified in this review.
That does not prove none exists. Check the official state directory, your school, professional association, and the national programs below.
Search the Illinois funding directory →National programs to check
NHSC State Loan Repayment Program
Dentists and other eligible oral-health clinicians may qualify through participating state programs in exchange for shortage-area service.
NHSC Scholarship Program
Eligible dental students can receive scholarship support in exchange for service at an NHSC-approved site.
Veterinary funding
Illinois veterinary programs
No direct veterinary award was identified in this review.
That does not prove none exists. Check the official state directory, your school, professional association, and the national programs below.
Search the Illinois funding directory →Use USDA's live map to check Illinois shortage designations. The table could not be reliably imported during this review, so this page does not claim a state count.
Open the USDA shortage map →National programs to check
USDA Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program
USDA may repay up to $40,000 per year for at least three years of service in a designated veterinary shortage situation.
Sources and review standard
Listings were reviewed on June 13, 2026 using official program pages and the Rural Health Information Hub funding directory. Program status, appropriations, deadlines, and award amounts can change without notice.
Before relying on an award: confirm the current application cycle, eligible degree and specialty, service site, tax treatment, and repayment terms directly with the administrator.
View the state source directory →