WVHEPC Medical Student Loan

The purpose of this program is to enable needy medical students to obtain loan funds to pursue a degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D. O.) at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.

To be eligible for loan consideration, an applicant must:

  1. Be a United States citizen or legal immigrant pursuing United State citizenship.
  2. Be accepted for enrollment or be enrolled full-time at an approved West Virginia school of medicine with priority consideration given to residents of the state,
  3. Meet designated academic standards,
  4. Demonstrate financial need as determined by the participating educational institution, and
  5. Not be in default on any previous student loan(s).

Application and Selection

The WVSOM Financial Aid Office is responsible for (1) determining eligibility for the loan and (2) notifying individual students of the action taken. Funding availability may limit the number of awards or the value of individual awards.

The completed application must be signed and returned to the WVSOM Financial Aid Office.

Furthermore applicants considering the WVHEPC Medical Student Loan should be aware of the following:

  • The maximum annual amount for an individual loan shall not exceed $10,000.
  • Any student applying for a loan must use his or her social security number when submitting an application. The social security number will be used to verify a student's identity, track applications, authorize loans, verify enrollment and good student status, and track fund disbursement and loan repayment. A student who fails to provide a social security number will be ineligible for a loan.
  • Awards will be processed without regard to age, gender, race, disability, national origin, veteran's status or religion.
  • Student may apply for a loan for each of the number of years required to complete the course of study, but the participating institution is not obligated to approve the request for such academic year or years.
  • A borrower shall be allowed a maximum of ten (10) years to repay the loan (principal and accumulated interest).
  • The minimum monthly payment shall be no less than fifty dollars ($50) per month. A higher monthly payment will be established should the minimum monthly payment be insufficient to pay the loan balance within the ten (10) year repayment period.
  • A borrower may receive cancellation of the outstanding principal and accumulated interest on the loan in return for the actual performance of full-time service in West Virginia as a physician (M.D. or D.O.) in an approved designated medically underserved area or in an approved designated medical specialty in which there is a shortage of physicians.

Notification

A student whose loan request is approved shall receive an award notification in advance of the release of loan funds. The notification shall provide the following:

  • budgeted cost of education,
  • expected family contribution (where applicable),
  • financial need,
  • other resources available to meet educational expenses,
  • an indication of unmet financial need,
  • aid awarded reflecting academic periods in which aid will be disbursed and statement that any and all such loans shall be subject to the terms and conditions specified in a master promissory note.