Who It’s For: People who have worked full-time in a qualifying public service job for at least ten years while simultaneously making qualifying monthly payments. How to Apply: Sign up for a qualifying payment plan; in most cases this means…
Who It’s For: People who work in various public service jobs, such as teaching, nursing, or law enforcement. You can find a list of possible qualifying jobs here. How to Apply: Contact your school or, if applicable, your school’s Perkins…
Who It’s For: Borrowers who sign up for one of the income-driven payment plans (such as income-based repayment, income-contingent repayment, Pay As You Earn, or REPAYE) and make eligible on-time payments for an extended period of time. This usually means…
Who It’s For: People who are medically unable to work for the foreseeable future (at least five years). How to Apply: You can apply online at www.disabilitydischarge.com. What Loans Qualify: Any federal student loan. How Much?: This discharges the full…
Who It’s For: Deceased borrowers, or the borrower of a Parent PLUS loan that benefits a deceased student. How to Apply: Send proof of death to the servicer on the loan in question. What Loans Qualify: Any federal student loan.…
Who It’s For: People who have declared Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, and whose loans have been deemed an “undue hardship” by the bankruptcy court. How to Apply: You need to file an “adversary proceeding” in bankruptcy court to…
Who It’s For: Students whose school closed down while they were still/recently attending, keeping you from completing your course of study. How to Apply: Fill out the closed school discharge form and send it to your loan servicer. What Loans…
Who It’s For: Students who were given loans for higher education despite failure to provide any proof they were prepared to begin their college studies, such as a high school diploma or GED. How to Apply: Fill out the false…
Who It’s For: Students who attended school for a course of study that they could not benefit from due to a pre-existing status or condition, which the school was aware of when they accepted the loan. (For example: if a…
Who It’s For: Victims of identity theft who did not fill out the paperwork to authorize the loans in the first place. How to Apply: Fill out the false certification discharge application and send it to your servicer. You may…
Borrower Defense to Loan Repayment Who It’s For: Students who can demonstrate that their school willfully misled them or otherwise violated certain state laws in order to trick them into attending. How to Apply: Either apply online or fill out…
Who It’s For: Highly qualified federal employees, at the discretion of their employing agency. How to Apply: Contact your federal employer to find out if you are eligible for this program. If so, you will need to agree to a…
Who It’s For: AmeriCorps participants who have completed an approved term of service. How to Apply: You should be able to access the award through the My AmeriCorps Portal. What Loans Qualify: Most federal loans and state-funded loans, although Parent…
Who It’s For: Veterinarians who serve in a veterinarian shortage area for a period of three years. How to Apply: You can visit the program’s page for applicants here. What Loans Qualify: Most loans can qualify for this, whether federal,…
Who It’s For: Students who withdrew from a course of study early enough that they were entitled to a refund on some amount of their federal loans, but who never received the refund in question. How to Apply: Fill out…
Who It’s For: Full-time teachers who have worked for a public school in a low-income area for five consecutive years. How to Apply: Fill out a TLF application and send it to your servicer. Please note that Section 5 must…