FAFSA's Teacher Loan Forgiveness program taking forever - any success stories?

Yes!!!! Same here. Been teaching math in South Dallas for 6 years at a qualifying school and my forgiveness application has been "processing" for 14 months now. I call every 2 weeks and always get the runaround about "high volume of applications" and "extended processing times". MOHELA is the WORST. When I submitted my PSLF form they lost it TWICE, then claimed my principal's signature didn't match what they had on file (how would they even have that???). I've paid over $42k on my original $38k loans and somehow still owe $35k. The whole system is designed to keep us paying forever.

have u tried the TEPSLF program instead of the regular teacher forgiveness? i heard thats easier to get approved for sometimes. my cousin got his loans forgiven that way after like 8 years of teaching science

I successfully received Teacher Loan Forgiveness last year after teaching special education for 5 years, so it definitely can work! Here's what made the difference for me: 1. Make sure you're teaching in a qualifying low-income school for the full 5 consecutive years. You can check if your school qualifies on the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory. 2. Double-check that your loans are Direct Loans or FFEL Program Loans. Private loans don't qualify. 3. Document EVERYTHING. Keep copies of your employment certification forms, submission confirmations, and a log of all phone calls with dates, times, and representative names. 4. Submit your application through certified mail with return receipt requested. 5. Follow up every 30 days in writing (email or secure message) asking for status updates. It took about 5 months for mine to process, but following up consistently was key. Don't give up - this program does work when you stay on top of it!

I had Fedloan when I applied (before they transferred everyone to Mohela). I received the full $17,500 since I teach special education, which is considered a high-need field. If you're teaching elementary education, the maximum is $5,000 unless you specialize in special education, math, science, or certain foreign languages. One more thing - make sure you haven't received PSLF for the same service period. You can't double-dip with both programs for the same teaching years.

I'm sorry you're dealing with this! The whole student loan system is DELIBERATELY DESIGNED to keep us in debt forever!! I graduated in 2006 with $25k in loans, have paid over $32k back, and SOMEHOW still owe $18k!!! HOW IS THIS LEGAL???! My aunt worked for the Dept of Education and told me they INTENTIONALLY make these forgiveness programs complicated so people give up or make mistakes on paperwork. They WANT us to fail. Meanwhile bankers get bailouts and corporations write off billions. The system is RIGGED against working people and especially teachers!!!!

After spending 3 weeks trying to reach someone at the Federal Student Aid office about my Teacher Loan Forgiveness application, I finally tried using Claimyr (claimyr.com) and it was a game-changer. They got me through to a real human at FSA in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours or getting disconnected. The agent I spoke with actually looked up my application status and found that it was stuck in review because they needed one additional document from my school. No one had ever notified me! You can check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ Once I submitted that extra form, my application was approved within 3 weeks. Might be worth trying if you're stuck in the endless phone loop like I was.

I'm a financial aid counselor at a community college, and I've helped many teachers navigate loan forgiveness programs. Here's what you need to know about the current state of Teacher Loan Forgiveness: 1. Yes, the program is still functioning, but processing times have increased dramatically since loan servicing transferred to MOHELA. 2. The Department of Education announced in October that they're working through a backlog of forgiveness applications, prioritizing those that have been pending the longest. 3. You can request an escalation by specifically asking for a "case escalation due to extended processing time" - use those exact words. 4. While waiting, make sure you're also working toward PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) by certifying your employment annually. This way you're working toward both programs simultaneously. 5. If your application has been pending more than 6 months, you can also submit a complaint through the Federal Student Aid Feedback Center and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The good news is that I've seen a significant increase in approvals over the past two months as they work through the backlog. Don't give up!

I waited 11 months for my Teacher Loan Forgiveness to process last year, then got denied because they claimed my school wasn't on the eligible schools list for one of the five years. But it WAS eligible - I had to appeal with proof from the Teacher Cancellation Low Income Directory showing my school was listed for ALL five years. The appeal took another 3 months but I finally got approved for $5,000 forgiveness (elementary teacher). Definitely check your school's eligibility for each of your 5 years using the official directory: https://studentaid.gov/tcli/ Save PDF copies of the directory listings showing your school for each year. You might need them if they try to claim your school wasn't eligible.

my mom had same problem but with the pslf program not teacher one. she works at county hospital for 12 years and they kept saying her paperwork was wrong. she finally got congressman involved and MAGICALLY her application got approved next week! maybe try contacting your representative? worth a shot

I'm going through something similar right now! Applied for Teacher Loan Forgiveness 7 months ago after teaching special education for 5 years at a qualifying Title I school. MOHELA keeps giving me the runaround too - "still processing" every single time I call. What's really frustrating is that I can see other people who applied AFTER me on Reddit getting approved already. There's clearly no system to how they're processing these applications. I've started keeping a detailed log of every phone call like others suggested, and I'm going to try that "case escalation due to extended processing time" request that the financial aid counselor mentioned. The whole thing feels deliberately designed to make us give up, but we can't let them win! Hang in there - sounds like more approvals are coming through lately based on what people are saying here.