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Nurse Faculty Loan Program

Attention Graduate and Doctoral Students:

The NFLP is a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) nursing loan program with a cancellation provision for recipients of the loan. Sections 846A and 847(f) of the Public Health Service Act authorizes the lending school to cancel up to 85 percent of the NFLP loan (plus interest thereon). The borrower must serve as full-time nurse faculty for a consecutive four-year period following graduation from the program to cancel the maximum amount of the loan.

Student can be Full-time (taking 9 hours or more) OR Part-time (taking at least 5 hours) in an advanced education nursing degree program¹, in good academic standing, and a citizen of the U.S., a non-citizen national, or a foreign national having in his/her possession a visa. Full support includes the cost of tuition, fees, books, laboratory expenses and other reasonable education expenses.

The NFLP is not a need-based program. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other financial records are not required to determine eligibility for the NFLP borrower. However, FAFSA data may be used to confirm U.S. citizenship and non-default status on federal loans.

In addition to NFLP support, students may receive support from other federal programs, provided that the funds are not used to cover the same costs during the academic year. The student may already receive other federal support that does not cover all costs (tuition, fees and other expenses) for the academic period; in this case, the student may receive NFLP support to cover the remaining costs, excluding stipend support.

Following graduation from the advanced education nursing program, the NFLP borrower may receive partial loan cancellation when employment as full-time nurse faculty (defined below) is established at an accredited school of nursing. Borrowers must provide documentation attesting to such employment. This needs to be accomplished no later than 12 months following graduation.

“Nurse Faculty” is defined as an academic educator (faculty) or a clinical educator/instructor role at an accredited school of nursing, or clinical educator/preceptor role at an accredited health facility.  “Full-time” nurse faculty employment may include: (1) being employed as a full-time faculty member at an accredited school of nursing, (2) being employed as a part-time faculty member at an accredited school of nursing in combination with another part-time faculty position or a part-time clinical educator/preceptor position affiliated with an accredited school of nursing that together equates to a full-time employment; or (3) designation of nurse faculty in a joint nurse faculty appointment serving as full-time advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) preceptor for an accredited school of nursing, within an academic-practice partnership framework².

For more information contact Kimberly Douglas, PhD, RN, CNE, Program Director, kddouglas@umc.edu.

¹Advanced Education Nursing Program – refers to advanced education nursing degree programs (including individuals in combined Registered Nurse (RN)/graduate degree programs – RN-MSN and post-nursing Master’s certificate programs) that train individuals to serve as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse educators, nurse administrators, etc.

²Academic-Practice Partnerships – refers to formal collaboration between academic and clinical practice settings, to support training, student nurse educator development activities, and preceptor appointment. For the purpose of the NFLP, NFLP graduates serving as full-time preceptors for APRN students within an academic-practice partnership and are considered full time nurse faculty (in a joint nurse faculty appointment).