Florida nursing loan forgiveness runs through four main channels: the state’s Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program (NSLFP), the Florida Reimbursement Assistance for Medical Education (FRAME) program, the federal Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The state programs pay against your nursing education loan principal in exchange for working at qualifying Florida facilities. The federal programs cover a wider slice of debt but take longer or require stricter service terms. Many nurses qualify for more than one, and in most cases you can combine them.
Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program
The NSLFP pays up to $4,000 a year directly to your loan holder, applied to outstanding principal only, for a maximum of four years and $16,000 total.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 1009.66 – Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program The Florida Department of Education’s Office of Student Financial Assistance administers it.2Florida Department of Education. Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program It won’t wipe out six-figure debt, but it can meaningfully cut down a smaller balance from an LPN or associate program.
To qualify, you need a current Florida license as an LPN, RN, or ARNP; loans that were actually incurred for nursing education; full-time employment at a designated facility; and loans in good standing. PRN, agency, and as-needed roles don’t meet the full-time requirement.2Florida Department of Education. Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program Private loans and loans used for a non-nursing degree don’t count.
Designated facilities include state-operated medical facilities, public schools, county health departments, federally sponsored community health centers, teaching hospitals, family practice teaching hospitals, specialty children’s hospitals, and other Florida-licensed hospitals, birth centers, and nursing homes.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 1009.66 – Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program Applications are funded in that priority order, so trust fund money can run out before it reaches lower categories. If you work at a hospital, birth center, or nursing home that falls into that last catch-all group, your employer has to match the state’s contribution dollar-for-dollar. Confirm your employer will participate before you apply.3Florida Office of Student Financial Assistance. Florida Nursing Loan Forgiveness Program – Designated Sites
How the Service Year Works
Your enrollment year is 365 days from the date you’re accepted. You must stay full-time at your designated facility for the full year with no break longer than 31 days.2Florida Department of Education. Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program Payment arrives after you complete those twelve months, sent directly to your loan holder.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 1009.66 – Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program You never handle the money. If your remaining principal is below $4,000 when payment issues, the program pays only what’s owed.
If you leave early or drop to part-time, you simply don’t receive that year’s payment. There’s no clawback and no repayment obligation under the NSLFP. One quirk worth knowing: if the legislature later changes the list of designated facilities, you stay eligible as long as you remain at the same facility where you were originally awarded.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 1009.66 – Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program
How to Apply
Applications are accepted on a quarterly cycle:
- November 1 through December 1
- February 1 through March 1
- May 1 through June 1
- August 1 through September 1
You’ll submit proof of your Florida nursing license, an employment verification form showing full-time status at a designated facility, and a Loan Principal Certification Form from your loan holder documenting your outstanding balance.2Florida Department of Education. Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program The loan certification form should be completed in original ink rather than photocopied. Because funding is awarded in priority order each cycle, applying earlier in the fiscal year can improve your odds if trust fund dollars are tight.
FRAME Program
FRAME is Florida’s broader health workforce repayment program, run by the Florida Department of Health rather than the Department of Education. For nurses it pays substantially more than the NSLFP.4Florida Department of Health. DOH Announces 2025 FRAME Program Application Cycle for Eligible Health Care Professionals Eligible roles include LPNs, RNs, APRNs with primary care specialties, and APRNs registered for autonomous practice. The program pays 25 percent of remaining principal each year, with lifetime caps that depend on your license:5Florida Department of Health. FRAME Program
- LPNs and RNs: up to $45,000 over four years
- APRNs: up to $75,000 over four years
- Autonomous practice APRNs: up to $90,000 over four years
FRAME has stricter service terms than the NSLFP. You must work in a federally designated health professional shortage area or at a facility type specified by statute, complete 25 hours of volunteer primary care work each year at a free clinic or approved community service project, and hold a clear, active Florida license from application through the full award cycle.5Florida Department of Health. FRAME Program If you’re carrying heavier debt from a BSN or graduate program, the higher caps usually justify the added volunteer commitment.
Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program
The federal Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program, run by the Health Resources and Services Administration, pays up to 85 percent of your unpaid nursing education debt in exchange for at least two years of service at a Critical Shortage Facility.6U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program (Nurse Corps LRP) Eligible applicants are RNs, APRNs, and nurse faculty with degrees from accredited programs who hold a current unrestricted license and work at least 32 hours a week at an eligible site.7U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program Fact Sheet
Critical Shortage Facilities include federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, critical access hospitals, community mental health centers, public hospitals, and disproportionate share hospitals, among others. Staffing agencies and travel nurse positions don’t qualify.8U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Step 1 – Prepare for Nurse Corps Service The program is competitive and funded annually, so meeting the requirements doesn’t guarantee an award. For nurses with large balances, the 85 percent ceiling still outclasses anything the state offers.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness
PSLF discharges your remaining federal Direct Loan balance after 120 qualifying monthly payments made while working full-time for a qualifying employer.9Federal Student Aid. Public Service Loan Forgiveness FAQs Qualifying employers include government at any level and 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Government contractors, labor unions, and partisan political organizations don’t count.
For nurses at county health departments, public hospitals, VA facilities, or nonprofit health systems, PSLF is often the most valuable long-term option because there’s no cap on the forgiven amount. The trade-off is the ten-year timeline and the requirement to be on a qualifying income-driven repayment plan. Only federal Direct Loans are eligible; older FFEL or Perkins loans must be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan first.10Federal Student Aid. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Combining Programs
You can generally receive state and federal benefits at the same time. A nurse at a county health department in a shortage area could potentially qualify for both the NSLFP and FRAME, and PSLF payments can accumulate alongside either state program. The practical limit is arithmetic: each dollar one program pays against your principal reduces what’s left for another. If your balance is modest, stacking hits diminishing returns quickly.
The usual approach is to apply first to whichever program pays the most annually for your situation, then use the others to cover whatever’s left. If you work for a qualifying government or nonprofit employer and have federal Direct Loans, enrolling in an income-driven plan while pursuing PSLF gives you a backstop even if state funding runs short in a given cycle.
Tax Treatment
Payments under state loan repayment or forgiveness programs designed to increase the availability of health care services are excluded from gross income under federal tax law.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 108 – Income From Discharge of Indebtedness Both NSLFP and FRAME fall within that exclusion. PSLF forgiveness is also specifically excluded, and the Nurse Corps program, which operates under the Public Health Service Act, gets the same treatment.
The broader American Rescue Plan Act exclusion for most student loan forgiveness expired on December 31, 2025, so starting in 2026 the tax picture varies by program.12Taxpayer Advocate Service. What to Know about Student Loan Forgiveness and Your Taxes The four programs covered here keep their exclusions. Forgiveness tied to the end of an income-driven repayment plan is treated differently and may be taxable, so if you’re relying on IDR forgiveness rather than PSLF, check the current rules before the discharge year arrives.