NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Programs: Application Cycle Opening and New Website Location

We are pleased to announce that the application period to apply for FY 2026 NIH Extramural Loan Repayment Program (LRP) awards will open on September 1, 2025 and close on November 20, 2025.

The Extramural LRP was established to recruit and retain highly qualified biomedical and behavioral researchers in the research workforce.  The LRP offers up to $100,000 in qualified educational debt repayment in exchange for a two-year commitment to conduct research.

Eligibility:  Applicants must be qualified health professionals engaged in NIH-mission relevant research for a minimum of 20 hours per week at a nonprofit or government institution. Mission-relevant research areas include:

• Clinical Research
• Pediatric Research
• Health Disparities Research
• Research in Emerging Areas Critical to Human Health (REACH)
• Clinical Research for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds
• Contraception and Infertility Research

The LRP provides unique opportunities and substantial benefits to early-stage researchers.  If your application was not funded in a previous cycle, we strongly encourage you to apply again.    

Application Tips:

• Confirm that your NIH Commons password is current
• Review the LRP Application Guide
• Check out the LRP tutorial videos
• Connect with an LRP Ambassador
• Consult with an LRP Program Officer about your research
• Notify your Institutional Business Official (IBO) if you plan to apply for a renewal award

LRP Website Update

Beginning this cycle, the LRP website and its resources will move to the NIH Grants and Funding website.  Select pages will be updated to improve navigation and searchability.  To help ease the transition, redirect links from the current LRP website will remain active for the next year.