A bill approved by the Kansas Legislature and recently signed into law by Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius will benefit veterinary students and rural Kansas communities, according to Ralph Richardson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University (K-State).

The law establishes the “Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas” at K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

The program will provide opportunities and incentives for students pursuing a veterinary medicine degree at K-State to locate their veterinary practice in rural Kansas communities and serve the livestock industry after they graduate, Richardson said.

A maximum of five students can be enrolled in the program each year, starting in their first year of veterinary college. Each student will receive $20,000 a year for up to four years, to cover tuition and training expenses. In turn, the students will practice veterinary medicine full time in any county in Kansas that has a population of 35,000 or less. The amount of loan forgiveness is determined by how much assistance was received. For each $20,000 a student receives, they will be required to spend a year working in the rural community