To assist in the recruitment and retention of professional nurses dedicated to providing health care to underserved populations, the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program offers registered nurses substantial assistance to repay educational loans in exchange for service in eligible facilities located in areas experiencing a shortage of nurses. The Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program will pay 60 percent of the participant’s total qualifying loan balance in two years and an additional 25 percent of the original balance for an optional third year. In order to quality, NURSE Corps members must fulfill a service obligation at any one of thousands of nonprofit hospitals, clinics and other facilities located in designated primary medical care or mental health Health Professional Shortage Areas across the U.S.