What is Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program (TLSP)?
Teaching is a profession that demands a great deal of responsibility and skills, but a career in this field is filled with numerous personal and professional growth opportunities. In addition to this, the US Government offers special rewards to individuals who serve as a teacher at a low-income school in the form of Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program (TLFP).
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is designed to encourage young graduates to pursue a career in this rewarding field. The program offers partial loan discharge to individuals who are employed at a low-income school for five consecutive years.
How Does the Discharge Process Work?
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program (TFLP) offers partial discharge on loan debts of those individuals who have served at a low-income educational service agency or a secondary or elementary school for five consecutive years.
Under TFLP, a partial waiver of $17,500 is offered on all subsidized and unsubsidized Direct and Federal Stafford loans after completion of five years service, and a full waiver is offered after completion of a ten year term.
What are the Eligibility Requirements for TLFP?
In order to qualify for TLFP, an individual must satisfy all the following eligibility requirements set by the government.
Type of Loan
The following loans can be discharged under TLFP:
– All Federal Direct loans, subsidized and unsubsidized
– Stafford loans, subsidized and unsubsidized
In order to qualify for TLFP, the individual must have no outstanding balance on eligible loans taken on or before October 1st, 1998. Also, if you are defaulting on your loan payments, you should contact your lender and make necessary arrangements before applying for TLFP.
Nature of Employment
The applicant must be a full-time employee of a low-income secondary or elementary school or an educational service agency. The employment term must not be less than five consecutive years. Also, one of the five years should be after 1997-1998. Individuals who have served at multiple organizations are considered eligible if their combine employment is at least 5 years.
Requirements for Principal Reduction of $5,000
You may get a $5,000 reduction in your outstanding balance, if:
– You started working at an eligible organization on or after October 30th, 2004 as a highly-qualified teacher.
– You completed your service at an eligible organization as a full-time teacher in writing, reading, mathematics, or other areas of the curriculum before October 30th, 2004.
Requirements for Principal Reduction of $17,500
You may get a $17,500 reduction in your outstanding balance, if:
– You completed your service at an eligible organization as a highly-qualified science, mathematics, or special education teacher before October 30th, 2004.
– You started working at an eligible organization on or after October 30th, 2004 as a highly-qualified mathematics, science, or special education teacher certified by the chief administrative officer of the organization.
What is the Application Process?
The application form for Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program is available at the official website of Information of Financial Aid Professionals (IFAP). You can apply for the program simply by filling out the application form. The application contacts a certification section which needs to be filled by the CAO of the organization where you worked.