Texas Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals

LoanRepaymentPrograms@highered.texas.gov
833.597.0454

The Texas Loan Repayment Program for Mental Health Professionals provides loan repayment assistance for certain mental health professionals practicing in mental health professional shortage areas (MHPSAs) of Texas.

Participants must agree to provide 3 consecutive years of service in an eligible area.

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 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
• 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
• Not be employed in a contract employee status

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

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.

• Psychiatrists - $160,000
• Psychologists and licensed clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors who hold doctoral degrees - $80,000
• Advanced practice nurses - $60,000
• Licensed clinical social workers and licensed professional counselors who do not hold doctoral degrees - $40,000
• Licensed chemical dependency counselors who hold associates degrees - $10,000

Links to additional information and the online application are available on the program website.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and quarterly.