Important Information

Key Dates

Application Components

Individuals applying to the Intramural LRPs are automatically considered mentored research scientists and must provide the name of their Intramural research supervisor or mentor in the application.

In addition, applicants must:

• Identify an IC Coordinator to verify eligibility and employment status;
• For new applications, a minimum of three reference letters (a maximum of five will be accepted);
• For renewal applications, submit one reference letter from their current mentor or supervisor. Please note that renewal applications are competitive, and submission does not guarantee continued loan repayment.

For guidance on selecting an appropriate IC Coordinator and referees, please refer to the Reference Letters & Institutional Certification page.

Several attachments are required as part of the online application process.  Select a table below for a list of the required documents, organized by type and submitter.

New Intramural Applicant table (PDF)
Renewal Intramural Applicant table (PDF)

Review Process

Award Calculations

Payments are made quarterly and applied to the loan with the highest priority according to NIH guidelines. If a loan is paid in full before the contract ends, remaining payments will be applied to the next highest priority loan.

See a full list of the loan priority order.

New Awards

All new Intramural LRP awards are for two years (AIDS and Clinical) or three years (General and ACGME). Repayments are based on the eligible educational debt as of the contract start date. The award amount is equal to one-quarter of the total eligible debt per year, up to $50,000 annually ($20,000 for ACGME). To receive the maximum benefit, you must have at least $200,000 in eligible debt ($80,000 for ACGME) at the start of the contract.

Renewal Awards

All Intramural LRP renewal awards are one year. The repayment amount is equal to one-half of the remaining eligible debt, up to $50,000. If the eligible educational debt at the contract start date is less than $10,000, then the repayment amount is equal to the full amount of the remaining eligible debt. Renewal applicants must have remaining eligible educational debt of at least $2,000 to apply for a renewal.

Loan Requirements

Qualifying Lenders

Loan Eligibility

Most U.S.-based educational loans made by a qualified lender for educational purposes are eligible for repayment, including U.S.-based educational loans made for the following purposes:

• Undergraduate, graduate, and health professional school tuition and expenses;
• Other reasonable educational expenses required by the school(s) attended, including fees, books, supplies, educational equipment and materials, and laboratory expenses;>/li>
• Reasonable living expenses, including the cost of room and board, transportation and commuting costs, and other living expenses as determined by the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services.

A consolidated loan is eligible as long as all loans in the consolidation are eligible for repayment.

Existing principal and capitalized interest on eligible loans and related expenses, such as the required insurance premiums on the unpaid balances of some loans, from qualifying lenders are also eligible for repayment.

Ineligible Loans

The following loans are not eligible for repayment through the LRPs:

• Consolidated loans that include at least one of the following loans are not eligible for repayment;
  • Loans obtained from an unqualified lender;
  • Loans obtained by the applicant for an individual other than the applicant, such as a spouse or child;
  • Loans obtained by an individual other than the applicant, such as a spouse or parent;
  • Non-educational loans, such as a home-equity loan;
• Loans for which eligibility documentation is not provided;
• Loans or portions of loans obtained for educational or living expenses which exceed a reasonable level as determined by the standard school budget for the year in which the loan was made;
• Loans, financial debts, or service obligations incurred under a program where an incurred service obligation converts to a loan upon failure to satisfy the service obligation;
• Loans that are delinquent, in default, or not current in their repayment schedule;
• Parent PLUS loans;
• Loans that are paid-in-full;
• Loans that are obtained after the start date of the initial NIH Loan Repayment Program Contract.

Additionally, late fees, penalty fees, additional interest charges, or collections costs will not be repaid by the LRP.

Contractual Obligations

Contract Length

A new LRP award is a two-year contract (PDF) (AIDS and Clinical) or a three-year contract (PDF) (General or ACGME) that starts on the date of eligible NIH employment within the fiscal year of the application period. Awardees are required to meet the terms and conditions of the LRP award for the entire contract period.

An LRP award cannot be transferred from an Intramural LRP to an Extramural LRP. If an awardee terminates employment with NIH, the LRP award will be terminated as well. Depending on the circumstances of the change in employment, breach of contract may be considered by the NIH Institute or Center (IC) that funded the award.

Change of IC

If an awardee transfers to another IC within the NIH, the awardee may continue to participate in the LRP as long as the new position is a research position within the Intramural Research Program of a participating Intramural IC. The awardee must continue to meet the eligibility requirements.

It is the responsibility of the Intramural award recipient to notify DLR immediately if there is a pending change of IC.

If the Intramural awardee obtains employment outside of the NIH, the awardee will no longer be eligible to participate in the Intramural LRPs and the award will be terminated immediately. This may also constitute a breach of contract and the awardee may be subjected to the financial penalties described in the contract.

Family Leave

Family leave can include maternity, paternity, parental, and adoption leaves. Paid family leave may be used during an LRP award. Any unpaid leave, even if covered under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), may result in a reduced quarterly payment. Awardees must make payments to lenders on their own behalf for periods of Leave Without Pay (LWOP).

Breach of Contract (New Awards Only)

Failure to complete the terms of an LRP contract, including the research service requirement, is considered a breach of contract. The penalty for breaching the LRP contract is $7,500 for each month the contract terms are not met, with the minimum penalty set at $31,000. Please read the LRP contract (PDF) in its entirety before applying to the LRP.