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Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers: What Are My Options?

There are several programs that offer student loan forgiveness for teachers, including the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

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By Christy Bieber

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Christy Bieber

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Christy Bieber has been working full-time as a freelance writer since 2008. She has written blogs, news articles, textbooks, and online courses on the topics of law, finance, and history. She lives with her husband, two children, and beagle.

Edited by Renee Fleck

Written by

Renee Fleck

Editor

Renee Fleck is a student loans editor with over five years of experience in digital content editing. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Morning Brew, and Sidebar.io, among other online publications. She is fluent in Spanish and French and enjoys traveling to new places.

Updated January 8, 2024

Editorial disclosure: Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances.

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Credible takeaways

  • Eligible teachers can take advantage of several loan forgiveness programs offered by the government and state. 
  • If you have federal Direct Loans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness may be the fastest path to loan cancellation.
  • Consider Teacher Loan Forgiveness if you don’t have a large amount of federal debt and want to get forgiveness quicker. 
  • Check your state’s Department of Education website to find state-based forgiveness programs for teachers.

If you’re a teacher, you may be eligible to get some or all of your student debt forgiven thanks to several federal and state programs: Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF), Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), Perkins Loan cancellation, or state-based repayment assistance. Each of these options come with their own eligibility requirements and paths to debt cancellation. 

In this guide, explore all of your options for student loan forgiveness for teachers and get tips for choosing the right one.

1. Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF)

The Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) program allows you to get up to $17,500 in eligible student loans forgiven after five consecutive years of teaching at a low-income school or educational service agency. 

The full $17,500 in forgiveness is available only to highly qualified special education teachers or teachers who teach secondary-level mathematics or science. Highly qualified teachers who teach outside of math, science, or special education may still receive up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness. 

To be considered highly qualified, you must have earned at least a bachelor's degree and received full state certification with no provisional or emergency waivers of requirements.

  • Best for: Teachers who don’t have substantial debt
  • Who qualifies: Teachers who work for five consecutive years in a low-income school or service agency. At least one of these years must have been after the 1997-98 academic year.
  • Eligible loans: Federal Direct Loans or Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL). You must not have had an outstanding balance on these loans as of Oct. 1, 1998. Loans must have been made before the end of your five teaching years.
  • Forgiveness amount: Up to $17,500 
  • How to apply: Submit the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application to your loan servicer after your five consecutive years of service.

2. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is available to borrowers who work for the government or eligible nonprofits. Most full-time teachers at public or private elementary or secondary schools qualify for PSLF.

Under this program, you can get your remaining student loan balance forgiven after making 120 qualifying payments under an income-driven repayment plan. A qualifying payment means you made the payment in full while working full-time for a qualified employer, or during accepted periods of deferment or forbearance.

  • Best for: Teachers with high student loan debt who are on an income-driven plan
  • Who qualifies: Teachers who work full-time at public or nonprofit schools or government agencies for at least 10 years 
  • Eligible loans: Federal Direct Loans or a Direct Consolidation Loan
  • Forgiveness amount: Any remaining balance on your eligible federal loans after making 120 qualifying payments 
  • How to apply: Use the PSLF Help Tool to submit your application and certify your employment each year.
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Note:

If you qualified for PSLF during the COVID-19 payment pause, you can still receive credit toward forgiveness for these months, even if you didn’t make any payments. You must certify your employment for the payment pause period to receive this credit.

3. Perkins Loan cancellation

Eligible teachers and educators can have up to 100% of their Federal Perkins Loans forgiven under the Perkins Loan cancellation program. To be eligible, you must either: 

  • Teach at a low-income school
  • Teach math, science, foreign language, bilingual education, or special education
  • Teach in a subject that has a shortage of qualified teachers, as determined by your school

Both private and public schools qualify, if the school provides elementary or secondary education in accordance with state law and it has established eligible nonprofit status. 

The amount of your debt that will be forgiven depends on your years of service. You can have 15% of your Perkins Loans canceled each year during your first and second years of service, 20% canceled during the third and fourth years, and 30% canceled during the fifth year. The forgiven amount includes the interest accrued each year. 

  • Best for: Teachers with Perkins Loans 
  • Who qualifies: Borrowers who teach in a low-income school or who teach math, science, foreign languages, bilingual or special education, or any subject with a shortage of qualified teachers
  • Forgiveness amount: Up to 100% of your Perkins Loan amount
  • How to apply: Contact the school you attended when you obtained your Perkins Loans. 

4. State-based forgiveness programs

Many states offer loan repayment assistance programs that may help teachers pay off some or all of their student debt. Each program has its own eligibility requirements, but they generally require teachers to work for a certain number of years in a rural location or district experiencing a teacher shortage. 

As an example, the New York State Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program awards up to $5,000 per year in repayment assistance to teachers who serve in hard-to-staff districts or in subject-shortage areas. Under the Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program, you can get up to $2,500 per year in student loan repayment per year for up to five years if you’re an educator serving an area with a teacher shortage. 

  • Best for: Teachers whose state offers a loan repayment program for educators
  • Who qualifies: Varies by state
  • Eligible loans: Varies, but often federal and private student loans qualify
  • Forgiveness amount: Varies by state
  • How to apply: Check with your state's Department of Education or ask your employer for more information about programs in your area. 

How to choose the right forgiveness program

In some cases, you may qualify for multiple federal loan forgiveness programs such as PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness. Since you can’t count the same years of service toward both programs, it’s generally recommended you pursue only one at a time. 

When you need to make a choice, here's how to decide which loan forgiveness program is right for you:

  • Consider your overall savings. You might be able to get more of your debt forgiven by working toward PSLF compared to TLF. This is because PSLF wipes away your total remaining loan balance while TLF caps forgiveness at $5,000 or $17,500, depending on your eligibility. 
  • Check eligibility requirements. It's important to know exactly what the rules are for each forgiveness program you’re considering. You don't want to work toward fulfilling a service commitment, only to find out you don't actually qualify for the full forgiveness amount because of the subject you teach or the school where you work. 
  • Check if your loans are eligible. Some programs, such as Perkins Loan cancellation, are available only for specific kinds of federal student debt. 

Check out: How To Get Student Loan Forgiveness

What if I have private student loans? 

Unfortunately, private student loans are not eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs. Depending on the state you live in, loan repayment assistance programs may be available to teachers with private student loans. Check with your state’s Department of Education to see what your options are. 

If you have private student loans, you may be able to make your debt repayment cheaper by refinancing student debt. Refinancing allows you to replace your existing student loans with a new one, usually with a lower interest rate or better terms. But take caution before refinancing any federal loans since doing so would mean losing access to forgiveness programs like PSLF or income-driven forgiveness.

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Meet the expert:
Christy Bieber

Christy Bieber has been working full-time as a freelance writer since 2008. She has written blogs, news articles, textbooks, and online courses on the topics of law, finance, and history. She lives with her husband, two children, and beagle.