Texas funding guide
Texas 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
Texas medical programs
Texas Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals
Provides loan repayment assistance for certain mental health professionals practicing in mental health professional shortage areas of Texas.
- Who may qualify
- Eligibility criteria: Currently working in an eligible practice specialty Completed at least one year of qualifying service Be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident Provide direct mental health services in an MHPSA to one of the following: Medicaid recipients Texas Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees Persons committed to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department Persons confined in a secure facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Students in a public school, school district which is located partially or completely in an MHPSA, an open enrollment charter school located in an MHPSA, or a Title I school Patients in a state hospital Not currently fulfilling another obligation to provide mental health services as part of a scholarship agreement, a student loan agreement, or another student loan repayment program Agree to provide 3 consecutive years of service at an eligible practice site Eligible practice specialties: Psychiatrists Psychologists Advanced practice nurses who are board certified in psychiatric or mental health nursing Licensed professional counselors Licensed clinical social workers Licensed marriage and family therapists Licensed chemical dependency counselors Licensed specialist in school psychology Licensed master social workers Licensed professional counselor associates Licensed marriage and family therapist associates School counselors with at least a masters degree related to counseling
- Award or benefit
- Amounts are determined by a percentage of the original loan balance. Recipients cannot exceed the following maximum award amounts over a period of 3 years. Maximum assistance allowed is determined by date eligibility first established. See the Assistance Amount table on the program website to determine the amount you are eligible for. Psychiatrists: up to $180,000 Psychologists and licensed clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors who hold doctoral degrees: up to $100,000 Advanced practice nurses: up to $80,000 Licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed specialists in school psychology, licensed marriage and family therapists (without doctoral degrees), licensed master social workers, licensed professional counselor associates, licensed marriage and family therapist associates, and certified school counselors: up to $60,000 Licensed chemical dependency counselors licensed within 12 months of receiving a degree: $50,000 Licensed chemical dependency counselors who hold associates degrees: up to $15,000 Those with established program eligibility on or after September 1, 2025 are eligible for the following additional assistance: Fluency in an identified critical need language: $5,000 one-time increase Practicing in a county with a population of 150,000 or less: $10,000 one-time increase Extending service period for 2 additional years: $15,000 per year An individual's total loan repayment assistance, including one-time increases and assistance payments for additional years, may not exceed the individual's applicable assistance amount (see above) plus 10%.
- Sponsor
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Texas Physician Education Loan Repayment Program (PELRP)
Loan repayment assistance for physicians who practice in Texas, with priority given to primary care physicians who agree to practice in Health Professional Shortage Areas of the state.
- Who may qualify
- Applicants must hold a full physician license from the Texas Medical Board and provide direct patient care to Medicaid enrollees and CHIP enrollees, if the practice includes children. Approved primary care specialties include: Family medicine/family practice General practice Obstetrics/gynecology General internal medicine Pediatrics Psychiatry Geriatrics
- Award or benefit
- Applicants may qualify for up to $180,000 over a 4 year period. Award amounts are described on the program website .
- Sponsor
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
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
Texas dental programs
Texas Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals
Provides loan repayment assistance for certain mental health professionals practicing in mental health professional shortage areas of Texas.
- Who may qualify
- Eligibility criteria: Currently working in an eligible practice specialty Completed at least one year of qualifying service Be a US citizen or a legal permanent resident Provide direct mental health services in an MHPSA to one of the following: Medicaid recipients Texas Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees Persons committed to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Juvenile Justice Department Persons confined in a secure facility operated by or under contract with any division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Students in a public school, school district which is located partially or completely in an MHPSA, an open enrollment charter school located in an MHPSA, or a Title I school Patients in a state hospital Not currently fulfilling another obligation to provide mental health services as part of a scholarship agreement, a student loan agreement, or another student loan repayment program Agree to provide 3 consecutive years of service at an eligible practice site Eligible practice specialties: Psychiatrists Psychologists Advanced practice nurses who are board certified in psychiatric or mental health nursing Licensed professional counselors Licensed clinical social workers Licensed marriage and family therapists Licensed chemical dependency counselors Licensed specialist in school psychology Licensed master social workers Licensed professional counselor associates Licensed marriage and family therapist associates School counselors with at least a masters degree related to counseling
- Award or benefit
- Amounts are determined by a percentage of the original loan balance. Recipients cannot exceed the following maximum award amounts over a period of 3 years. Maximum assistance allowed is determined by date eligibility first established. See the Assistance Amount table on the program website to determine the amount you are eligible for. Psychiatrists: up to $180,000 Psychologists and licensed clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors who hold doctoral degrees: up to $100,000 Advanced practice nurses: up to $80,000 Licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed specialists in school psychology, licensed marriage and family therapists (without doctoral degrees), licensed master social workers, licensed professional counselor associates, licensed marriage and family therapist associates, and certified school counselors: up to $60,000 Licensed chemical dependency counselors licensed within 12 months of receiving a degree: $50,000 Licensed chemical dependency counselors who hold associates degrees: up to $15,000 Those with established program eligibility on or after September 1, 2025 are eligible for the following additional assistance: Fluency in an identified critical need language: $5,000 one-time increase Practicing in a county with a population of 150,000 or less: $10,000 one-time increase Extending service period for 2 additional years: $15,000 per year An individual's total loan repayment assistance, including one-time increases and assistance payments for additional years, may not exceed the individual's applicable assistance amount (see above) plus 10%.
- Sponsor
- Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
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
Texas 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 Texas funding directory →Use USDA's live map to check Texas 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 →