Student Loan Forgiveness: Programs for Relief and Forgiveness

Student Loan Forgiveness for Government & Nonprofit Workers

In certain situations, you can have your federal student loans forgiven, canceled, or discharged. That means you won’t have to pay back some or all of your loan(s). The most common course of action is through Public Service Loan Forgiveness. There are also programs for teachers, medical workers, members of the military, and other circumstances, and relief is available for people with permanent disability or whose colleges have closed.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

If you are enrolled in PSLF and have worked full time in public service (federal, state, local, tribal government or a nonprofit organization) for 10 years or more, you may be eligible to have all your student debt canceled.

As things stand now, any U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government agency is considered a government employer for the PSLF Program. This includes employers such as the U.S. military, public elementary and secondary schools, public colleges and universities, public child and family service agencies, and special governmental districts (including entities such as public transportation, water, bridge district, or housing authorities).

You can find out if you are eligible by using the PSLF Help Tool on the government website. It will help you learn what the next steps are if you qualify.

Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation

A Federal Perkins Loan delivered need-based aid to college students as part of the Federal Direct Student Loan Program. It ended in 2017, but Perkins loan forgiveness programs are available.

Perkins loan holders who work in a public service position, such as teacher, nurse, or firefighter, can have their student debt partially or fully erased after working in these approved public service jobs for five years and making qualifying payments.

For additional eligibility and application information, see How to Get Perkins Loan Forgiveness in 2026.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers

While the PSLF offers forgiveness for teachers, there is another program, Teacher Loan Forgiveness, that helps people repay their federal loans. Note: Borrowers usually can’t receive credit toward Teacher Loan Forgiveness and PSLF for the same period.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness

Highly qualified teachers may be able to get forgiveness of up to $17,500 on their Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and their Federal Stafford Loan. Under this program, if you teach full-time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency and meet other qualifications, you may be eligible for forgiveness.

For details on requirements and applications, see Explaining Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers.

Student Loan Repayment Assistance Programs for Teachers

Some states also offer repayment programs for teachers. The American Federation of Teachers’ database will let you see if your state or local government offers separate forgiveness options.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Nurses

Nurses can pursue different programs for forgiveness of their student loans.

NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program

Loan repayment is available to registered nurses (RN), nurse faculty (NF), and advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) through the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program. The program gives funding preference to those who need the most help financially.

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must have received your nursing education from an accredited school of nursing located in a U.S. state or territory. And you must work full time in an eligible Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) in a high-need area.

Requirements

If your application is accepted, you will receive 60% of your total outstanding, qualifying, nursing education loans over the course of two years. After your two-year service contract, you may be eligible for a third year and an additional 25% of your loans.

These funds are not exempt from federal income and employment taxes.

Application Process

Applications for the program can be found on the Nurse Corps website.

Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Nurses

In addition to the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program, loan holders can investigate the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP), another student loan forgiveness option offered through the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Full-time nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurse specialists, and nurse-midwives may be able to cancel up to $50,000 of both federal and private student loan debt through the program. Part-time nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives may receive up to $25,000 in loan forgiveness.

In exchange for loan forgiveness, you must commit to at least two years of service at an NHSC-approved facility.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Doctors & Health Care Professionals

Medical professionals and healthcare workers have access to some respected student loan forgiveness programs. Their role during the pandemic as frontline workers made helping them with their loans a priority. Some of these programs forgive loans, while others provide money to student loan borrowers in the form of a loan repayment program.

Among the programs that help health care workers with their loans are Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), the Perkins Loan Cancellation, and the NIH loan repayment programs (LRPs). For more on student loan forgiveness for doctors, read 8 Medical School Loan Forgiveness Programs for Doctors.

National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Assistance

Nurses are one category of worker getting student loan forgiveness from NHSC. Licensed primary-care clinicians in eligible disciplines can also receive loan repayment assistance through the NHSC Loan Repayment Program (NHSC LRP). In exchange for loan repayment, you must serve at least two years of service at an NHSC-approved site in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).

