Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program

The purpose of the Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program (RVIP) is to encourage veterinarians to practice in qualifying rural Texas counties. This program provides educational loan repayment assistance or payment of tuition and fees of up to $180,000 to eligible veterinarians and veterinary medicine students in return for commitment to work in designated rural areas in Texas.

For more details:

• Title 4 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 42
• Texas Education Code §§ 56.101–56.106
• RVIP Program Reference Guide and FAQ

RVIP Financial Assistance

For each year of full-time veterinary service in a qualifying rural Texas county, a participant may receive educational loan repayment assistance or payment of tuition and fees of up to $45,000 for a total of up to $180,000 over four years.

Participation in the RVIP

Participants will be selected from all eligible applicants. The TAHC will screen applicants for eligibility and completeness. The Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program Committee will evaluate and score each application using the scoring rubric published with the application.

A selected applicant must agree to provide full-time veterinary services in a qualifying rural county for at least one year. The Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program Committee may allow a selected applicant to use prior service in a qualifying rural county to satisfy program requirements.

• 2024 Rural Texas Counties

The participant must sign a promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the assistance awarded and promise to repay the amount if the participant does not satisfy the conditions of the agreement.

Eligibility Requirements

To qualify for this program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• be a currently enrolled student or graduate of a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at Texas Tech University's School of Veterinary Medicine or Texas A&M University's School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences;
  • Graduates must have graduated within four years of the application date and be a licensed veterinarian.
  • Students currently enrolled in an out-of-state accredited college of veterinary medicine may apply if they graduated from a Texas high school or undergraduate institution.
• be a U.S. citizen or a Legal Permanent Resident;
• not be currently fulfilling another obligation to provide veterinary medical services as part of a scholarship agreement, an educational loan agreement, or another educational loan repayment agreement;
• have received an eligible education loan for at least 50 percent of the funds for tuition and fees for one or more academic years while enrolled in an accredited school of veterinary medicine;
• agree to practice veterinary medicine full-time in an eligible rural county in Texas for at least one calendar year; and
• be otherwise eligible to receive payment from the funding source.

How to Apply

Applicants should submit the completed Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program Application Form and all required attachments by email to rvip@tahc.texas.gov or by mail to Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program; Texas Animal Health Commission; P.O. Box 12966; Austin, Texas 78711.

• Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program 2024 Application Form & Instructions
• Rural Veterinarian Incentive Program 2024 Scoring Rubric

Contact Us

If you have questions about this program, please email rvip@tahc.texas.gov and provide a detailed description of your question.