The Missouri Programme That Still Publishes Its Figures
Program and regulatory figures verified October 9, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
While the Student Loan Repayment Program is mid-revision, this one is publishing current numbers and paying more at the top.
The award table
| Profession and degree level | Maximum award |
|---|---|
| ★ Licensed health and mental health practitioners — doctorate | ★ $65,000 |
| Licensed health or mental health providers — bachelor's or master's | $35,000 |
| Public health professionals — bachelor's or higher | $20,000 |
| Licensed health or mental health providers — associate's | $10,000 |
Missouri DHSS describes the programme as repaying existing education-related loans for health care, mental health and public health professionals, "in exchange for a 2-year service obligation in an underserved area."
★★ Read that table against the eligible-professions list, not on its own. The award amounts are by degree level. Eligibility is cycle-specific and set by the DHSS Director. The list DHSS currently publishes, headed "Eligible Professionals for Application Cycle September 1 through November 1, 2025", names under Health Care Professions: Cardiologist, Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Respiratory Therapist, Dental Hygienist, Radiologic Technologist and Registered Nurse, plus specified mental-health and public-health professions.
★ Cardiologist is the only physician specialty named in that list. Do not read "doctorate level, $65,000" as meaning every physician qualifies: the degree level sets the amount, the cycle list sets who may apply. Confirm the current cycle with DHSS. (Verified 2026-10-09.)
What it requires
A minimum of two years of service per award, based on full-time qualifying employment. DHSS defines full-time as 40 hours per week, "in an area of defined need determined by DHSS."
★ Note the difference from SLRP, which specifies direct patient care in a HPSA. HPLRP's phrasing is "an area of defined need determined by DHSS", a determination the department makes, not a designation you can look up yourself in the same way.
★ Why these two programmes get conflated
Because they genuinely are siblings:
- Same department. Missouri DHSS.
- Same office, the Office of Primary Care.
- Same governing regulation — 19 CSR 10-3.
- Same shape, loan repayment in exchange for two years of service in an underserved area.
An article writing about "Missouri loan repayment for physicians" that does not name which programme it means is not a usable source. That is the reason this site splits them onto separate pages.
Which one applies to you
| SLRP | HPLRP | |
|---|---|---|
| Current published amount | ★ none | ★ $65,000 top |
| Eligible professions | ★ "to be determined" | published by degree level |
| Service obligation | two years | minimum two years |
| Full-time | 40 hours, direct patient care | 40 hours, area of defined need |
| Location test | HPSA | area of defined need per DHSS |
| Named exclusions | ★ hospitalists, EM, inpatient, prisons | not stated in the same terms |
★ If you are a physician whom SLRP excludes by name, HPLRP is worth checking with DHSS: but check the eligible-professions list for the current cycle, not just the award table: the published list names Cardiologist as the only physician specialty. The exclusions · Why SLRP's amount is open.
Applying
DHSS directs applicants to an electronic HPLRP application and instructs them first to "carefully understand all of the program provisions found in 19 CSR 10-3." The regulation is published by the Secretary of State and is readable: 19 CSR 10-3.
★ We are a mortgage lender. We do not submit or advise on either application. DHSS administers both. We read the published terms because a $65,000 repayment changes the debt behind a mortgage file.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Missouri Health Professional Loan Repayment Program pay?
Up to $65,000 for licensed health and mental health practitioners at doctorate level, $35,000 at bachelor's or master's level, $20,000 for public health professionals at bachelor's level or higher, and $10,000 at associate's level.What is the difference between Missouri's SLRP and HPLRP?
They are siblings run by the same Department of Health and Senior Services office under the same regulation, 19 CSR 10-3. The practical difference today is that HPLRP publishes a current award table topping out at $65,000, while the Student Loan Repayment Program publishes no amount and states that eligible professions are to be determined. SLRP also names exclusions, including hospitalists and emergency medicine physicians, that HPLRP does not state in the same terms.What is the HPLRP service obligation?
A minimum of two years of service per award, based on full-time qualifying employment, which the department defines as forty hours per week in an area of defined need determined by DHSS.If SLRP excludes me, can I apply to HPLRP?
They are separate programmes, so exclusion from one does not determine the other, but do not assume HPLRP is open to every physician. Its award table is by degree level, while eligibility is cycle-specific and set by the DHSS Director: the currently published list, for the September 1 to November 1, 2025 cycle, names Cardiologist as the only physician specialty under health care professions. Confirm the current cycle with DHSS.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about physician mortgage financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. The Missouri Student Loan Repayment Program and the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program are administered by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, not by Cornerstone; their terms, award amounts, eligible professions and application cycles are set by DHSS and change. Figures here carry the date we verified them against the programmes' own published pages. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees and overlays are set by the lender and change. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.