Cancellation of a Federal Perkins Loan
The cancellation process starts by filing to defer installments when the borrower begins a qualifying job. Each cancellation provision involves full-time employment for a full year to earn a portion of the loan cancelled.
- Child/Family Service Agency
A full-time employee of an eligible public or private nonprofit child or family service agency, such as a Head Start, pre-kindergarten, or child-care program, who is providing or supervising the provision of services only to high-risk children from low-income communities. The borrower may also be providing services to adults, but these adults must be members of the families of the children for whom services are provided. The services provided to adults must be secondary to the services provided to the high-risk children. High-risk children are those under the age of 21 who are low-income and at risk of, or have been, abused or neglected, have serious emotional, mental or behavioral disturbances, reside in placements outside their homes, or are involved in the juvenile justice system. The department has determined that an elementary or secondary school system or a hospital is not an eligible employing agency.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Early Intervention Services
A full-time qualified professional provider of early intervention services to infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth to age two) in a public or other nonprofit program under public supervision by a lead agency as authorized by section 632(5) of the Individuals with Disabilities Act.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Faculty Member at a Tribally Controlled School
To qualify, you must be employed as a full-time faculty member at a Tribal College or University, or in a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), including schools operated on reservations by Indian tribal groups under contract with the BIA.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Firefighter
To qualify, you must be employed full-time as a fire fighter by a Federal, State or Local fire department/agency or fire district to extinguish destructive fires or provide firefighting-related services.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Head Start Staff Member
To qualify, you must be employed full-time as a staff member in the educational part of a preschool program carried out under the Head Start Act. A full-time member is someone who is regularly employed in a full-time professional capacity to carry out the educational part of a Head Start program. The program must operate for a full academic year, or its equivalent, and the borrower's salary may not be more than that of a comparable employee working in a local educational agency. An authorized official of the Head Start Program must sign the borrower's cancellation form.
The cancellation rate is 15% of the original principal loan amount for each completed year of service up to 100%.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Law Enforcement or Corrections Officer
A full-time law enforcement officer for an eligible publicly-funded local, state, or federal agency whose activities pertain to crime prevention, control, reduction, or to the enforcement of criminal law. Activities include police efforts to prevent, control, or reduce crime or to apprehend criminals; activities of corrections, probation or parole authorities; and problems relating to the prevention, control, or reduction of juvenile delinquency or narcotic addiction. You must be a sworn law enforcement officer or corrections officer or person whose principal responsibilities are unique to the criminal justice system and are essential in the performance of the agency’s primary mission. Agencies and positions whose primary responsibilities are civil, regulatory, administrative, or support are not eligible.
You must provide an official job description.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Librarian
To qualify, you must be a full-time librarian who has a master’s degree in library science and is employed in a Title I eligible elementary or secondary school, or who is employed in a public library that serves a local school district that contains one or more Title 1 eligible schools.
You must provide documentation of your master’s degree in library science.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Military
To qualify, you must be a member of the U.S. Armed Forces (United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard) for at least one full year of qualifying active duty service. Active duty service for less than a complete year or a fraction of a year beyond a complete year does not qualify. A complete year of service is 12 consecutive months.
You must be active in an area of hostilities or an area of imminent danger that qualifies for special pay under section 310 of title 37 of the U.S.C. Areas that qualify for hostile fire/imminent danger pay are listed on the Web. You must provide the exact location of area of hostilities or imminent danger. Note that the borrower does not have to serve the full 12 months of active duty service in such an area to qualify for the cancellation. If a borrower is on active duty in such an area for any part of a month, that month counts towards the borrower’s eligibility for a military cancellation. The borrower’s commanding officer must certify the borrower’s service dates.
Alternatively, you must be a member of the Reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces called or ordered to active duty for a period of more than 30 days. You must attach a copy of your orders.
For Active Duty Service that Ended Before August 14, 2008
You are eligible for cancellation up to 50% of the principal loan amount for service that ended before August 14, 2008.
The cancellation rate is 12.5% for each qualifying year of service, up to a total of 50% of the original principal for active duty service that ended before August 14, 2008.
For Active Duty Service On or After August 14, 2008
You are eligible for cancellation up to 100% of the principal loan amount for service that occurred on or after August 14, 2008.
The cancellation rate is 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year for each year of qualifying service on or after August 14, 2008.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details.
- Medical Technician
An allied health professional working full-time providing health care services directly to patients, such as therapy, dental hygiene, nutrition, or medical technology. The borrower must be certified, registered, or licensed by the appropriate state agency within the state where you provide healthcare services. An allied health professional is someone who assists, facilitates, or complements the work of physicians and other specialists in the health care system.
You must provide an official job description and a copy of your license.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Nurse
A full-time licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, or other individual who is licensed by the appropriate state agency to provide nursing services. The borrower must provide health care services directly to patients.
You must provide an official job description and a copy of your license.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Peace Corps
To qualify, the borrower must serve full-time for at least one complete year with Peace Corps.
The cancellation rate is 15% for years one and two, 20% for years three and four, up to a total of 70% of the original principal.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- AmeriCorps-VISTA
To qualify, you must serve full-time for at least one complete year with AmeriCorps-VISTA.
An AmeriCorps-VISTA volunteer may only qualify for this cancellation if the AmeriCorps-VISTA volunteer elects not to receive a national service education award for his/her volunteer service. The AmeriCorps-VISTA volunteer must provide documentation showing that the volunteer has declined the AmeriCorps national service education award.
The cancellation rate is 15% for years one and two, 20% for years three and four, up to a total of 70% of the original principal.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Pre-K/Child Care Program Staff
To qualify, you must be employed full-time as a staff-member in the educational part of a pre-K or child care program licensed or regulated by the state. The program must operate for a full academic year, or its equivalent, and the borrower’s salary may not be more than that of a comparable employee working in a local educational agency.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for each completed year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Public Defense Lawyer
To qualify, you must be employed full-time as an attorney in a federal public or community defender organization established in accordance with section 3006(g)(2) of title 18, U.S.C.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008. You must provide an official job description.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Speech Pathologist (at Title 1 School)
To qualify, you must be employed full-time as a speech pathologist who has a master’s degree and who is working exclusively with Title 1 eligible elementary or secondary schools.
Eligibility for this benefit began 08/14/2008. You must provide documentation evidencing your master’s degree.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.
- Teaching Services
To qualify, you must be employed full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as:
• A teacher in a low-income school or a low-income educational service agency having a high concentration (over 30%) of students from low-income families. Your school must be listed in the Directory of Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
• A teacher in a teacher shortage field, including mathematics, science, foreign languages, or bilingual education or any other field of expertise that is determined by a state education agency to have a shortage of qualified teachers in that state.
• A special-education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities. You must be licensed, certified, or registered by the appropriate state education agency for that area in which you are providing related special educational services, which can include speech and language pathology and audiology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, psychological and counseling services, or recreational therapy.
*A “Teacher” is defined as someone (including supervisor, administrator, researcher, or curriculum specialist) who provides direct and personal classroom-related services related to students.
The cancellation form filed by the borrower must be signed by an official in the school system or agency to certify the borrower’s service. Eligibility for teacher cancellation is based on the duties presented in a required official position description, not on the position title. To receive a cancellation, the borrower must be directly employed by the school system.
To qualify for cancellation based on any of these three conditions, a borrower must teach full-time for a complete academic year or its equivalent.
Cancellation Rate: 15% of the original principal loan amount for the first and second years; 20% of the original principal loan amount for the third and fourth years; 30% of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year.
Please contact Student Loan Collections for details, questions or if you have a change in status.