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Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program
Updates and important dates:
The Fiscal Year 2027 Loan Repayment Application Cycle is now open: September 1 - October 12, 2026, 5:00 PM ET.
Thank you for your interest in this year's cycle, we're thrilled you're here! Please review the steps below before getting started as the application process has changed.
What's new this year: Applications are now digitized through our online Loan Repayment Portal.
How to Apply
- Select your program. Visit the Loan Repayment Portal and choose the program you'd like to apply for. Applying to more than one program? Submit a separate application for each.
- Save your application. After submitting, you'll be prompted to download and/or print a copy for your records, we strongly encourage you to do this. A confirmation email with a copy of your application will also be sent to you.
- Get notarized. Take your application to a notary. Use the coversheet beforehand to confirm all required materials are included.
- Submit your notarized application. Upload your complete, notarized application through the Notarized Submission Portal (link also provided in your confirmation email). Use the coversheet again here to double-check everything is included before you submit to ensure a complete application.
Quick Application Links
Questions?
Contact Alexandria Dave-Moses ([email protected]) or William Hamilton ([email protected]).
Thank you for all that you do for our communities!
Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program (GBHPLRP):
- A service-cancelable loan of up to $150,000 is available to mental health and substance use professionals to repay outstanding educational debt in exchange for practicing in a Mental Health Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA), as designated by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- Below is the MHPSA map to determine the eligibility of a county you may be interested in servicing:
- The award amount varies based on behavioral health occupation:
- Psychiatrists: $150,000
- Psychologists, Nurse Practitioners, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, and licensed marriage and family therapists who hold doctoral degrees in behavioral health: $80,000
- Clinical nurse social workers, Nurse Practitioners, licensed professional counselors, licensed specialists in school psychology, and licensed marriage and family therapists who do not hold doctoral degrees: $40,000
- Licensed chemical dependency counselors who hold associate degrees, or any other behavioral health licensee not listed above: $10,000
- Assists Mental Health or Substance Use Professionals in repaying outstanding educational loan debt
- "Full-time" practice is a minimum of 40 hours per week (of which 32 hours must be direct patient contact, while the remaining hours can be administrative)
- Contracts are awarded for a four-year term
- Funding for this program is provided solely by the State of Georgia
Click here to view the Information Sheet for the Georgia Behavioral Health Provider Loan Repayment Program.