Researchers who work in areas relevant to the NIH mission for at least 20 hours a week can apply for these awards, which repay up to $50,000 of their qualified educational debt per year. You don’t need to already have research funding from NIH to qualify, but awardees need to commit to working on research that’s relevant to NIH’s mission at a domestic nonprofit or government entity.
There are multiple different types of LRP available through NIH, in both extramural (research outside of NIH) and intramural (research within NIH) programs. These awards include clinical research, health disparities research, research on HIV, and general research. Visit the NIH LRP website to learn more about the different types of research supported.
Different NIH institutes and offices can tailor their LRPs. NHGRI has the Extramural Loan Repayment Program for Research on Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health (LRP-REACH), which is open to genetic counselors working in genomic research. This is unusual because genetic counselors with MS degrees are also eligible—most programs are aimed at individuals with terminal doctoral degrees. If this applies to you, visit the REACH webpage.
If you are not a genetic counselor, but do have a terminal doctoral degree, check the eligibility requirements.
