Student loan forgiveness programs can erase some or all of your student loan debt. There are more than a dozen programs available, some of which have niche requirements, like working for a specific type of employer. Others, like income-driven repayment plans, are open to most borrowers with federal student loans.
Below are 14 programs, including student loan forgiveness, repayment assistance and discharge programs available in 2026. Check their requirements — plus other paths to relief.
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Federal student loan forgiveness programs
The U.S. government offers forgiveness options for federal student loan borrowers. These programs typically target borrowers with lower incomes, large amounts of debt or public service jobs.
1. Income-driven repayment forgiveness
The federal government offers several income-driven repayment (IDR) plans, which typically allow you to cap your loan payments at a percentage of your monthly discretionary income. Payments can be as low as $0 per month.
The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan ended in 2026, and the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plans will be phased out in July 2028.
The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan ended in 2026, and the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plans will be phased out in July 2028.
When enrolled in one of these plans, your remaining loan balance may be eligible for forgiveness in 20 to 30 years, depending on the plan and the type of student loans you have. These plans are most beneficial for those with large loan balances relative to their income.
Note that Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” created a new income-based Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) that uses gross income, rather than discretionary income, to calculate payments and offers forgiveness after 30 years.
How to get IDR forgiveness: Apply online at StudentAid.gov/IDR, or contact your student loan servicer for personalized guidance.
2. Public Service Loan Forgiveness
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) is available to government and qualifying nonprofit employees with federal student loans. Eligible borrowers must make 120 qualifying payments while working full time in public service for ten years. After meeting those requirements, their remaining loan balance can be forgiven tax-free.
How to get PSLF forgiveness: Use the government’s PSLF Help Tool to see if you qualify.
3. Teacher Loan Forgiveness
Teachers employed full time in low-income public schools may be eligible for Teacher Loan Forgiveness after working for five consecutive years. They can have up to $17,500 in federal direct or Stafford loans forgiven. To qualify, teachers must have taken out loans after Oct. 1, 1998.
Teachers can also qualify for PSLF or Perkins loan cancellation.
How to get Teacher Loan Forgiveness: Submit a Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application to your loan servicer.
4. Student loan forgiveness for nurses
Nurses have several student loan forgiveness options: PSLF, Perkins loan cancellation and the NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program, which pays up to 85% of qualified nurses’ unpaid college debt.
However, PSLF may be the most likely option for most nurses — few borrowers have Perkins loans, and the NURSE Corps program is highly competitive.
Student loan discharge programs
Student loan discharge programs are available to students in extreme situations, like those whose school defrauded them or who cannot work due to a permanent disability. These programs are designed to protect borrowers.
Student loan discharge is different from forgiveness because it can include a refund of past payments. Forgiveness only cancels the balance that remains when you qualify.
5. Closed school discharge
You may qualify for a closed school loan discharge if your school closes. At the time of closure, you must have been enrolled or have left within 180 days, without receiving a degree.
If you qualify, contact your student loan servicer to start the application process. Keep making payments while you wait for a decision. If your application is approved, your payments will stop. You may also get back some or all of the payments you've already made.
6. Borrower defense to repayment
Borrowers who were misled or defrauded by their schools may qualify for relief through borrower defense to repayment. To apply, submit a claim to the U.S. Department of Education. If approved, your loans may be discharged.
7. Perkins loan cancellation and discharge
Borrowers with federal Perkins loans can have up to 100% of their loans canceled if they work in a public service job for five years. In many cases, approved borrowers will see a percentage of their loans discharged incrementally for each year worked.
This program also has a loan discharge benefit for teachers who work full time in a low-income public school or who teach qualifying subjects, such as special education, math, science or a foreign language.
8. Total and permanent disability discharge
If you cannot work due to being totally and permanently disabled, physically or mentally, you may qualify to have your remaining student loan debt canceled.
To qualify for a total and permanent disability discharge, you'll need to provide proof of your disability. After your loans are discharged, the government may review your disability status and income for three years. If you don't meet the requirements during that time, your loans could be reinstated.
9. Total and permanent disability discharge for veterans
Veterans who are totally and permanently disabled will have their student loan debt discharged. The process will be automatic unless they decline due to potential state tax liability.
