N.J. will cancel up to $150K in student loans for these 9 jobs

New Jersey residents who work in mental health fields can apply for state help this month to pay up to $150,000 per person in student loans.

The program, called the Behavioral Healthcare Provider Loan Redemption Program, also offers a bonus of up to $30,000 in incentive grants for mental health professionals who work with children.

Applications for the program are due Oct. 31.

“Bolstering mental health supports, especially on behalf of young people, remains one of my administration’s highest priorities,” Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement. “I remain committed to building upon our ongoing efforts to ensure every resident is able to access the mental health care that they need.”

A shortage of mental health workers has plagued the state’s schools and clinics for years.

To bolster the ranks of behavior healthcare providers the state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority opened up applications on Oct. 1 for student loan redemption and incentive grants for qualified people in mental health fields.

The qualifying professions include:

• board certified behavior analyst
• licensed associate counselor
• licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor
• licensed clinical social worker
• licensed professional counselor
• licensed psychologist
• licensed social worker
• psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialist
• psychiatrist

For every two years of direct clinical practice with patients or clients at an approved nonprofit, educational institution or government agencies, the authority will pay up to $50,000 of a worker’s related student loans. Applicants can qualify for up to six years of their time in the field — for a total of $150,000 of student loan forgiveness.

Those working with children or adolescents can receive an extra $5,000 per year in incentive grants for a maximum of six years, or $30,000.

This is the third round of funding for the program, and a total of $7 million from the state’s 2025 budget is available. Since the program’s launch last year, 94 workers have participated.

Applications, available at the authority’s website, are due by the end of the month. Applicants are evaluated for the program based on the demand for their occupation and the county in which they work, plus their salary and whether or not they work with young people.

State officials will contact those selected for the program in February based on their application scores.