Minnesota Rural Physician Loan Forgiveness Program

About this program

The Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health and Primary Care administers the Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness Program, which provides up to $33,000 annually toward qualified educational loans, up to $132,000 total, to recruit and retain physicians in underserved rural areas. The application cycle runs November 1, 2026, through January 6, 2027, with applications submitted through the Online Grants Portal. Eligible applicants include practicing or final-year resident primary care physicians in family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, or obstetrics and gynecology who live and work in Minnesota. Selected participants must provide at least 30 hours per week of direct patient care for 45 weeks per year in a designated rural area for a minimum of three years, and loans in active default, credit-card debt, family loans, and Parent PLUS loans are ineligible.