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Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
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Eligibility Requirements
The following are general eligibility requirements for all borrowers seeking teacher loan forgiveness:
- You must not have had an outstanding balance on a Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) or Federal Direct Loan Program (FDLP) loan as of October 1, 1998, or on the date you obtained a FFELP or FDLP loan after October 1, 1998.
- You must have been employed as a full-time teacher for five consecutive, complete academic years at an eligible school. An eligible school is considered "low-income" according to certain criteria for funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and is listed in the Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits. More than 30 percent of an eligible school's enrolled students must qualify for services provided under Title I. To see a list of eligible schools, go to http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/
students/english/cancelstaff.jsp?tab=repaying. Please note that all schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are considered low-income schools for teacher loan forgiveness purposes.- If the school where you performed your teaching service meets the criteria of an eligible school for any year of your employment, that year and all subsequent years of service at that school continue to qualify you for forgiveness — even if the school is no longer eligible.
- However, if the school where you performed your teaching service meets the criteria of an eligible school after you have started your service, you will not gain any retroactive qualifying teaching service for previous years of employment at that school.
- You must have performed at least one of your five years of qualifying service after the 1997-98 academic year.
- The loan for which you are seeking forgiveness must have been made before the end of the fifth year of your qualifying teaching service.
- If you are seeking loan forgiveness for a defaulted loan, you must make satisfactory repayment arrangements to re-establish your Title IV aid eligibility. Call TG at (800) 222-6297 for more details.
- You may not receive both teacher loan forgiveness and an AmeriCorps benefit for the same teaching service.
- You may not receive more than a total of $5,000 ($17,500 for certain highly qualified secondary math and science teachers, and elementary and secondary special education teachers) in loan forgiveness for outstanding principal and accrued interest for the same teaching service under both the FFELP and the FDLP.
In addition to meeting these general eligibility requirements, in order to qualify for forgiveness benefits, you must also obtain certification from your school's chief administrative officer (usually your principal, assistant principal, or district superintendent) that you meet the requirements outlined in one of the following charts. Each chart provides the maximum amount of loan forgiveness for which borrowers meeting each set of requirements are eligible.
To qualify for up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness
If your qualifying teaching service began before October 30, 2004, you must have met one of the following criteria:
- If you performed your teaching service at an eligible elementary school, you demonstrated knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the school's curriculum.
- If you performed your teaching service at an eligible secondary school, you taught in a subject area that is relevant to your academic major.
- During your qualifying teaching service as a public school teacher* at an eligible elementary or secondary school, you met the definition of "highly qualified" as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
If your qualifying teaching service began on or after October 30, 2004, and you performed your teaching service as a public school teacher* at an eligible elementary or secondary school, you must have met the definition of "highly qualified" as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
If you have already received $5,000 in forgiveness, to qualify for up to an additional $12,500 in loan forgiveness
You must have met both of the following criteria for five consecutive, complete academic years of your teaching service:
- If you performed your qualifying teaching service as a public school teacher* at an eligible elementary or secondary school, you must have met the definition of “highly qualified” as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
- You must have either:
- Been employed as a mathematics or science teacher at an eligible secondary school.
- Been employed as a special education teacher whose primary responsibility was to provide special education to children with disabilities at an eligible elementary or secondary school. In addition, if you are a special education teacher, you must have taught children with disabilities that correspond to your special education training.
To qualify for up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness
You must have met both of the following criteria for five consecutive, complete academic years of your teaching service:
- If you performed your qualifying teaching service as a public school teacher* at an eligible elementary or secondary school, you must have met the definition of “highly qualified” as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
- You must have either:
- Been employed as a mathematics or science teacher at an eligible secondary school.
- Been employed as a special education teacher whose primary responsibility was to provide special education to children with disabilities at an eligible elementary or secondary school. In addition, if you are a special education teacher, you must teach children with disabilities that correspond to your special education training.
* If you performed your qualifying teaching service as a private school teacher at an eligible non-profit, private elementary or secondary school, contact TG customer assistance at (800) 845-6267 for more information about alternative qualifying eligibility criteria that may apply to you.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Forms
Teacher Loan Forgiveness-Qualifying Schools
Are you teaching at a low-income school that may qualify you for Teacher Loan Forgiveness? Find out here!
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