How to Get Perkins Loan Forgiveness in 2025

By Melissa Brock. January 17, 2025 · 6 minute read

This content may include information about products, features, and/or services that SoFi does not provide and is intended to be educational in nature.

How to Get Perkins Loan Forgiveness in 2025

Borrowers with Perkins Student Loans may be eligible for forgiveness. Although the Federal Perkins Loan Program was discontinued in 2017, forgiveness is still an option for qualifying individuals who are repaying these loans.

Read on to learn the details about Perkins loan forgiveness, the eligibility requirements, and how to apply.

Key Points

•   Perkins loan forgiveness may partially or fully cancel Perkins student loan debt for those who work full-time in public service.

•   Qualifying roles include certain teaching, law enforcement, and health care jobs, each with specific requirements.

•   Perkins forgiveness is granted incrementally — typically, 15% in the first two years, 20% in the third and fourth years, and 30% in the fifth year.

•   To apply for forgiveness, contact your school or loan servicer for application forms and detailed instructions.

•   Those not eligible for Perkins forgiveness may consider alternatives like Federal Direct Loan Consolidation, income-driven repayment plans, or refinancing student loans.

How Does Perkins Loan Forgiveness Work?

Through Perkins loans forgiveness, your Perkins loan debt could be partially or fully canceled. You may qualify for forgiveness by working full-time in a public service job, such as military service, law enforcement, or education.

Once a Perkins loan borrower applies and is approved for student loan forgiveness, they will no longer be required to repay some or all of their loans. However, federal Perkins loan forgiveness doesn’t happen all at once. Instead, forgiveness happens in percentage increments that increase over time (see more on that below).

What Are Perkins Loans?

Perkins loans are subsidized low-interest federal student loans for undergraduate and graduate students who have exceptional financial need. Under the Perkins loan program, undergraduate students could borrow $5,500 per year with a cumulative maximum of $27,500, while graduate or professional students could take out $8,000 annually with a cumulative maximum of $60,000.

Perkins loans have a fixed federal student loan interest rate of 5.00%. Because the loans are subsidized, the government covers the interest that accrues on Perkins loans while borrowers are in school. Repayment for Perkins loans begins nine months after a student graduates, leaves school, or drops below half-time status.

As noted, the Perkins Loan program ended in 2017, when Congress did not renew it. The federal government allowed final Perkins loan disbursements through June 30, 2018.

Who Qualifies for Perkins Loan Forgiveness?

You may be eligible for Perkins loan forgiveness if you work full-time in a public service role. Jobs that may qualify a borrower for forgiveness include:

•   Elementary or secondary teacher in a low-income district or service agency in a teacher-shortage area

•   Special education teacher at a public or nonprofit school

•   Preschool or prekindergarten teacher

•   Law enforcement officer or correctional officer

•   First responder

•   Attorney for a federal public or community defender organization

•   AmeriCorps, VISTA, or Peace Corps volunteer

•   Member of the U.S. Armed Forces

•   Health care worker such as a nurse or medical technician

For each job, there are a number of requirements that need to be met to qualify for federal Perkins loan forgiveness, including the number of years worked, and in some cases, the year you started. Some Perkins loan holders may have as much as 100% of their Perkins loans forgiven after five years in a public service job.

Borrowers who are not eligible for Perkins student loan forgiveness might be able to have their Perkins student loans discharged in certain circumstances. For instance, you may qualify for total and immediate cancellation of your Perkins loans in the following situations:

•   Your school closed while you were attending it

•   Bankruptcy

•   Total and permanent disability

•   Death

If any of these circumstances apply to your situation, contact your school’s financial aid office or loan servicer about getting a loan discharge.

How to Apply for Perkins Loan Forgiveness

To apply for Perkins student loan forgiveness, contact the school that originally issued your Perkins loans or your loan servicer to get the application forms. Your school or loan servicer can also give you specific instructions on how to apply.

As part of the application process, be aware that you will need to show proof that you work in a qualifying public service job.

What Happens If You’re Approved for Perkins Loan Forgiveness?

If you’re approved for Perkins loan forgiveness, you will likely receive forgiveness for your loans in increasing percentages. For example, if you are eligible for 100% forgiveness, your debt will typically be forgiven in these years and increments:

•   First and second years of qualifying employment: 15% of the loan amount

•   Third and fourth years of of qualifying employment: 20% of the loan amount

•   Fifth year of qualifying employment: Final 30% of the loan amount

Recommended: Are Forgiven Student Loans Taxed?

What to Do If You Don’t Qualify for Perkins Loan Forgiveness

If you aren’t eligible for Perkins student loan forgiveness, there are other options that can help you manage or lower your student loan payments. Methods to consider include:

Federal Direct Consolidation Loan

With a Direct Consolidation loan, you can combine one or more federal student loans, including Perkins loans, into a new loan to lower your monthly payment amount and access federal forgiveness programs, including Public Service Loan Forgiveness. After consolidation, you’ll have one loan with a fixed interest rate, which may be easier to manage.

Income-Driven Repayment Plans

Income-driven repayment (IDR) plans base your federal loan payments on your discretionary income and family size. This often results in a lower monthly loan payment. Under an IDR plan, you could qualify for forgiveness of your remaining debt after 20 or 25 years.

Perkins loans are not eligible for IDR plans, but if you consolidate them with a Direct Consolidation Loan, you can enroll in an IDR plan.

Student Loan Refinancing

Refinancing student loans allows you to replace your old loans with a new private loan, ideally one that has a lower interest rate and more favorable terms.

Borrowers interested in refinancing student loans to save money should compare lenders and offers to choose the best one for their situation. Also, be aware that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal benefits like income-driven repayment.

A student loan refinancing calculator can help you decide whether refinancing makes financial sense for you.

Recommended: Student Loan Refinancing Guide

The Takeaway

Borrowers with Perkins loans may qualify for forgiveness if they are employed full-time in a qualifying public service job. They might get up to 100% of their loan amount forgiven.

Those who are not eligible for Perkins forgiveness may be able to have their Perkins loans fully discharged in certain situations, such as bankruptcy or if their school closed before they could earn their degree.

However, these aren’t the only options to help borrowers tackle student loan debt. You can also explore methods that could help lower your monthly loan payments, such as an income-driven repayment plan, a Federal Direct Consolidation Loan, or student loan refinancing.

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.

With SoFi, refinancing is fast, easy, and all online. We offer competitive fixed and variable rates.


Photo credit: iStock/designer491

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan Refinance Loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.


SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.


Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.

Non affiliation: SoFi isn’t affiliated with any of the companies highlighted in this article.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SOSLR-Q424-017

TLS 1.2 Encrypted
Equal Housing Lender