Click here for the PCLF application

Completed Oregon Primary Health Care Loan Forgiveness applications and all required attachments must be submitted on later than January 3, 2025. Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to allow time for ORH to review applications for completeness.  

Click here for PCLF FAQs 

If awarded, students may receive one or more years of tuition and fees to cover their health care education in the program in which they are participating. PCLF awards may cover full tuition and fees, but can not exceed the highest resident tuition rates at the publicly-funded health professional training programs in Oregon.

To be eligible for PCLF, students must:

• Be enrolled at an academic institution that does not and will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, ancestry, disability, race, color, citizenship, national origin, creed, political or religious affiliation, sex (including pregnancy-related conditions), familial or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, unfavorable discharge from the military, status as a protected veteran, or other groups protected by law; AND
• Be in good academic standing; AND 
• Be participating in the Oregon AHEC Scholars Program or accepted to an approved Oregon rural training track (Western University: D.O.); AND 
• Be prepared to begin practice in primary care at an approved rural practice site within 90 days of graduation or completion of residency (if applicable)

For PCLF primary care is defined as:

• Physicians: Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, General Surgery, Community Psychiatry, Gerontology and OB/GYN
• Physician associates/physician assistants: Family Medicine, General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics, General Surgery, Community Psychiatry, Gerontology and OB/GYN 
• Nurse practitioners: Family, Adult, Nurse Midwife, Gerontology, Pediatric, and Psychiatric Mental Health
• Dentists: General Adult and General Pediatric
• Pharmacists: General Pharmacy and Psychiatric Pharmacy

Upon completion of training, PCLF participants must:

• Be contracted to practice in primary care at an approved rural Oregon practice site within 90 days of graduation or completion of residency (if applicable); AND 
• Serve one year of clinical service in an approved rural Oregon practice site for each year of funding received; AND 
• Provide a minimum of 32 hours a week of direct patient care a week in an approved rural Oregon practice site for the duration of their service obligation.

PCLF practice sites must: 

• Be located in a rural area as designated by the Oregon Office of Rural Health; AND 
• Be located in a federally designated HPSA, MUA or an Area of Unmet OR
• See at least the same percentage of Medicare and/or Medicaid patients that exist in the county in which the clinic is located (site must be located in a rural community); AND 
• Have a valid Site Application on file with the Oregon Office of Rural health that is no more than one year old.

While in school PCLF participants must:

• Continue participating in the Oregon AHEC Scholars Program or approved Oregon rural training track (Western University: D.O.); AND
• Remain enrolled full time and in good academic standing

In the event that a PCLF participant encounters an extreme circumstance that requires them to take a leave of absence from their academic program they must contact the Office of Rural Health as soon as possible.

Post-graduation PCLF participants must:

• Be contracted to practice in primary care at an approved rural Oregon practice site within 90 days of graduation or completion of residency (if applicable); AND
• Serve one year of clinical service in primary care at an approved rural Oregon practice site for each year of funding received; AND
• Provide a minimum of 32 hours a week of direct patient care a week at your approved practice site for 48 weeks out of a 52 week period (for the duration of the PCLF obligation); AND
• Promptly notify the Office of Rural Health with any employment status or contact information changes.  

The points listed above do not encompass all aspects of the PCLF obligation. Please read the PCLF contract carefully and contact the Office of Rural Health with any questions. 

• PCLF FAQ