10. Student loan death discharge
If you die, your federal loans will be discharged once a death certificate is submitted to your loan servicer by a family member or authorized representative. Federal parent PLUS loans can be discharged upon the death of either the parent who took out the loan or the student for which they borrowed.
Student loan repayment assistance programs
The federal government isn’t the only student loan forgiveness provider. Some states, organizations and companies may help you pay off your student loan bills — particularly if you work in certain high-need industries, like healthcare or education.
These programs are usually called student loan repayment assistance, not forgiveness. That's because they pay you or your loan servicer directly instead of canceling your debt.
Some of these programs may also apply to private student loans, in addition to federal loans.
11. State-sponsored student loan repayment assistance programs
Teachers, nurses, doctors and lawyers in some states may qualify for student loan repayment assistance. For example, Mississippi's Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program pays up to $6,000 a year toward undergraduate loans for three years. Teachers must hold an eligible license and teach full time in an approved location or subject area.
Contact your state’s higher education department to find out if you qualify for a program and check with your professional associations. For example, the American Bar Association has a list of state loan repayment programs for lawyers.
In some cases, local or state governments may also offer student loan help if you simply move to the area or buy property.
12. Military student loan forgiveness and assistance
U.S. military personnel and veterans in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Coast Guard may qualify for their own loan forgiveness programs. In the National Guard, for example, qualifying soldiers and officers could receive up to $50,000 to pay off federal student loans.
13. Organizational student loan repayment assistance
Some national organizations offer student loan repayment assistance. The National Institutes of Health, for example, offers up to $50,000 in debt assistance annually to health professionals who are appointed by the institutes to conduct research.
14. Employer-sponsored student loan repayment assistance
Your employer may offer student loan repayment assistance as part of your benefits package. Programs vary, but most put money directly toward your student loans each month over a certain number of years, or up to a lifetime maximum.
Can you get private student loan forgiveness?
Most forgiveness options are only available to borrowers with federal student loans. Private student loan forgiveness is uncommon and typically only happens if the borrower dies or becomes permanently disabled.
You may have other private student loan relief options, like temporarily deferring payments. To learn about relief available to you, reach out to your lender and refer to the origination document you signed when you first took out the loan.
The caveats of student loan forgiveness
Legitimate federal forgiveness, cancellation and discharge programs are free, but there are other costs to consider.
- Beware of scams. So-called debt relief companies claim to get rid of debt but rarely deliver after charging already-struggling borrowers high upfront fees. The only way to get debt discharged is through the legitimate programs above, and it costs nothing to apply to them.
- Forgiveness isn’t an option for defaulted loans. You’ll need to use consolidation or rehabilitation to get defaulted federal student loans in good standing before they’re eligible for forgiveness. If your loans won’t qualify for forgiveness, student loan settlement or bankruptcy may reduce your debt in severe cases.
- You could face an unexpected tax bill. Some types of student loan forgiveness may be taxable as extra income at the federal or state level, which could leave you with a larger-than-expected tax bill. Check the fine print of your forgiveness program and reach out to your state’s tax office for more information.
» MORE: How to avoid student loan scams
Alternatives to student loan forgiveness
If you’re struggling to repay your student loans, forgiveness isn’t the only route to relief. Explore these other options to lower your monthly payments.
- Income-driven repayment plans. Even if you won’t qualify for forgiveness under an IDR plan, you could still get lower monthly payments as you pay off your debt. Use the government’s loan simulator to compare your bills on different repayment plans.
- Deferment or forbearance. You can temporarily pause your student loan bills by asking your servicer for a deferment or forbearance. Interest may still build on your debt, though, increasing the overall amount you’ll owe.
- Student loan refinancing. Refinancing your student loans with a private lender may lower your interest rate. That can reduce both your monthly payment and the total amount you repay. If you have federal student loans, refinancing usually isn't a good idea because you'll lose access to federal forgiveness programs. But if you already have private loans, refinancing may make sense if you can qualify for a lower rate.
- Federal consolidation. If you consolidate your federal loans with the government, you’ll stay in the federal student loan system. It allows you to extend your repayment term to up to 30 years. This can lower your monthly bill, though it may increase the amount you pay over time.
