Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Student Loan Forgiveness: How Can You Qualify?

By Michael Geoffrey

In the vast majority of cases, individuals who decide to take out student loans in order to pay for the expenses the incur while getting their college education will have to start making payments on those loans six months are they have graduated from college. Even though there are some ways to qualify for student loan forgiveness, this is not like asking for forgiveness from your mother when you were a kid. In order to qualify for student loan forgiveness you will have to meet some rather stringent requirements.

Many government loans for education can be reduced through different methods, such as volunteering, military, teaching or providing legal or medical services. AmeriCorps volunteer service allows for $4,725 to be erased from government school loans in exchange for a year of service. It also provides a cash stipend to help pay living expenses while away from home. Joining the Peace Corps can also help with student loan forgiveness at the rate of 15 percent of the loan for every year graduates spend volunteering.

When individuals who volunteer with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) complete 1,700 hours of volunteer work with the poor their federal student loans will be reduced by $4,725. Military service also affords people with certain amounts of forgiveness to their student loans.

Providing the Most Needed Services

There is a great lack of teachers in many poor areas and schools have a hard time finding qualified teachers for their students. New teachers can receive forgiveness on some of their government loans if they are willing to teach in certain schools and school districts. In most cases, these programs reduce total debt by 15% during the first and second years of work in a qualifying school.

During the third and fourth years of teaching in the same areas, 20% will be forgiven, followed by 30% in the fifth year of teaching. That means that if a new teacher works in a qualifying school for five years, he or she can reduce their student loan debt by up to 85%.

Many law schools and medical schools also offer student loan forgiveness if their graduates agree to fulfill obligations providing service to the poor or economically challenged residents in certain communities. In addition to receiving student loan forgiveness, they also receive valuable experience in real life settings.

Federal student loan consolidation is a viable option for people who are not eligible for any of the above mentioned forgiveness programs. Government consolidation of several different student loans often makes monthly payments lower. - 15224

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