Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program

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.

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Program Description
Eligibility
How to Apply
Changes to Application Data
Required Documentation
How Funds Are Awarded and Disbursed
Processing Updates

The Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program is intended to provide loan repayment assistance to qualified human services professionals in an effort to recruit and retain them to work for community-based human services providers and to address the high turnover rate and struggle to maintain consistent staffing levels at human service agencies.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen.
  • be an Illinois resident.
  • have been a full-time employee for at least 24 consecutive months as a human services professional, immediately prior to applying, at a community-based human services agency which currently has or did have a contract with, receives or received funding from, and/or is or was grant-funded by one or more State of Illinois agencies (listed below)* for the purpose of providing direct or indirect human services.
  • remain a full-time employee as a human services professional in the same community-based human services agency for at least 12 months after receiving this grant.
  • have a balance remaining on your eligible student loan(s) – these loans include:
    • Stafford Loans;
    • Perkins Loans;
    • Graduate PLUS Loans;
    • consolidation loans;
    • Supplemental Loans for Students;
    • alternative loans; and
    • other types of government and institutional loans used for educational expenses.
  • not be in default on a federally guaranteed educational loan, nor owe a refund on any grant or scholarship program administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).

*State of Illinois agencies include: the Department of Human Services, the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department on Aging, and the Department of Public Health.

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How to Apply

When it becomes available each year, the Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program application may be accessed via the Program Applications & Status Checks area of the Student Portal. ISAC will send immediate confirmation to your email address that your application has been received. Please allow approximately 12 weeks for processing of the application.

Qualified applicants will be sent a Notice of Eligibility letter from ISAC. If your application, including required documentation, is incomplete, you will receive a letter from ISAC explaining the reason(s) and advising how to resolve the issue.

You must submit a new application for each year you wish to apply for this program.

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Changes to Application Data

If, after submission, you need to change your response(s) to any item(s) and/or update any information after the application has been submitted, you will need to provide the information to ISAC. Examples of items that may need to be updated include demographic information (i.e., name, address, telephone number, etc.), and/or information about your outstanding loans and the loan holder/servicer. These changes can be submitted to ISAC using one of the below methods, but cannot be done over the telephone.

  • via email to [email protected]
  • via FAX to 847.831.8549
  • via letter to ISAC, Program Operations, 1755 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield, IL 60015-5209

The request must include the last four digits of your Social Security number (for identification purposes) and clearly state what change(s) need to be made. These changes will not affect the application "received date."

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Required Documentation

We recommend that you gather and organize the documents needed to complete your application before starting to fill out the interactive form. The online application process includes uploading and submitting required documentation. Acceptable uploaded files must have one of these file extensions: .pdf, .jpg, .jpeg.

Required documentation includes:

  • academic documents that verify your educational credentials. Official transcripts are preferred, but unofficial transcripts or diplomas stating the academic field will be accepted
  • licensure/certification documents confirming licenses and certifications you hold
  • Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program Employment Verification Form signed by your current or former employer that verifies your employment with an approved agency
  • current loan account statements for each of your loans with an outstanding balance. Loan account statements are typically found on the Tools page of the lender’s websites in a link to “Printable Account Information”

Loan account statements must include:

  • your full first and last names and address
  • the name of the loan holder/servicer
  • the payment address of the holder/servicer
  • the area code/phone number of holder/servicer
  • the email address of your holder/servicer
  • your loan account number
  • the type of loan (Federal Direct, Stafford, etc.)
  • your monthly payment amount
  • your outstanding balance

Sample loan account statements:

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How Funds Are Awarded and Disbursed

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 they were received
  • qualified timely new applicants
  • qualified untimely applicants

The award amount is based on the applicant’s remaining balance on eligible education loans, not to exceed:

  • $15,000 per year for a master’s degree or higher from a qualified program
  • $10,000 per year for a bachelor’s degree from a qualified program
  • $2,000 per year for an associates degree from a qualified program and
  • $5,000 per year add-on if applicant is independently licensed as a licensed clinical social worker, a licensed clinical professional counselor, a licensed practitioner of the healing arts, a licensed marriage and family therapist, a board-certified behavior analyst, or a registered behavior technician.

Qualified programs are programs that offer an associate, bachelor’s, or master’s degree from an accredited college or university.

There is a minimum 4-5 week turnaround from the date approved recipients are notified by ISAC to when funds are disbursed. Depending on the volume of payment vouchers being processed by the State of Illinois Comptroller’s Office, this timeframe may increase. Proceeds will be remitted directly to the holder/servicer/lender of the loan(s) to be repaid. Once a check has been sent to a lender, the timeframe for payment application varies. Please check with your lender directly.

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Processing Updates

Note that ISAC routinely updates this section as new information becomes available. Be sure to check back periodically for the current processing status.

For the 2026 Award Year

(last updated on June 1, 2026):

The Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program application for the 2026 Award Year is no longer available.

May 31, 2026, which was the priority consideration date, was the last date on which applications were accepted.

If you have been notified that you have an incomplete application, please respond to the letter you received with the necessary documentation by Friday, June 12, 2026.

Awarding took place in January and March 2026. Additional awarding is anticipated for June 2026.

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