Loan Forgiveness and Discharge
See if you qualify to have your loan debt reduced or eliminated, depending on your professional or personal situation.
Program | You may qualify if… | How it works… |
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Teacher Loan Forgiveness | Your loans were disbursed after 10/1/1998 and you teach full-time for 5 consecutive and complete academic years at a Title I school or educational service agency that appears on the Department of Education's Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. | Forgives part or all of your educational loan debt, provided you fulfill certain work-related requirements |
Loan Discharge | Your school:
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Dismisses your monthly loan payments and refunds payments you have already made |
Total and Permanent Disability |
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Cancels your obligation to repay the balance of your student loans |
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) |
There are additional eligibility requirements which can be found on Federal Student Aid’s website. For more information about the PSLF program, to check if your employer qualifies, and to learn about any necessary steps you need to take, please visit StudentAid.gov/PSLF. On October 25, 2022, ED confirmed periods that are qualifying under the IDR waiver opportunity will count toward PSLF provided the borrower certifies qualifying employment during those periods. Due to this adjustment, if you have federally managed FFELP and Direct loans, your loans could start being forgiven in spring 2023 if they reach the number of months required for forgiveness under the IDR or PSLF programs. All other adjustments under this limited opportunity will be completed on eligible loans in 2024. Commercially held FFELP loans may qualify, but only if you consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan by the end of 2023. For more information, please visit StudentAid.gov. |
Forgives the remainder of your Direct Student Loan balance after you make 120 qualifying payments under an eligible repayment plan, while employed full-time for a qualifying public service-organization |
Death |
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Dismisses your monthly loan payments and the remainder of your loan |