Teachers who are full time and work five (5) consecutive years in certain schools that serve low income families are eligible to erase $5,000.00 of their federal student loans.
Math or Science teachers in eligible secondary schools and special education teachers in eligible elementary or secondary schools are allowed to erase up to $17,500.00 of their student loans in return for five (5) consecutive years of employment in certain schools that serve low income families.
The Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program under the FFEL Program and the Direct Loan Program apply only to borrowers with no outstanding loan balances as of October 1, 1998, or later.
FFEL and Direct Loan borrowers are not eligible for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program if their loans are in default status. If a borrower is in default status, it is imperative that they get out of default status by taking advantage of the Income Based Repayment (IBR) Program in order to establish their eligibility to participate in the loan forgiveness program.
It is important to note that teachers can take advantage of multiple loan forgiveness programs simultaneously. For example, teachers can apply for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program and the Public Service Forgiveness Program at the same time.