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ACTIVE PROGRAMS —
The Federal Programs That Are Actually Forgiving Student Loans Right Now
Despite all the political noise, multiple student loan forgiveness programs are actively operating and approving applications in 2026. Here are the ones that matter most.
1. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
This is the single largest forgiveness program in the country. If you work full-time for a qualifying employer — a government agency, a public school, a nonprofit hospital, a 501(c)(3) organization, the military, law enforcement, or any federal, state, local, or tribal government entity — your remaining loan balance can be completely forgiven, tax-free, after 120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years).
The numbers are staggering: over 1 million borrowers have received PSLF forgiveness, with an average of approximately $73,000 forgiven per person. The total discharged through PSLF and related programs exceeds $79 billion.
And yet, the historical approval rate for PSLF applications has been extremely low — around 3-5% since the program began. The reason isn’t that people don’t qualify. The reason is that they applied with the wrong loan type, the wrong repayment plan, or incomplete documentation. These are fixable problems.
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Who qualifies right now:
- Teachers at public schools or nonprofits
- Nurses and doctors at nonprofit hospitals
- Government employees at any level (federal, state, county, city)
- Military servicemembers
- Police officers, firefighters, EMTs
- Social workers and public defenders
- Nonprofit employees (501(c)(3) organizations)
- Employees of tribal governments
Important 2026 change: Starting July 1, 2026, a new rule will allow the Education Department to deny PSLF to workers whose employers engage in activities deemed to have a “substantial illegal purpose.” Several cities have already sued over this rule. If you currently qualify for PSLF, submitting your Employment Certification Form now — before the rule takes effect — is strongly advised.
2. Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Forgiveness
If you’re on an income-driven repayment plan, your remaining balance is forgiven after 20-25 years of qualifying payments, depending on your plan. The four current IDR plans are: Income-Based Repayment (IBR), Pay As You Earn (PAYE), Revised Pay As You Earn (SAVE/REPAYE), and Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR).
Critical update: IDR plans are being phased out for new borrowers starting July 1, 2026. A new plan called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) will replace them. Under RAP, forgiveness doesn’t kick in until 30 years — up from 20-25 years under current plans. If you have existing loans and are already enrolled in an IDR plan, you may be grandfathered in. But if you consolidate your loans or take out new ones after July 1, 2026, you’ll be subject to the new rules.
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This means the window to lock in the more generous IDR terms is closing.
3. Teacher Loan Forgiveness
If you are a full-time teacher at a low-income school or educational service agency for five consecutive years, you may qualify for up to $17,500 in loan forgiveness. Math, science, and special education teachers are eligible for the maximum amount. Other qualifying teachers can receive up to $5,000.
This program is separate from PSLF and can be used in conjunction with it (though the same years of service cannot count for both programs simultaneously).
[NEXT PAGE: More Programs Most Borrowers Have Never Heard Of →]
