How to Get Student Loans Forgiven for Teaching in Texas

Pay for your education doing what you love--teaching.

Three programs offer student loan forgiveness for teaching in Texas; one is administered by the state and two by the federal government. Programs are available exclusively to teachers working in qualified schools and providing instruction in specific areas determined to be experiencing educator shortages. Getting your student loans forgiven is time-consuming. While all programs require teachers be employed on campuses deemed disadvantaged and specialize in specific academic areas, there are variations in the guidelines and separate applications are required.

Instructions

Texas Forgiveness Program

1. Determine when your loans were originated. Loans made prior to or in concert with loans made prior to 1998 are ineligible for federal Stafford loan forgiveness; Perkins loans prior to 1992 disqualify.

2. Got to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board website and review the list of campuses and teaching specialties for which the state is awarding forgiveness funds. The list changes annually; campuses and teaching specialties that qualified in previous years may not be included in the current year's eligibility.

3. Download, complete and mail the original to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin. Texas accepts applications between April and June for the current school year; ensure you submit your application on time.

Federal Perkins Undergraduate Loan Program

1. Contact the financial aid office at the institutions you attended when your Perkins loans were originated to obtain the application for federal loan cancellation. Eligibility for federal Perkins loan forgiveness is determined by the standards put in place by the state of Texas. If you qualify to get your student loans forgiven in Texas, you qualify for federal assistance as well.

2. Complete the application.

3. Submit it, as well as any other documentation that may be required to the institution administrating your loans.

Federal Stafford Program

1. Ensure you meet the service requirements; you must be teaching full-time for at least five years, at least one of which must be post the 1997-98 school year.

2. Search the Annual Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits to determine if your campus is a qualified Title I school. Only teachers working on qualified campuses are eligible for federal Stafford loan forgiveness.

3. Download and complete the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application; have it certified by an administrative officer at the school where you teach. Mail the original application with supporting any documentation to the holder of your loans.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep your loan payments current. Delinquent or defaulted loans are disqualified from forgiveness programs offered by either the federal government or the state of Texas.

• Loans enrolled in other teaching loan forgiveness programs like the Peace Corps or AmeriCorps are not eligible for funding through the Texas or federal loan forgiveness programs.

• Do not fudge on your applications; making false or misleading statements is a federal crime punishable by fines, imprisonment or both.

References

• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Teach for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Program
• Student Aid on the Web, Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation
• Student Aid on the Web, Stafford Loan Forgiveness Program for Teachers

Resources

• American Federation of Teachers, Funding Database
• Federal Student Aid, Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory