ISAC Student PortalCommunity Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program
(last updated June 1, 2026)
The number of awards made through this program, as well as the individual dollar amount awarded, are subject to sufficient annual appropriations by the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor.
Program News
Program Overview
Eligibility Requirements
Application Procedure
Employment Verification
Award Determination and Payment
Program News
Award Year 2026
The 2026 fiscal year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) appropriation for the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program is $7,500,000.
The 2026 Award Year application for this program is no longer available. May 31, 2026, which was the priority consideration date, was the last date on which applications were accepted.
Awarding took place in January and March 2026. Additional awarding is anticipated for June 2026.
Program Overview
{ISAC Rules, Part 2753}
The Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program provides loan repayment assistance to qualified mental health and substance use professionals. The program was designed as incentive for recruitment and retention of those who practice in underserved or rural areas. It seeks to help address the shortage of Illinois community-based behavioral workers that causes disparities in access to critical mental health and substance use services. The amount of the annual award to qualified applicants to repay their student loan debt is based on their position and may be received for up to four years.
Eligibility Requirements
{ISAC Rules, Part 2753.20}
In order to qualify for the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program, applicants must:
- be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen (FSA Handbook Volume 1, Chapter 2)
- be an Illinois resident
- have an outstanding balance due on an eligible educational loan (includes Stafford loans, Graduate PLUS loans, consolidation loans, Supplemental Loans for Students, alternative loans and other types of government and institutional loans used for education expenses)
- be a qualifying behavioral health professional who meets licensing requirements of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, holds certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor from the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association or has attained the required educational credentials:
- psychiatrist
- advanced practice registered nurse (APRN)
- physician's assistant
- psychologist (PsyD or PhD)
- licensed clinical social worker (LCSW)
- licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC)
- licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT)
- certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC)
- certified recovery support specialist (CRSS)
- Professional possessing a Master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, or marriage and family therapy
- Professional possessing a Bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work
- have worked for at least 12 consecutive months immediately prior to applying for this program in a community mental health center, behavioral health clinic, substance use treatment center, or State-operated psychiatric hospital licensed or certified by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Healthcare and Family Services in an underserved or rural Illinois health professional shortage area (HPSA) mental health discipline
- be currently employed in a professional community healthcare center (as listed above) at the time of application and remain so employed for a continued 12 month period for each year assistance is applied for and received, and
- not be in default on any federal guaranteed educational loan nor owe a refund on a grant or scholarship program administered by ISAC.
Application Procedures
{ISAC Rules, Part 2753.30}
All applicants must submit a complete Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program application to ISAC each academic year. In order to be considered timely, the application must be submitted on or before the priority consideration date, which will be announced when the application is made available each year.
If the application is incomplete, a letter will be sent to the applicant to request the missing information. Processing cannot take place prior to the date a complete application is received in ISAC's Deerfield office.
Applicants should allow at least 12 weeks for application processing. Qualified applicants will be sent a Notice of Eligibility letter from ISAC.
Employment Verification
Applicants will provide their current or former employer(s) with a Community Behavioral Professional Loan Repayment Program Employment Verification Form. Employers must complete and sign the document on the applicant’s behalf. The completed and signed form must be submitted to ISAC by the applicant as part of their application process in order for the application to be complete.
Award Determination and Payment
{ISAC Rules, Part 2753.30}
Recipients are selected from among qualified new and renewal applicants. The total number of awards each year is contingent on available funding. If funding in any given year is insufficient to pay all eligible applicants, awarding will be determined in the following order:
- renewal applicants, in the order in which their applications were received
- Renewal applicants must have worked at an eligible facility during the previous award year and be currently employed at an eligible facility at the time of application
- For example: 2026 Award Year renewal applicants must have worked at an eligible facility between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 and be employed at an eligible facility at the time the 2026 Award Year application is submitted.
- Renewal applicants must have worked at an eligible facility during the previous award year and be currently employed at an eligible facility at the time of application
- new applicants, using the mental health portion of the HPSA database to rank eligible rural and underserved applications, giving priority to those in the areas with the highest degree of shortage (score) for that applicant’s profession. If multiple applicants receive the same score, applications will be given consideration in the order in which they were received.
- If an applicant works for an organization located in an HPSA mental health discipline that has satellite clinics and the applicant works for more than one of the clinics, the highest HPSA score where the applicant works will apply.
- If an applicant works for different employers in multiple HPSA mental health disciplines having different degrees of shortage, the location having the highest HPSA mental health discipline score will apply.
The award amount is based on the applicant’s remaining balance on eligible education loans, not to exceed:
- $40,000 per year for a psychiatrist
- $20,000 per year for an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician assistant
- $20,000 per year for a psychologist who holds a doctoral degree
- $15,000 per year for a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical professional counselor or a licensed marriage and family therapist
- $12,000 per year for a professional possessing a master's degree in counseling, psychology, social work, or marriage and family therapy
- $6,000 per year for a professional possessing a bachelor's degree in counseling, psychology, or social work
- $4,000 per year for certified alcohol and drug counselor, or a certified recovery support specialist.
Proceeds will be remitted directly to the holder of the loan(s) to be repaid. There is a minimum 4-5 week turnaround from the date approved recipients are notified by ISAC to when funds are disbursed.
