How To Get My Student Loans Forgiven; Guide To Loan Forgiveness Programs

Here is the ultimate guide for you to answer all your student loan questions! Are you wondering how to have your student loans forgiven? Well, read ahead and find out!

The one question that keeps coming up on the internet is how to get my student loans forgiven. It comes off as no surprise because, in this time and age, it gets rather difficult to cope with debts, loans, and other payments.

With our detailed guide below, you will be able to find out will student loans ever be forgiven, figure out how to get your student loans forgiven, and a lot more.

Let’s dive into it.

What Are Student Loans?

Student loans are a type of loan payment created so that full-time students can obtain it and pay off their education-related expenses. It covers their books, dorm room fees, supplies, and other such costs. A student loan is for post-secondary educational expenses.

These loans are a convenient facility provided, but an individual has to keep paying them off the years. When these loans stretch out for an extended period, the interest rate increases gradually and make it a huge struggle to pay them. Hence, this is why a lot of people have been asking how to get my student loan forgiveness.

What Is Student Loan Forgiveness?

There have been a lot of queries relating to how to get my student loan forgiveness. But, before jump into student loan forgiveness plans, here’s an overview of what student loan forgiveness is.

With the help of Student Loan Forgiveness Programs, you can opt for a scheme that can help you get rid of your loan amount. You can get a deal where you lessen the amount and pay partial, or you can be forgiven entirely as well. It sounds like a great deal for all those people who are wondering how to have your student loans forgiven, but it is not as easy as it seems!

There is an eligibility criterion that one has to fulfill to be able to avail of the forgiveness. More than often, you can have it if you work in the public sector.

There are also various types of student loans given. You can either get a federal student loan or a private one. Here’s what federal student loans are and how to get federal student loans forgiven.

What Are Federal Student Loans?

There is a Federal Direct Loan Program in which the federal government offers a few different types of loans. People choose these loans because there are lots of repayment and interest rate related features that one might not get in private investment.

The good thing about federal loans is that the eligibility criteria for obtaining it aren’t hard to complete. As a result, most of the people can get it. It is also smart to apply for this loan as soon as you can because it is given on a first-come, first-serve basis.

There are also some ways to get it forgiven. Here are a few tips on how to get federal student loans forgiven

How To Get Federal Student Loans Forgiven

Those with federal student loans can choose the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Plan (PSLF). Only people who have a federal loan can select this plan. People on a private student loan cannot obtain this forgiveness plan. It is also a lit tricker to get because of the qualification criteria.

For an individual to get a PSLF plan, it is mandatory for the person applying to fulfill any one of the qualifications given below.

  • An individual must be working a public service job to attain this forgiveness plan.
  • An individual must be working full-time at a said public service job, i.e., at least 30 hours per week.
  • One must be on a repayment plan that stretches their payments for around ten years or more.
  • To get PSLF, they must make 120 payments for the plan.

How To Get My Student Loan Forgiveness

Through Career Choices

The easiest way to obtain student loan forgiveness is by choosing a career path that supports it. There are a few career paths that are when chosen will make you eligible to qualify for the student loan forgiveness.

1.Teacher Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Moving on, you can also opt for the teacher loan forgiveness program. As the name indicates, to get this loan forgiveness, one must teach in a school; furthermore, there are some more requirements.
An individual has to teach in a low-income educational institute for five consecutive years to get this loan. It is important to note that some amount of the loan will get deducted. It allows you to get around $17,000 off your loan amount. Will student loans be forgiven in 2020? We don’t know yet, but this is a sure-shot way to get some amount forgiven.

2.Attorney Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Another career that gets a student loan forgiveness is an attorney working in the US Department of Justice. These loans are not always guaranteed, though, and depend on the availability of funds. If chosen, the government pays the loan amount directly to the loan holder, and the borrower doesn’t get involved in the process.

3.Navy Student Loan forgiveness Program

This program is for all those individuals who are in the Naval services. One can sign up for this program right at the time of their recruitment—the loan repayment works in three annual payments during the first three years of the sailor’s service. With the help of the Navy Student Loan Forgiveness program, one can get around $65,000 forgiven from their student loan.

4.National Guard Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Moving on, getting chosen for the National Guard also helps you get rid of some of your student loans. Similar to the Naval scheme, this one too doesn’t completely clear your dues, but it does help in getting a lot of it forgiven.
Among the various conditions, the most crucial one is that an individual must enroll in the national guard for at least six years to be able to avail of this program.

5.Librarian

Since the job of a librarian comes in public service jobs, hence a librarian is also entitled to get entirely off on student loan programs. It is necessary to have a master’s degree, though. One can also be a librarian in underpaying elementary or secondary schools. Librarians are entitled to 100% off on their student loans with the help of student loan forgiveness programs.

There are many other public jobs, such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, etc. These can also help you avail federal student loan forgiveness.

Through Volunteer Work

Doing volunteer work for  AmeriCorps NCCC, National, or AmeriCorps VISTA for at least 12 months also makes you eligible for the student loan forgiveness plan. Even if this isn’t a career path, but if the volunteer work turns into a full-time job, then there are benefits for them as well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, student loan forgiveness programs are an excellent way to lessen the financial burden of a lot of individuals, but it has its drawbacks as well.

A majority of people will not be able to fulfill the criteria for the qualification of a student loan forgiveness plan. Even if one ends up qualifying for it, the process can take ages to go through.

It would be a wise move for students to take a look at their finances before they get expensive student loans. One should not take a mortgage on the hopes that they will get it forgiven. The future of student loan forgiveness is precarious.

Majorly depending on the politicians in power, it can be a risky game to play. The question of will student loans ever be forgiven shall remain a mystery for a while. Until then, stay precautious.

Charles Bains

Charles Bains

Charles Bains started his insurance career as a marketing intern before pounding the pavement as a commercial lines agent in Orlando, FL. As an industry journalist, his articles have appeared in a variety of trade publications. His insurance television career, short-lived but glorious, once saw him serve as the expert adviser on an insurance-themed infomercial (yes, you read that correctly). Having recently worked for various organizations, coupled with his broader insurance knowledge, Charles is able to understand our client’s needs and guide them accordingly. He is a gem for Insurance Noon as his wide area of expertise and experience have been beneficial in conducting further researches to come up with solutions and writing them in a manner which is easy for everyone including beginners to comprehend.