Oklahoma Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Oklahoma is a state that is known for many things. They have a rich landscape, amazing football teams, and several museums dedicated to the Western and cowboy way of life. They also have something else, too, that can drive visitors to the state to stay and reward those residents who work in specified career areas: loan repayment and forgiveness programs. The following outlines some of the different Oklahoma student loan forgiveness options as well as the links necessary to learn more about each state loan forgiveness program. For more general information, check out our guide to student loan forgiveness!

Dental Loan Help

Dentists, too, are needed in the state of Oklahoma which is another reason that those who have the proper licenses and can work in the state can find opportunities for loan repayment. Through the Oklahoma Dental Loan Repayment Program, those dentists that serve patients in areas of need can receive up to twenty-five thousand dollars a year for their commitment to the underserved. This loan repayment program was developed in 2006 and continues to provide help to dentists over a two to five year period of time. This is a competitive loan repayment program which is given to only twenty-five dentists annually.

Therefore, be sure to meet at least the following criteria before applying:

• Must be willing to teach dentistry at the University of Oklahoma
• OR if no positions are available at that time, must work to serve in HPSA designated areas
• Must agree to have at least thirty percent of patients come from a low-income population
• Must agree to take on Medicaid patients
• Must hold all of the proper licenses to practice dentistry within the state of Oklahoma.

Medical Loan Repayment

For those that are in the medical field and licensed as a primary care provider, there is help available. In fact, there is a lot of help available with the Oklahoma Medical Loan Repayment Program that offers those in the field up to nearly two-hundred thousand dollars in loan aid.

Of course, all those that apply should meet the minimum criteria which include the following:

• Must be working in a community that is in need and approved by the state
• Must be a primary care physician
• Must hold all licenses required—in good standing—to work within the state of Oklahoma
• Must have proof of educational loans
• Must not have received prior aid through a similar program
• Must not have any other contractual commitments that may conflict with the program

Another Physician Repayment Option

The state of Oklahoma recognizes the need of those in rural communities to have the proper health care. That is why they offer the Physician and Community Match Loan Program whereby those qualified primary care physicians within a practice that operates full-time can be rewarded for their efforts in this underserved population.

Physicians can earn up to forty-thousand dollars toward their loans if they meet the following criteria:

• Must work in a community that has the matching fund designation
• Must have all of the accreditations and proof of graduation from a medical or osteopathic doctoral program
• Must work in or being showing effort to set up a primary care facility
• Must have no other work obligations that may discredit or conflict with this loan repayment program