To find out whether you qualify for loan forgiveness, talk to the human resources staff at your employer.</p>
<p>Volunteer Work</p>
<p>These volunteer organizations offer loan forgiveness:</p>
<p>AmeriCorps. Serve for 12 months and receive up to $7400 in stipends plus $4725 to be used towards your loan. Call 1-800-942-2677.</p>
<p>Peace Corps. Volunteers may apply for deferment of Stafford, Perkins and Consolidation loans and partial cancellation of Perkins Loans (15% for each year of service, up to 70% in total). Volunteers make a real difference in the lives of real people with two years of service in more than 70 developing countries. Contact the Peace Corps at 1111 20th St., NW, Washington, DC 20526 or call 1-800-424-8580 or 1-202-692-1845.</p>
<p>Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). Volunteer with private, non-profit groups that help eradicate hunger, homelessness, poverty and illiteracy. Provide 1700 hours of service and receive $4725. Call 1-800-942-2677 or 1-202-606-5000.</p>
<p>Military</p>
<p>Students who are in the Army National Guard may be eligible for their Student Loan Repayment Program, which offers up to $10,000. (Note, the military and veterans’ associations provide many scholarships and tuition assistance programs. See the section on Military Aid for details.)</p>
<p>Teaching</p>
<p>Students who become full-time teachers in an elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families can have a portion of their Perkins Loan forgiven under The National Defense Education Act. This program forgives 15% of your loan for the first and second years of teaching service, 20% for the third and fourth, and 30% for the fifth. Contact your school district’s administration to see which schools are eligible.</p>
<p>Students who majored in education and teach in Mississippi may be eligible for the William Winter Teacher Scholar Loan. This program forgives one year of your loan in exchange for one year of service (it forgives two years of your loan if you teach in a shortage area). Contact the Mississippi Office of State Student Financial Aid, 3825 Ridgewood Rd., Jackson, MS 39211-6453; 1-601-982-6663.</p>
<p>The American Federation of Teachers maintains a list of other loan forgiveness programs for teachers.</p>
<p>Legal and Medical Studies</p>
<p>Many law schools forgive the loans of students who serve in public interest or non-profit positions. For more information, contact Equal Justice Works (formerly the National Association for Public Interest Law) at 2120 L Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037-1541 (phone 1-202-466-3686 or fax 1-202-429-9766).</p>
<p>The US Department of Health and Human Services offers loan forgiveness programs through the National Health Service Corps and the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program. These programs offer loan forgiveness to physicians and registered nurses who agree to practice for a set number of years in areas that lack adequate medical care (including remote and/or economically depressed regions).</p>
<p>The US National Institutes of Health’s NIH Loan Repayment Programs repays up to $35,000/year of student loan debt for US citizens who are conducting clinical medical research.</p>
<p>If you’re a California resident, contact the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (State Loan Repayment Program, Primary Care Resources and Community Development Division, 1600 Ninth St., Room 440, Sacramento, CA 95814; 1-916-654-1833). Other states may have similar programs.</p>
<p>Many hospitals and private healthcare facilities use loan forgiveness to recruit occupational and physical therapists. Contact the American Physical Therapy Association (1111 North Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314-1488; 1-800-999-2782) or the American Occupational Therapy Association (P.O. Box 31220, 47200 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220; 1-301-652-2682).</p>
<p>Other loan repayment programs for medical school students include:</p>
<p>The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Educational Loan Repayment Programs include the NIH AIDS Research Loan Repayment Program, NIH Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program, NIH General Research Loan Repayment Program.
Nicholas J. Pisacano MD Memorial Foundation Inc. (American Board of Family Practice)
American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation
Disadvantaged Health Professions Faculty Loan Repayment Program
Indian Health Service (IHS) Loan Repayment Program
US Air Force, Army, and Navy Financial Assistance Programs
The American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) maintains a database of state and other loan repayment programs for medical school students.