Title 33 — Navigation and Navigable WatersRelease 119-73

§3077 Education loan repayment program

Title 33 › Chapter CHAPTER 43— - NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION COMMISSIONED OFFICER CORPS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER V— - RIGHTS AND BENEFITS › § 3077

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may pay back education loans for certain commissioned officers to keep enough officers with needed skills. To get loan repayment, the loan must have paid for education and come from a government agency, bank, school, or other approved lender. A person must meet one academic rule, be fully qualified for or hold an appointment as a commissioned officer, and sign a written agreement to serve on active duty or to stay on active duty longer. The repayment can cover the loan principal, interest, and related costs, but the yearly payment for each year of service cannot be more than the amount in section 2173(e)(2) of title 10. Signing the agreement creates an active-duty service obligation. The Secretary sets the length by regulation, but it cannot be less than one year for each full annual maximum payment (or part of it) made for the loans. If the person was already on active duty, this obligation starts after any other required service. It may run at the same time as an obligation under section 3006 of this title. If an officer is released before finishing, the Secretary may give an alternative duty. If the officer does not complete the agreed or alternative duty, they must repay under section 3006. The Secretary must make rules about which loans and payees qualify and other terms for repayment.

Full Legal Text

Title 33, §3077

Navigation and Navigable Waters — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For the purpose of maintaining adequate numbers of officers of the commissioned officer corps of the Administration on active duty who have skills required by the commissioned officer corps, the Secretary may repay, in the case of a person described in subsection (b), a loan that—

(1)was used by the person to finance education; and

(2)was obtained from a governmental entity, private financial institution, educational institution, or other authorized entity.

(b)To be eligible to obtain a loan repayment under this section, a person must—

(1)satisfy one of the requirements specified in subsection (c);

(2)be fully qualified for, or hold, an appointment as a commissioned officer in the commissioned officer corps of the Administration; and

(3)sign a written agreement to serve on active duty, or, if on active duty, to remain on active duty for a period in addition to any other incurred active duty obligation.

(c)One of the following academic requirements must be satisfied for purposes of determining the eligibility of an individual for a loan repayment under this section:

(1)The person is fully qualified in a profession that the Secretary has determined to be necessary to meet identified skill shortages in the commissioned officer corps of the Administration.

(2)The person is enrolled as a full-time student in the final year of a course of study at an accredited educational institution (as determined by the Secretary of Education) leading to a degree in a profession that will meet identified skill shortages in the commissioned officer corps of the Administration.

(d)(1)Subject to the limits established under paragraph (2), a loan repayment under this section may consist of the payment of the principal, interest, and related expenses of a loan obtained by a person described in subsection (b).

(2)For each year of obligated service that a person agrees to serve in an agreement described in subsection (b)(3), the Secretary may pay not more than the amount specified in section 2173(e)(2) of title 10.

(e)(1)A person entering into an agreement described in subsection (b)(3) incurs an active duty service obligation.

(2)(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the length of the obligation under paragraph (1) shall be determined under regulations prescribed by the Secretary.

(B)The regulations prescribed under subparagraph (A) may not provide for a period of obligation of less than one year for each maximum annual amount, or portion thereof, paid on behalf of the person for qualified loans.

(3)The active duty service obligation of persons on active duty before entering into the agreement shall be served after the conclusion of any other obligation incurred under the agreement.

(4)A service obligation under this section may be completed concurrently with a service obligation under section 3006 of this title.

(f)(1)An officer who is relieved of the officer’s active duty obligation under this section before the completion of that obligation may be given any alternative obligation, at the discretion of the Secretary.

(2)An officer who does not complete the period of active duty specified in the agreement entered into under subsection (b)(3), or the alternative obligation imposed under paragraph (1), shall be subject to the repayment provisions under section 3006 of this title.

(g)The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section, including—

(1)standards for qualified loans and authorized payees; and

(2)other terms and conditions for the making of loan repayments.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

33 U.S.C. § 3077

Title 33 — Navigation and Navigable Waters

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73