Loan Forgiveness

Depending upon the type of loan that you have, you may qualify for federal loan forgiveness on the basis of working in a school that is designated as low income or you may qualify on the basis of teaching in a content shortage area. 

NDE does not have specific information about federal loans and forgiveness processes; our primary role in the process is to identify the shortage areas and to identify Title I schools. Below is a list of resources that you can contact for information about the program, including requirements and eligibility.

National Student Loan Program

  • Includes Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program and Stafford
  • Website: http://www.nslp.org
  • Toll-free number: 800-735-8778, ext. 6410

US Department of Education

Please note that when searching for low-income school districts within the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory on the USDE web site, the previous school year may need to be used to obtain results--the data for the current school year is not always available.  Further assistance is available by clicking on the Additional Search Help link.

Information about designated shortage areas can be found on the same site as the low-income school districts provided above or you can search the U.S. Department of Education's Annual Teacher Shortage Areas Nationwide Listing document at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/pol/tsa.pdf. Nebraska shortage areas are updated on an annual basis and if the current school year information is not available on the USDE website, you can contact Danielle Lotspeich at 402-471-2783 or danielle.lotspeich@nebraska.gov.

If you were awarded a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant by your college's financial aid office, remember that you are required to verify each year that you are meeting your teaching responsibilities.  This process is done through the US Department of Education, not through the Nebraska Department of Education or your college.   Failure to verify your status will result in your grant converting to a loan.  You may find additional information on the TEACH Grant through the US Department of Education's website at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/TEACH.jsp.

If you were awarded a Nebraska Attracting Excellence to Teaching scholarship/loan, information about forgiveness/repayment can be found at http://www.education.ne.gov/EducatorPrep/SecondPages/AETP.html. These scholarships were awarded by Nebraska teacher preparation programs beginning in 2006-2007. For more information about the Attracting Excellence scholarship/loan, please contact Danielle Lotspeich at 402-471-2783 or danielle.lotspeich@nebraska.gov. 

In addition, you will find more information on the Nebraska Teacher Education website at http://www.nebraskateachereducation.org.  Due to staffing issues, the site is a bit dated, but the narrative information contained there is still valid!