Student Loan Forgiveness for Lawyers

With the hefty tuition bills they shoulder, lawyers would be understandably delighted to discover they qualify for student loan forgiveness. One path to just that is Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), which provides tax-free forgiveness on federal direct loans to borrowers who work for public-service employers. As a lawyer, that means working full time for a government entity or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Perkins loan forgiveness is another path for full-time public or community defenders who can have 100% of these loans forgiven over five years of service. Many states also provide assistance to lawyers focused on public service.

Military Student Loan Forgiveness and Assistance

Members of the Armed Forces may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance of their Federal Direct Loans through Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). The HEROES Act Waiver allows a service member or someone on their behalf, such as their school, spouse, or other family member, to request an extension of the reduced payment amount on their income-driven repayment (IDR) plan.

For more, check out our Guide to Military Student Loan Forgiveness.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Volunteers

If you are a Peace Corps or AmeriCorps volunteer, you may qualify for loan forgiveness. AmeriCorps Volunteers in Service to America focuses on alleviating poverty through partnerships with government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Participants in AmeriCorps VISTA, who perform tasks such as fundraising and grant writing, must commit to a one-year term of full-time service and may serve for up to five years in total.

After completing their service requirement, volunteers are eligible for the Segal Education Award or a cash stipend of $1,800, in which case the volunteer also may be eligible for up to 15% cancellation of certain kinds of student loans.

Student Loan Repayment Assistance from your Employer

Many employers subsidize their workers’ repayment of student loans as a benefit. The Internal Revenue Service says that in most cases, educational benefits are excluded from federal income tax withholding, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, and federal employment (FUTA) tax.

Tax-free benefits under an employer’s education assistance program are capped at $5,250 per employee per year. This limit applies to the total of all qualified assistance, which can include tuition, fees, books, supplies, and through December 31, 2025, student loan principal and interest payments. Any amount received over the $5,250 limit is generally considered taxable income and is subject to federal, state, and local taxes.

Ask your manager if they have a student loan repayment benefit.

💡 Quick Tip: Refinancing could be a great choice for working graduates who have higher-interest graduate PLUS loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans, and/or private loans.

Student Loan Discharge for Special Circumstances

Federal student loans can be discharged for various other reasons. To learn about the details of the circumstances, go to the FSA website. The common reasons are:

•   Total and permanent disability (TPD)

•   Death of the borrower

•   School closure while the borrower was enrolled or shortly after withdrawal

•   False certification by the school of the borrower’s eligibility or identity theft

•   Approved borrower defense to repayment claims where the school engaged in misconduct or defrauded the student

State-Based Student Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs)

Along with the student loan forgiveness options provided by the federal government — which are available to anyone anywhere in the U.S. — individual states have their own debt cancellation programs. All 50 states and the District of Columbia reportedly offer at least one student loan forgiveness program.

For more information on programs in California, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas, read 8 States That Will Help Pay Off Student Loans.

For other states, search your state name and “student loan repayment assistance.”

Student Loan Forgiveness for Private Education Debt

Most lenders of private student loans do not offer forgiveness for debt owed. The exceptions are permanent disability and death. However, in some cases, the debt may be inherited by the surviving spouse or by a cosigner. It’s important to check your policy.

Some lenders do make individual arrangements if you contact them and make a case for severe reduction of income. Reach out to your lender to find out if any accommodation can be made or if student loan refinancing would help.

Student Loan Forgiveness Scams

Unfortunately, student loan forgiveness scams exist. Some clues include promises of immediate forgiveness, claims that programs are “first come, first served,” asking for a fee to process your payment, or for your bank or personal information upfront.

The Takeaway

Federal student loan forgiveness or loan reduction is available based on the borrower’s employment in public service or insufficient income to make payments. The types of programs have changed quite a bit over the last five years, and in July 2026, the Education Department will introduce a totally new income-driven repayment plan.

Looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Refinancing may be one way to do it — by extending your loan term, getting a lower interest rate than what you currently have, or both. (Please note that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal forgiveness and protections. Also, lengthening your loan term may mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.) SoFi student loan refinancing offers flexible terms that fit your budget.