The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services announced this week that it would be awarding about $140 million in student loan relief to more than 2,900 workers in the state.

The aid comes from the MA Repay Program, which the state launched last November to provide financial support to health-care workers, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers.

"The MA Repay Program will be life-changing for thousands of our hardworking health-care professionals while also helping more people enter and stay in this critical industry that has been suffering from workforce shortages," Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

The student loan awards range between $12,500 and $300,000 per borrower.

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To be eligible, residents usually need to commit to work for a qualifying employer for four or five years. The most recent application window ran between Dec. 5, 2022, and Jan. 30, 2023.

The Massachusetts program is one of the many state efforts to reduce people's education debt burden. These opportunities are likely to be especially attractive to borrowers of late. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Joe Biden's plan to deliver loan cancellation nationwide.

"There are many other opportunities for loan forgiveness that often go unknown because there is no global database of all student loan forgiveness options," said higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.