Can My Student Loans Be Forgiven or Cancelled?
You may qualify for loan forgiveness if you:
Perform volunteer work:
Americorps:
By volunteering with Americorps you may qualify for an educational award to be paid towards your tuition or loans. You may also receive a modest living allowance while completing your term of service. For more information visit www.americorps.gov.
Peace Corps:
Volunteers in the Peace Corps may be able to defer payment on Federal loans while performing service. For more information visit www.peacecorps.gov.
Join the Army National Guard:
For Soldiers and officers who have an existing student loan obligation at the time of enlistment in the Guard, the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) may pay up to $50,000 for certain jobs, with a six- or eight-year enlistment as a member of a unit. Current Guard members who extend their enlistment contract for a minimum period of six years may also be eligible for this program, provided they meet certain requirements. For more information visit www.nationalguard.com.
Enter into a medical profession:
These programs offer loan forgiveness to physicians and registered nurses who agree to practice for a set number of years in areas that lack adequate medical care:
The National Health Service Corps: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/
The Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program
Teach in certain areas:
Some Federal loans can be cancelled for full-time service as a teacher in a designated elementary or secondary school serving students from low-income families, special education teacher, qualified professional provider of early intervention services for the disabled, teacher of math, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, or other fields designated as teacher shortage areas, employee of a public or non-profit child or family service agency providing services to high-risk children and their families from low-income communities, nurse or medical technician, law enforcement or corrections officer, staff member in the educational component of a Head Start Program. For more information visit the Federal Student Aid teacher loan forgiveness page.
Are employed in a public service position:
The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 established a new public service loan forgiveness program. This program discharges any remaining debt after 10 years of full-time employment in public service. The borrower must have made 120 payments as part of the Direct Loan program in order to obtain this benefit. For more information, visit the Federal Student Aid public service loan page.