Kurt Said:

What jobs are considered "Public Service" under the new student loan forgiveness legislation?

We Answered:

This is one of those programs that looks really great on paper, but when you figure out how worthless it is, it seems a little strange they even mention it. First, you have to pay on the loan for 10 YEARS before you are eligible for forgiveness of the remaining balance... and since all federal loans are put on a 10 year payment plan (120 payments) your loan will be paid off the month you are eligible to get it forgiven. Pretty stupid uh? You get this to work to your advantage by taking a very low paying job and choosing a payment plan to reflect this... of course, you may starve to death for 10 years and in the end have about 20 bucks forgiven because that is all you owe after paying on it for 10 years.

Anyway, for public service: "if you are employed in certain public service jobs and have made 120 payments on your Direct Loans (after Oct. 1, 2007), the remaining balance that you owe may be forgiven. Only payments made under certain repayment plans may be counted toward the required 120 payments. You must not be in default on the loans that are forgiven."

For purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the term “public service organization” means –
A federal, state, local, or Tribal government organization, agency, or entity (includes most public schools, colleges and universities);
A public child or family service agency;
A non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (includes most not-for-profit private schools, colleges, and universities);
A Tribal college or university; or
A private organization that is not a for-profit business, a labor union, a partisan political organization, or an organization engaged in religious activities (unless the qualifying activities are unrelated to religious instruction, worship services, or any form of proselytizing) and that provides the following public services –
Emergency management;
Military service;
Public safety;
Law enforcement;
Public interest law services;
Early childhood education (including licensed or regulated health care, Head Start, and state-funded pre-kindergarten);
Public service for individuals with disabilities and the elderly;
Public health (including nurses, nurse practioners, nurses in a clinical setting, and full-time professionals engaged in health care practioner occupations and health care support occupations);
Public education;
Public library services; and
School library or other school-based services.

Stanley Said:

Student loan forgiveness/public service/work abroad?

We Answered:

Probably.
Not to mention make 120 regular payments on a regular 10 year payment plan and if you did a consolidation loan, you did it with the correct program.

Hint: all federal loans are put on a 10 year payment plan and should be paid off by then. If you defer, those don't count as regular payments.... so I'm scratching my head wondering if ANYONE would actually qualify for this. ... It even says this in the first brochure under "Caution". Your tax dollars at work folks.

Here are what the Dept of Education Considers public Service jobs...

Public Service Jobs: Eligible public service jobs are full-time jobs in the following fields:
• Emergency management
• Government
• Military service
• Public safety
• Law enforcement
• Public health
• Public education (including early childhood education)
• Social work in a public child or family service agency
• Public child care
• Public service for individuals with disabilities
• Public interest law services (including prosecution or public defense or legal advocacy in low income communities at a nonprofit organization)
• Public service for the elderly
• Public library sciences
• School-based library sciences and other school-based services
• Certain tax-exempt organizations
• Faculty teaching in high-needs areas, as determined by the Secretary
• Full-time faculty member at a Tribal College or University

Gerald Said:

Student loan forgiveness ...?

We Answered:

Yeah, you pretty much have the gist of it...and its especially useless considering most student loan repayment plans are set up to be completed in 10 years...

Frances Said:

Would working as counselor at a non-profit qualify me for student loan forgiveness?

We Answered:

To find out whether you qualify for loan forgiveness, talk to the human resources staff at your employer

below is a link that lists all types of areas that offer loan reductions. a lot of them even have phone #s u can call.


Under certain circumstances, the federal government will cancel all or part of an educational loan. This practice is called Loan Forgiveness. To qualify, you must:

Perform volunteer work;
Perform military service;
Teach or practice medicine in certain types of communities; or,
Meet other criteria specified by the forgiveness program.
----To find out whether you qualify for loan forgiveness, talk to the human resources staff at your employer.----