FAQs

Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree, plus whatever additional academic and professional training, as well as licensing, they need to practice professionally in their respective medical fields.

In addition, MedSend requires that BSN applicants obtain a minimum of two years of clinical experience before serving outside the U.S. This requirement is based on the fact that BSN training may not adequately prepare nurses for the extremely challenging professional demands they are likely to face on the mission field. The additional clinical experience in the US can help nurses prepare to meet these challenges.

We would like to receive your application as soon as you are eligible to apply. You are eligible to apply once you have initiated a relationship with a MedSend Associate and are within 24 months of departure or going on salary as a missionary.


If you believe you are eligible to apply for a MedSend grant, you may begin the application process by clicking here.  You will be directed to a website where you can create an account and begin the application process by filling out a Letter of Interest application (LOI).

For more detailed information on how to apply and what to expect during the application process please visit the “How to Apply” section of our website by clicking here.

Three times a year, the MedSend board reviews completed applications for healthcare professionals headed for career missionary service.  The three application deadlines each year are: January 15, May 1, and September 1.

For more detailed information on how to apply and what to expect during the application process please visit the “How to Apply” section of our website by clicking here.

There are numerous excellent denominational and independent sending agencies or mission boards. Bear in mind that in order to qualify for a MedSend student loan repayment grant, your missions service must be under the authority of one of the sending agencies or mission boards that collaborate with us—a MedSend “Associate.” You can see a partial list of our Associates with links to most of their sites here. We encourage you to link over to our Associates’ websites and ask questions about where needs are greatest for missionaries with your particular healthcare specialty. The Lord can use that type of inquiry to help you more clearly discern His call.

Another great resource for aspiring missionaries is MedicalMissions.com. On this site, you can search for sending organizations and mission opportunities that match your healthcare specialty, passion areas and preferred geographic areas. Please note that the search will list all sending organizations that match the information you provide, not just MedSend Associates.

Your spouse should complete the spouse section of your full application, unless he or she is also applying for a MedSend grant. In that case, your spouse must complete a separate full application.


MedSend’s requirements for grant applicants include the following:

• You must do at least some of your training in the U.S., such as your residency and you must be licensed in the U.S.
• In addition, you need to have borrowed from a U.S. lender at a reasonable rate of interest. Unscrupulous lenders have been known to charge extremely high interest rates for loans to U.S. students in foreign schools.
• In addition, you should carefully evaluate the school’s credentials and make sure it is a reputable institution.
• You must meet these requirements to apply for a MedSend grant whether you are a U.S. citizen studying overseas or the citizen of a country other than the U.S.

As stated in preceding answers, applicants must fulfill certain requirements to receive grants. With that said, it is good to keep in mind that MedSend’s approach to ministry is to look for ways to say “yes.” To date, no qualified candidate has been turned down for a grant due to a lack of funds. It is important to keep in mind that the grant process has two steps: 1) approval and 2) funding; and grant payments cannot begin until both steps are complete. In most instances, grants are funded soon after approval.  However, when funds are tight, it may take more time to raise the funds needed to start grant payments.

The MedSend Board of Directors often encounters applicants with sizable debt who give generous financial support to a variety of worthy causes. The  Board realizes that each person or couple will make decisions of finances and giving as they prayerfully consider what God is calling them to do. However, it is the position of the Board that individuals or couples who are called to full-time ministry and hold debt that will need to be paid to free them to serve, refrain from giving financial support to other ministries or charities apart from their tithe/support of their local church. In addition, if there are extra finances that an individual or couple has in their budget to give to ministry; we recommend that they use these resources to reduce their educational debt.

To apply for a MedSend grant, you must have completed your professional healthcare training and licensing requirements, or you must be in the process of completing these requirements within one year of application. In addition, BSN applicants must obtain a minimum of two years of clinical experience before serving outside the U.S.

Please note that your professional healthcare training and licensing must be completed before MedSend will begin making your grant payments.

We will begin making your loan payments when you go on salary with your MedSend Associate sending agency and this may include a period of language and cultural training if required by your Associate. We understand that many long-term career missionaries need this type of specialized training to minister effectively.

If you finance your education with loans taken in your parents’ names, we cannot make payments on those loans as part of a MedSend grant. If, however, you have taken a loan from your parents to cover educational expenses and if it is an official loan with a properly executed promissory note and at a reasonable rate of interest, we might be able to make those payments as part of a MedSend grant.

Once MedSend approves your grant application, we begin to raise the money to “fund” your grant. MedSend computes the amount necessary to make your monthly payment for the first term. When that amount is raised, your grant is considered “funded.” MedSend will take over payment of your student loans as soon as your grant is funded and you go on salary with your mission board (generally one month prior to departure for the mission field). Grants are easily renewable for successive terms, assuming there are no significant changes in assignment or financial status. MedSend will make your monthly payments as long as you serve. It is important to note that you retain legal responsibility for your loans. We desire to completely pay off your student loans while you commit your healthcare career to serving the underserved in Christ’s name. If you return from the mission field during your grant term for health or other reasons, you are required to notify the MedSend office. Each situation is reviewed independently. If it is determined that you are no longer eligible for a grant, your grant will be terminated and you will reassume responsibility for making your student loan payments.


While there is not a limit per se, our board does look for evidence of mature fiscal stewardship when reviewing an application. MedSend will only assume responsibility for educational debt related to healthcare training. Consumer-related debt is not covered by a MedSend grant.

For some healthcare missionaries, the U.S. Department of Education’s student loan repayment plan called “Income-Based Repayment” (IBR) may provide a viable alternative to a MedSend grant. Under this plan, your payment amount is based on your income level, not the amount of the loan. If you plan to serve internationally, you may find that under IBR, your monthly educational loan payments would be extremely low or even $0.

If you are planning to serve in the U.S., your monthly payments also may be significantly reduced. If you sign up for IBR and you still have a monthly educational loan payment, MedSend will consider awarding you a grant to cover that payment. If you repay under IBR for 25 years and meet certain other requirements, any remaining loan balance will be cancelled. Additionally, those working for non-profit organizations (including healthcare missionaries) may qualify to have their loans forgiven after 120 payments.

Click HERE for information on IBR. If your student loan debt is high relative to your income, you may qualify for the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). Most major types of federal student loans—except for PLUS loans for parents and Consolidation Loans that repaid PLUS loans for parents—are eligible for IBR.

Click HERE for information on Loan Forgiveness. If you work full-time in a public service job, you may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Click HERE for information if you are serving in the U.S. HRSA health professions loan repayment, scholarship and loan programs help to encourage and enable clinicians to work in underserved areas.