Americans owe about $1.5 trillion in student debt—a lot more than they owe in credit card debt or home mortgages. It’s a particular problem for educators, who are underpaid compared to similarly educated professionals, and it’s especially severe for educators of color, who typically have more debt when they graduate from college than their white peers.
That's why NEA and NSEA are fighting to cancel student debt, and to expand and protect programs that can help. At the same time, we're also making sure those programs actually work, including:
- Income-driven repayment plans. Income-driven repayment plans can help keep payments affordable (and be as little as $0 per month). Educators must be in one of these repayment plans to qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness. This federal program forgives the federal student loan debt of public employees including teachers and education support professionals after they make 120 qualifying payments.
- Teacher loan forgiveness. For teachers only, this program forgives up to $5,000 after five years of teaching, or up to $17,500 if you teach math or science at the secondary level, or special education at any level.
- Identifying the right repayment plan and forgiveness program—and then steering through the process—can be complicated. NEA is here to help with navigation tools and resources.
NSEA AND NEA ARE FIGHTING TO CANCEL STUDENT DEBT, AND TO EXPAND AND PROTECT PROGRAMS THAT HELP.
Thanks to NSEA/NEA members who are speaking up and demanding change, we have achieved a new cancellation program and fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, making it actually work for educators.
Our voices are strongest when we are united. Become a member of the National Education Association today to be part of the movement to make higher education affordable to everyone.
Navigate Your Student Debt
NEA’s student debt experts have created tools designed to help educators through the complicated student debt system.
