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sends emails about available scholarships that many students over-
look. Most scholarship application processes are fairly short and
straightforward. Applying to outside scholarships requires more ef-
fort to find them and to check if you meet the requirements. These
types of scholarships tend to have more specific criteria, but they are
still worth applying to if you are eligible.

Military and Loan Forgiveness Programs:
Beyond minimizing loans through grants and scholarships, students
should explore loan forgiveness programs to see if these align with their
career goals. A frequently chosen path for loan forgiveness is through
the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), offered by the
US Army, Navy and Air Force. This is available for students in medical
and dental programs and offers full coverage of tuition along with a
monthly stipend. This program is contingent on one year of military
service for each year the scholarship is used.
As an alternative to military service, there are loan-forgiveness pro-
grams post-graduation offered by philanthropic organizations in ex-
change for a commitment to practice in underserved areas, for example,
The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Rural Community Loan
Repayment Program (LRP). This Loan repayment program is offered
to licensed providers who agree to work in specific rural communities
to combat the opioid epidemic. Many medical students enter this train-
ing with the only goal to service vulnerable and at-risk populations.
This program offers loan forgiveness to practice in a field in which they
are already highly motivated to work.

Sean Rumney, Maryann England, and Ash-
ley Chakales are medical students at the UT
Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine.

References
1.Hanson, M., & Checked, F. (2022, May 30). Student Loan Debt Sta-
tistics [2022]: Average + total debt. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from
https://educationdata.org/student-loan-debt-statistics#:~:text=
The%20nationwide%20total%20student%20loan,on%20their%20st
udent%20loan%20payments
2.Acknowledgements - the Institute for College Access and Success.
(n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://ticas.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/11/classof2020.pdf
3.Physician Education Debt and the Cost to Attend Medical School
2020 Update. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2022, from
https://store.aamc.org/downloadable/download/sample/sample_i
d/368/

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