Office of Student Aid : Loans : Loan Forgiveness

Loan forgiveness programs are typically designed to encourage students to pursue educational goals that will lead to employment in certain occupations. Under certain circumstances, the federal or state government may cancel or "forgive" all or part of an educational loan.

To qualify for loan forgiveness, student loan borrowers must fulfill specific work-related requirements (i.e., teach in a school serving low income families, perform volunteer work, or complete military service).

The amount of loan forgiveness varies depending on the specific guidelines of each program.

In most cases, loan forgiveness is applicable only to federal student loans (i.e., Federal Direct Stafford and Perkins Loans).

To learn about the specific requirements of various loan forgiveness programs access:

PHEAA--Pennsylvania loan forgiveness programs for those employed in:

• Nursing
• Early Childhood Education
• Agriculture
• Armed Forces

AES Success--federal loan forgiveness programs in:

• Child Care
• Teaching
• Armed Forces

FinAid--loan forgiveness programs for those involved in volunteer work, military service, and teaching.

Penn State Office of Student Loans and Scholarships--for cancellation (i.e., forgiveness) information on Federal Perkins and University Student Loans.