Two Separate Eligibility Tests, and Only One Is Published
Program and regulatory figures verified October 9, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
The lender's test and ORHPC's test have nothing to do with each other, and only one of them is written down publicly.
★ Two tests, not one
| Test | Set by | What it asks |
|---|---|---|
| Physician mortgage | the lender | is your credential on the current programme's list, and does the file support the loan |
| Loan forgiveness | ORHPC, MN Dept of Health | is your specialty on the published list, and does your site satisfy the geography test |
★ A specialist can be excellent for a physician mortgage and outside every forgiveness programme. A family physician can be squarely inside the forgiveness programme and still have a file that does not support the house they want. The tests are unrelated.
What ORHPC publishes
| Programme | Per year | Maximum | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| ★ Rural Physician | $33,000 | $132,000 | primary care physicians, paediatrician, family practice, internal medicine, psychiatrist, OB/GYN |
| ★ Urban Physician | $33,000 | $132,000 | the same specialties |
| Rural Advanced Practice Provider | $15,000 | $60,000 | nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, nurse anaesthetists, advanced clinical nurse specialists, physician assistants, in primary care |
★★ Note the gap: a physician draws $18,000 a year more than an advanced practice provider in the same rural community. That is Minnesota's policy choice, and it runs the opposite way from Maryland's, where an APRN including a CRNA draws the same $100,000 maximum as a physician. We are not arguing with either; we are telling you which state you are in.
★ Psychiatry being named at the full physician rate is worth noticing. Several state programmes handle psychiatry separately or at a lower tier.
The conditions that apply to all of them
- At least 30 hours a week, at least 45 weeks a year.
- A minimum three-year obligation, four years maximum for the physician programmes.
- ★ Hours must be direct patient care; not "meeting with providers, process improvement, policy development, supervising, or administering programs."
- Participants must live and work in Minnesota.
- Payments are "subject to the availability of funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature."
★ Why no list for the mortgage
Because it is a portfolio product and the accepted credential set belongs to the lender. A list published in October is a liability by March.
We have seen other sites publish confident degree lists that went stale. A physician who reads one and concludes they are ineligible does not call, and that is a worse outcome than asking. So: send the credential, the start date and the contract.
★★ And the question that matters more than your credential
For the forgiveness programmes, your site. Rural is a place test with five named-city exclusions; urban is a federal designation test. The same specialty can be worth $132,000 at one address and nothing at another two miles away.
The five cities · The two geography tests.
Dentists
Physician mortgage programmes commonly extend past MD and DO, and dentists are usually in scope for the mortgage. The forgiveness programmes are a separate question. The dentist page.
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555. (480) 296-6513 · mcerto@cfmtg.com.
Frequently asked questions
Which specialties qualify for Minnesota physician loan forgiveness?
Primary care physicians, paediatrician, family practice, internal medicine, psychiatrist and OB/GYN, under both the rural and urban programmes at $33,000 a year up to $132,000.How much does Minnesota pay advanced practice providers?
The Rural Advanced Practice Provider programme pays $15,000 a year up to $60,000 over a maximum four years, covering nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, nurse anaesthetists, advanced clinical nurse specialists and physician assistants in primary care. That is $18,000 a year less than the physician programmes.Does qualifying for loan forgiveness mean I qualify for a physician mortgage?
No. They are unrelated tests. Forgiveness eligibility is set by the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care and turns on your specialty and your practice site's geography. Mortgage eligibility is the lender's determination on your documents and your file.Which professions qualify for a physician mortgage?
That is a lender term that changes between programmes and over time, so this site publishes no fixed list. Physician mortgage programmes commonly extend beyond MD and DO, often including dentists. Send your credential and start date for a current answer.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about physician mortgage financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax or financial advice. The Minnesota Rural and Urban Physician Loan Forgiveness Programs are administered by the Office of Rural Health and Primary Care at the Minnesota Department of Health, not by Cornerstone; their terms, award amounts, eligibility and application cycles are set by that office and change, and payments are subject to funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature. Minnesota Statutes quoted here are reproduced so you can take them to your own attorney. Figures carry the date we verified them against primary sources. Physician-loan program terms, eligible degrees and overlays are set by the lender and change. All loans are subject to borrower, property and program qualification.