Does federal loan forgiveness apply to law school loans?

Asked by: Bill Leuschke  |  Last update: September 22, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (6 votes)

Student loan forgiveness and repayment programs can erase some or all of your federal student loan debt for law school and possibly even private student loan debt. Income-driven repayment plans, while not specific to the law field, will cancel your remaining federal student loan debt after 10 to 25 years of repayment.

Are law school loans eligible for forgiveness?

Some lawyers can get federal loan forgiveness through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program once they've made 120 qualified payments while working for a qualified employer — namely any government agency (federal, state or local) or nonprofit.

Can you use federal student loans for law school?

Today, a large majority of law school students rely on federal education loans as their primary, but not exclusive, source of financial aid for law school. These loans must be paid back with your future income, and the more you borrow, the longer the debt may have an impact on your life after graduation.

Which student loans qualify for forgiveness?

Only federal Direct Loans can be forgiven through PSLF. If you have other federal student loans such as Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) or Perkins Loans you may be able to qualify for PSLF by consolidating into a new federal Direct Consolidation Loan.

How much can I take out in federal student loans for law school?

Law students may borrow up to a total of $20,500 in the Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan program each academic year from the US Department of Education. Interest starts accruing as “simple” interest (it is not compounding while you are in school) once the loan is disbursed.

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Can you get a Pell Grant for law school?

No, you cannot pay for your law school tuition with a Pell Grant. Pell Grants are only awarded to undergraduate students who do not have a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree. However, it is possible for a student who is enrolled in a post baccalaureate teacher certification to receive a Pell Grant.

Who is excluded from student loan forgiveness?

Private education loans aren't eligible for PSLF and can't be consolidated into a Direct Consolidation Loan. Are Direct Loans that are in default eligible for PSLF? No. Defaulted Direct Loans are not eligible for PSLF, and payments made while the loan was in default cannot count toward the 120 required payments.

At what age do student loans get written off?

After at least 20 years of student loan payments under an income-driven repayment plan — IDR forgiveness and 20-year student loan forgiveness. After 25 years if you borrowed loans for graduate school — 25-year federal loan forgiveness.

Who doesn't qualify for loan forgiveness?

Borrowers enrolled in Income-Driven Repayment (IDR)

If you have Parent PLUS Loans, Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs), or Perkins Loans, you aren't eligible for IDR forgiveness with your loans in their current form.

How to pay for law school if you're poor?

Financial aid is available. The primary funding options are Scholarships and grants—the “free” money this is either funded by your law school or funded by private organizations, civic groups, etc.; Loans which can be federal loans or private/alternative/institutional loans.

Can you go to law school and work full-time?

Even though the American Bar Association (ABA) dropped their 20 hour a week work limit for full-time law students, many law schools themselves typically limit how many hours a law student can work per week, making it impossible for a professional to keep a full-time job while also attending law school.

Can you graduate law school debt free?

Well the average cost to attend a public state school is about 85,000 per year and for a private universities law school about 145,000 per year. So all anyone needs to do in order to graduate debt free is to come from a pretty well off family who can pay for the entire 3 years.

Do school principals qualify for loan forgiveness?

To qualify for the federal student loan forgiveness, principals will have to graduate from a “high-quality” program, be employed as a full-time principal for at least one school year, and meet other eligibility requirements.

What is considered public interest law?

Overview. Public interest law generally refers to law-related work performed on behalf of individuals, organizations, or causes that would otherwise lack effective representation within the legal system.

Are student loans forgiven after age 65?

Are student loans forgiven when you retire? No, the federal government doesn't forgive student loans at age 50, 65, or when borrowers retire and start drawing Social Security benefits. So, for example, you'll still owe Parent PLUS Loans, FFEL Loans, and Direct Loans after you retire.

What is the 7 year rule for student loans?

The 7-year student loan myth most likely stems from a misinterpretation of various aspects of credit reporting. For instance, it's true that there is a credit reporting time limit for negative information, like defaults. Late payments or defaults generally stay on your credit report for a maximum of seven years.

Are all federal student loans forgiven after 20 years?

Are federal student loans forgiven after 20 years? Yes, federal student loans may be forgiven after 20 years under certain circumstances. But only certain types of loans are eligible for forgiveness, and you must be enrolled in a qualifying repayment plan. You'll also need to stay out of default on your loans.

Who actually gets student loan forgiveness?

The PSLF program supports public servants—including teachers, nurses, social workers, first responders, service members, and other public servants—by forgiving the remaining student loan balance for those who make the required 120 qualifying monthly payments.

Do I need to report student loan forgiveness on my taxes?

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

PSLF is one of the few programs that is excluded from federal income taxes; none of the forgiven loan amount is taxable as income.

Why is my student loan not eligible for forgiveness?

Only borrowers who have entered repayment on at least one of their loans when the debt relief is applied would be eligible for forgiveness on the loan(s) in repayment.

Will the federal government pay for law school?

Federal student loan policy dictates that the government will lend the full cost of attendance to anyone who attends an ABA-approved law school.

What are Tier 3 law schools?

Tier 3 Law schools are generally all of the other law schools that USNews takes the effort to individually rank. These tend to change year over year quite a bit. The best way to determine an actual list is to look at the USNews rankings for any law school that is ranked better than the bottom mass grouping.

What is the most affordable law school?

Cheapest Law Schools in the US
  • University of the District of Columbia - $12,838 (tuition)
  • University of North Dakota - $13,023 (tuition)/$8,974 (living expenses)
  • Brigham Young University - $13,060 (tuition)/$12,720 (living expenses)
  • University of Montana - $13,177 (tuition)/$12,480 (living expenses)