SANTA FE – The New Mexico Higher Education Department is granting student debt relief to more than 500 health professionals working in New Mexico as part of the agency’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Program, further strengthening an important mechanism for health professional recruitment and retention in the state. 

The 524 new awardees for Fiscal Year 2025 will receive student debt relief on the condition of maintaining a three-year commitment to working in high-need communities across the state. The recipients are 150 allied health practitioners, 134 mental health professionals, 132 nurses, 94 medical doctors and 14 dental professionals. 

In addition to the new awardees, the Health Professional Loan Repayment Program is providing student loan repayments to 745 additional health professionals working in New Mexico who began receiving the debt relief in previous fiscal years, bringing the total number of health professionals statewide currently receiving program benefits to 1,269.

This represents a significant expansion of the program over recent years as part of an ongoing effort to recruit and retain more specialized health care providers to New Mexico; in 2022, only 44 health professionals in New Mexico were receiving debt relief through the program. 
The program is funded by a $19.6 million appropriation for the current fiscal year. 

“Every year, we are working to include more and more health care providers with outstanding student loans into this debt relief program,” said Higher Education Secretary Stephanie M. Rodriguez. “With expanded funding we are able to support hundreds more dedicated health care professionals — who can then help support more communities across New Mexico that rely on timely, affordable and high-quality health care.”
 
The Health Loan Repayment program covers more than 25 health occupations and licenses in allied health, dental, medical and mental health fields. Included are medical doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses, mental health counselors, licensed clinical social workers, speech language pathologists, and occupational therapists.
 
A full list of eligible professions is available at hed.nm.gov. The program opens to new applicants on March 15 each year.