The short answer
Utah has 1 loan repayment program a dentist can apply to, and it is open as of September 26, 2026. Federal programs (NHSC, IHS and the military) also work here.
Apply now: Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program (HCWFAP)
- Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program (HCWFAP): Rolling; 'should be submitted before March 1, 2027 for the next enrollment period'; must apply within 18 months of beginning employment at an approved site
Utah programs for dentists
Each program below is described from its official page. Terms change every cycle, so confirm the numbers and deadline there before you apply.
Health Care Workforce Financial Assistance Program (HCWFAP) (HRSA-supported; Utah's SLRP)
Utah DHHS Office of Primary Care and Rural Health (PCRH)
- Dentists
- Eligible · hygienists eligible too
- What it pays
- Over 3 years, excluding 20% site match: MD, DO; DDS, DMD; PHARM $75,000; RDH, BSDH (and BS/BA RN) $30,000; part-time = half total award
- Commitment
- Three-year service commitment; part-time award requires at least 20 hours/week
- Where you can work
- Located in a HPSA; sliding-fee schedule; agree to match 20% of the state's award; approved site
- Applying
- Rolling; 'should be submitted before March 1, 2027 for the next enrollment period'; must apply within 18 months of beginning employment at an approved site
- Taxes
- Page: 'Are student loan repayments taxable? Review IRS publication 970, page 37' (no explicit statement)
Official sources: ruralhealth.utah.gov (undated), ruralhealth.utah.gov (undated), ruralhealth.utah.gov (undated (describes rule R434-40 update o). Checked Sep 26, 2026.
Rural Physicians Loan Repayment Program is physicians-only. No separate state dental LRP found.
Federal programs that also work in Utah
- NHSC Loan Repayment Program: up to $50,000 for two years full time at an approved site, tax-free. Funded only through Dec. 31, 2026 under current law.
- Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program: up to $50,000 for two years at IHS, tribal and urban Indian sites.
- Military scholarships and loan repayment.
How these fit with your other loan choices
- PSLF: if the site is a nonprofit or government employer, the same years can count toward PSLF. If you’re sure to reach PSLF, a repayment award mostly shrinks what PSLF would have forgiven.
- RAP: award payments lower your balance, not your RAP payment, which is based on income. Estimate your RAP payment.
- Refinancing: most programs repay federal and private qualifying education loans; check whether yours counts before you refinance.
What to do next
- Check whether your job, or the one you’re considering, is at an eligible site (most programs require a shortage area, and many require a nonprofit or public employer).
- Read the official page for each program above and note the next deadline.
- Compare the award with what staying on RAP or PSLF, or refinancing, would cost you: run your numbers.
Program details come from each program’s official page, checked September 26, 2026. We don’t earn anything from loan repayment programs. General education, not advice. Found an error? Tell us.