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Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP)

An affordable pathway to healthcare education

Health professionals are in high demand, especially in underserved rural areas of the West. Educating more students for careers in healthcare is crucial. But it doesn’t make fiscal sense for less populous states to create their own programs in every health care field. 

With out-of-state tuition for some health care programs often exceeding resident tuition by over 300 percent, this can be daunting for tomorrow’s health professionals. It may saddle them in debt, force them to leave their community for more lucrative opportunities, or discourage them from pursuing a passion to heal. 

WICHE collaborates with 12 Western states and Pacific Island jurisdictions to provide a solution. Through the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSEP), students pursuing careers in 10 health fields – ranging from optometry to dentistry to veterinary medicine – may enroll in participating programs across state lines and receive substantial tuition support from their home state or territory. 

Through PSEP, a student can save $35,700 and $139,800 on tuition over the duration of a health degree studyBy participating in PSEP, Western states and territories benefit by inspiring and compelling graduates to return home to practice and bolster the professional health care workforce of their communities. 

Applying for PSEP is simple.

1Verify that your state participates

Not all WICHE states and territories fund students through PSEP, and the fields supported vary by state. See the link below for details.

2Check your eligibility

Complete your state application before Oct. 15 (suggested Sept. 1 for veterinary medicine). State residency requirements range from 1 to 5 or more years.

3Apply to your chosen program(s)

Observe your field’s national application deadlines.

4Know your state's rules

Some states (but not all) require you to return home to practice after graduation.

Student reading Orthopedic textbook at Minot State University
In Focus

Find your PSEP match today!

Choose from 130 participating programs in 10 professional health care fields at 60 universities. See if your home state or territory funds its residents through PSEP, and in which health care fields.

PARTICIPATING PSEP PROGRAMS
$8.9-35KAY 2023-24 savings per student
130+Eligible programs
10Eligible PSEP health care fields
Kristin

“Thanks to WICHE, my family and I are able to rest easier while I continue my journey to becoming an optometrist. Thank you to WICHE and the State of Hawaii for helping make my dreams come true!”

— KRISTEN

HAWAII, OPTOMETRY, MARSHALL B. KETCHUM UNIVERSITY

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