While educators around the country are worrying about their jobs and their finances thanks to President Donald Trump’s changes to the Department of Education and student loans, New Jersey teachers have gotten some good news: The state announced it would be providing some much-needed student loan relief to teachers. Below, we look into exactly how the student loan relief program for teachers works and whether teachers and other professionals in other states can expect similar benefits.
What to know about teacher student loan forgiveness
Earlier this month, several news organizations reported that the state of New Jersey would repay up to $20,000 in student loan debt for teachers over the course of four years. The hope is that the New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program will help put an end to the state’s teaching shortage.
“New Jersey teachers help educate future generations of students who will go on to pursue postsecondary degrees, start careers, participate in their communities and build a family here in our state,” New Jersey governor Phil Murphy said in a statement, per Newsweek. “By implementing initiatives such as the New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program to promote robust staffing in our schools, we are working to maintain our standing as one of the best states in the nation for K-12 education.”
The state has allocated $5 million for 2025 for the New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program. To qualify, educators have to have been hired on or after January 1, 2009, must be employed at an eligible school, must be a resident of the state, must have a teaching certification from the New Jersey Department of Education and must be teaching in “high-need fields” including science, math, English as a second language and special education. If they meet those qualifications, they are then able to apply for student loan forgiveness online; however, the application for this year is currently closed and there is no word on when it will be open.
“The New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program strengthens both recruitment and retention of educators who teach high-need subjects in eligible New Jersey schools,” Margo Chaly, an executive director at the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA), said in a statement. “This program reduces teacher student loan burdens while helping school districts fill critical vacancies, benefiting students statewide.”
What other states offer teacher student loan forgiveness?
Currently, 32 states offer teacher student loan forgiveness: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Each state has its own qualifications and forgiveness amounts. For more information on this, visit the Federal Student Aid (FSA) website.
What other professions offer student loan forgiveness?
It’s not just teachers who get a break on student loans. In fact, many states offer student loan forgiveness to healthcare workers, government employees, law enforcement, social workers and full-time AmeriCorps and Peace Corps volunteers and active members of the military.
In addition, many employers and businesses help pay off their employees’ student loans, as long as they agree to work there for a certain amount of time. Most of the time this benefit is laid out in the initial hiring process and can be discussed with a representative from the company’s human resources department.
