Identify the loans before choosing a plan.
Find federal balances on StudentAid.gov. Review private-lender statements separately. If you haven’t borrowed, use your school’s actual aid offer and current borrowing rules.
Get to know the loan typesYOUR SPECIALTY IS CONTEXT, NOT A REPAYMENT PLAN
Different medical careers.
Different questions to ask.
Tell us what you know so far. Explore options worth investigating—without treating a specialty or salary as an automatic recommendation.
Your situation
“Not sure yet” is a useful starting point.
Answers stay on this page and reset when you leave. We do not verify employment or loan eligibility.
BASED ON YOUR ANSWERS
Your options to investigate
PSLF depends on your employer—not your specialty.
A surgeon, radiologist, psychiatrist, or primary care physician can investigate PSLF. The actual employer must qualify, along with the loan, repayment plan, and payment history. A setting label does not establish eligibility.
Use the employer EIN from your W-2 and the official employer search. Residency and fellowship are not automatically qualifying.
Check the standard PSLF pathCompare eligible plans using your income and borrowing history.
RAP or, for eligible existing borrowers, IBR may be worth comparing with fixed-payment options. Include training income, future plans, dependents, household taxes, and forgiveness eligibility. A high future salary does not settle the decision today.
Understand the plans and estimate RAPKeep service commitments in mind as you explore specialties.
Some NHSC programs focus on specific primary care, maternity care, and behavioral health disciplines. A service award can affect your specialty and practice choices.
Ask about state, school, and employer programs. Check specialty definitions, eligible debt, location, and service obligations before relying on an award.
Check NHSC’s listed disciplinesAsk what changes between school, training, and practice.
Private-lender residency benefits vary. Confirm when payments begin, how long any reduced-payment option lasts, and what happens to interest.
Before refinancing federal debt privately, review what you would permanently give up, including federal income-driven repayment and PSLF.
Understand refinancing trade-offsSources checked September 13, 2026 · Educational overviewFederal Student Aid · PSLFFederal Student Aid · PSLF questionsHRSA · NHSC Loan Repayment ProgramNIH · research loan repayment programsU.S. Department of Education · repayment changesEdfinancial · RAP calculation and eligibilityEdfinancial · Income-Based RepaymentCFPB · consolidation and refinancing