Are you eligible for a student loan forgiveness program?
When you’re struggling with how to repay student loans, you may want to check your eligibility for a student loan forgiveness program. There are a number of student loan forgiveness programs available at the state and federal level – each program has its own eligibility requirements. A student loan forgiveness program is typically designed to encourage people graduating from college or graduate school to enter certain fields like teaching, community service, healthcare or the military. Recognizing that the earning potential in these careers is not as lucrative as the private sector, student loan forgiveness programs provide relief from student debt by forgiving some or all student loans.
If you think you might qualify for a student loan forgiveness program and want to learn more about eligibility requirements, consult the financial professionals at American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC). As a nonprofit organization, we provide free credit counseling and educational materials to help individuals and families pay off their debts — including student loans.
Learn more about a student loan forgiveness program at ACCC.
At ACCC, we are dedicated to providing resources that can help you take control of your finances and learn to live debt-free. When you contact us by phone or in person for a free credit counseling session, we’ll take time to get the full picture of your financial situation and document your income, expenses, and debts. Our counselors will then provide you with a personalized list of options based on your circumstances, which may include a student loan forgiveness program.
If you are not eligible for a student loan forgiveness program, our counselors can also recommend other ways to manage student loans, including:
- A new repayment plan, lowering your monthly payment to something that works better with your budget.
- Deferment and forbearance, enabling you to stop making payments on your student loans for a period of time. This option is usually available to borrowers facing economic hardship or entering the U.S. military.
- Student debt consolidation. When you consolidate student loan debt, you essentially take out one new loan at a low interest rate to pay off multiple older loans at higher interest rates, saving money and enabling you to pay off your debt more quickly or to lower monthly payments.
Eligibility for a federal student loan forgiveness program.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) is a federal student loan forgiveness program that enables borrowers who work for certain public service organizations to have the balance of their loans forgiven after having made 10 years of uninterrupted payments. Your ACCC credit counselor can help you review your potential eligibility for this student loan debt forgiveness program.
Learn more about a student loan forgiveness program at ACCC and access helpful tools and calculators, including a financial planning worksheet on our website.