Other Loan Assistance
You may have additional options for your student loans in certain situations. Take a look below and let us know if we can help in any way.
Bankruptcy
If you find yourself falling behind on your financial obligations, bankruptcy may be an option. This may not eliminate your student loan debt, however, as student loans are rarely discharged due to bankruptcy. If you have filed for or are currently in bankruptcy proceedings, your creditors are notified, including your student loan servicer, and the loan payments are then typically postponed by the servicer using a forbearance that makes no payments due at that time. Remember, if you find yourself in a situation where you are considering filing bankruptcy, or if you are simply having trouble paying, we have many repayment plans to fit your budget and ways to postpone payments. Let us know if we can help.
Disability Discharge
If you are unable to work because of a physical or mental condition, you may be able to get a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Discharge of your Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL), Perkins Loans, Direct Loans, or Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant service obligation. See if you may qualify and/or get your application at DisabilityDischarge.com.
Certain veterans may be considered totally and permanently disabled based on a different standard, and may apply for discharge through a separate process. Find out more.
If you have already applied for TPD Discharge and have a question about your existing application, three-year conditional discharge period, or three-year post-discharge monitoring period, you may contact Nelnet's TPD team at 888.303.7818 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Eastern) Monday–Friday.
Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program for Teachers
This program was created to encourage growth in the teaching profession. Under this program, if you teach full-time for five consecutive, complete academic years in certain schools that serve low-income families, you may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 of student loan principal and interest.
After you have completed the five-year teaching requirement, you can apply with your student loan servicer using the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application.
Search for your school in the Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
Get the full list of eligibility requirements for this forgiveness program at the Federal Student Aid website.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
If you work in public service, you may qualify for forgiveness of your remaining federal student loan balance after making 120 payments.
Eligible loans include Direct Stafford Loans (subsidized and unsubsidized), Direct PLUS Loans (for parents and graduate or professional students), and Direct Consolidation Loans. Your required 120 payments must be made under the Income-Based Repayment Plan, Income-Contingent Repayment Plan, or the Standard Repayment Plan.
If you think you may be eligible, you may apply using the Public Service Loan Forgiveness application. Find out more about Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
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