Teachers in the United States may be eligible to cancel part or all of their educational loans using one or more of the options below.
Stafford Loan Forgiveness
If you teach full-time for five full, consecutive academic years in elementary and secondary schools or educational service agencies that serve low-income families, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on your Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and your Subsidized and Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
If you have worked in public service for at least 10 years since October 1, 2007—and have made at least 120 payments towards the loan in question—you are eligible for forgiveness of all remaining dues on both the interest and principal amounts.
Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation for Teachers
You may be eligible for cancellation of up to 100% of a Federal Perkins Loan if you have served full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as a teacher in a school serving students from low-income families; or as a special education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities; or as a teacher in the fields of mathematics, science, foreign languages, or bilingual education, or in any other field of expertise determined by a state education agency to have a shortage of qualified teachers in that state.