What disqualifies you for student loan forgiveness?

Asked by: Joana Price  |  Last update: June 4, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (27 votes)

You must be a direct employee of a qualifying employer for your employment to qualify. This means that employees of contracted organizations, that are not themselves a qualifying employer, won't qualify for PSLF including government contractors and for-profit organizations.

What are the requirements to qualify for student loan forgiveness?

If you work full time for a government or nonprofit organization, you may qualify for forgiveness of the entire remaining balance of your Direct Loans after you've made 120 qualifying payments—i.e., at least 10 years of payments. To benefit from PSLF, you need to repay your federal student loans under an IDR plan.

Who is ineligible for loan forgiveness?

Be employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for- profit organization; • The following types of organizations do not quality for PSLF: labor unions, partisan political organizations and for-profit organizations.

Can you be denied student loan forgiveness?

If we determine that you're not eligible for loan forgiveness at this time, you'll be notified and will be provided with the reason(s) we determined you were ineligible. You'll then be required to resume making payments on your loans.

What disqualifies you from federal student loans?

If you don't meet baseline eligibility requirements, or if you've previously defaulted on a loan, you may not be approved for a federal student loan. You must maintain "satisfactory progress" in school to be approved for student loans. You can take steps to regain or improve your eligibility for student loans.

More student loans canceled in final round of forgiveness before Biden leaves office

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Why would I be denied a federal student loan?

Being denied student loans is common for would-be borrowers, and several factors could lead to loan denial. Your credit history, credit score, insufficient application information, or other issues could cause you to be rejected for a loan. If you were denied a student loan, you still have options.

What is the highest income to qualify for financial aid?

There is no income cut-off to qualify for federal student aid. Many factors—such as the size of your family and your year in school—are considered.

How to know if I will qualify for student loan forgiveness?

You may be eligible for income-driven repayment (IDR) loan forgiveness if you've have been in repayment for 20 or 25 years. An IDR plan bases your monthly payment on your income and family size.

Who is excluded from student loan forgiveness?

What student loans are not eligible for forgiveness? Private student loans, by definition, are private and are not eligible to be forgiven. These are loans the borrower owes to student loan providers and not the federal government.

Who doesn't qualify for loan forgiveness?

Private education loans aren't eligible for PSLF and can't be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan. Are Direct Loans that are in default eligible for PSLF? No. Defaulted Direct Loans are not eligible for PSLF, and payments made while the loan was in default cannot count toward the 120 required payments.

Can everyone apply for loan forgiveness?

PSLF Process

Because you have to make 120 qualifying monthly payments, it will take at least 10 years before you can qualify for PSLF. Important: You must still be working for a qualifying employer at the time you submit your form for forgiveness.

What is the deadline for student loan forgiveness?

Many student loan borrowers have an opportunity to receive full student loan cancellation or more credit towards cancellation. The U.S. Department of Education will conduct a one-time adjustment this summer , but you may need to take steps to qualify. The deadline to act is June 30, 2024. Here's what you need to know.

At what age do student loans get written off?

After at least 20 years of student loan payments under an income-driven repayment plan — IDR forgiveness and 20-year student loan forgiveness. After 25 years if you borrowed loans for graduate school — 25-year federal loan forgiveness.

Do student loans affect credit scores?

How student loans affect your credit score. Student loans are a type of installment loan, similar to a car loan, personal loan, or mortgage. They are part of your credit report, and can impact your payment history, length of your credit history and credit mix. Paying on time could help your score.

Why do I not qualify for student loan forgiveness?

Only federal student loans managed by Department of Education (ED) qualify for the one-time IDR adjustment. Borrowers with Direct Loans or federally-managed FFELP loans will not have to take any action in order to benefit under the one-time account adjustment.

What jobs are considered public service?

A private nonprofit organization that provides at least one of the following public services:
  • Military service.
  • Public interest law services.
  • Emergency management.
  • Early childhood education.
  • Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.
  • Public health.
  • Public education.
  • Public library services.

Who actually gets student loan forgiveness?

The PSLF program supports public servants—including teachers, nurses, social workers, first responders, service members, and other public servants—by forgiving the remaining student loan balance for those who make the required 120 qualifying monthly payments.

Will I be notified if I qualify for student loan forgiveness?

Once we've received all of the documentation needed to determine whether you qualify for loan forgiveness, you'll be notified.

Why did I get a student loan refund check?

Why did my college send me a check? A refund check is money that is directly deposited to you by your college. It is the excess money left over from your financial aid award after your tuition and additional fees have been paid. Your college may send you a check or the money may be deposited into your checking account.

Is there a form I need to fill out for student loan forgiveness?

After you make your 120th qualifying monthly payment for PSLF, you'll need to submit the PSLF form to receive loan forgiveness. You must be working for a qualifying employer at the time you submit the PSLF form.

What salary is too high for financial aid?

There is no income that is too high to file a FAFSA. No matter how much you make, you can always submit a FAFSA. Eligibility for need-based financial aid increases as the cost of attendance increases, so even a wealthy student might qualify for financial aid at a higher-cost college.

At what income do you not qualify for financial aid?

There are no set income cutoffs for financial aid because of the number of factors that are included in the need-based calculation beyond income. Unless parents are in a situation where they don't need money for their child to go to school, everyone should fill out the FAFSA.

Who qualifies for federal student loans?

Eligibility for federal student aid is based on financial need and on several other factors such as U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizenship, enrollment in an eligible program, satisfactory academic progress in college, and more.