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.

I'm a new teacher who just started my first year at a Title I school, and reading all of these experiences is honestly terrifying! I chose teaching partly because of the loan forgiveness programs, but now I'm wondering if I made a huge mistake. My loans are about $28,000 right now and I'm already stressed about whether I'll ever actually see any forgiveness. For those of you who have been through this nightmare - do you have any advice for someone just starting out? Should I be doing anything specific NOW to protect myself when I apply in 4 years? I'm thinking about keeping detailed records from day one, but I'm not sure what exactly to document. Also, should I be worried about my loans growing even more while I'm teaching? The stories about people paying thousands but still owing more than they started with are keeping me up at night!

Don't give up! I know it's incredibly frustrating, but I actually did get my Teacher Loan Forgiveness approved after a long battle. I taught 3rd grade for 5 years at a qualifying school and applied in 2022. It took 13 months of constant follow-ups, but I finally got my $5,000 forgiveness last spring. Here's what worked for me: I started escalating every single phone call after month 6. I would immediately ask to speak to a supervisor and use the phrase "case escalation due to extended processing time" that someone mentioned. I also started emailing my loan servicer every two weeks asking for written status updates - not just calling. Having a paper trail seemed to help. The breakthrough came when I filed a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Within 3 weeks of filing that complaint, MOHELA suddenly "found" my application and fast-tracked it. I think the external pressure really makes a difference. Also, double-check that you submitted the correct Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application form and not the PSLF form - they're different applications and I've seen people accidentally submit the wrong one, which causes delays. Keep fighting! The program does work, even if the servicers make it unnecessarily difficult.

I'm a first-year teacher at a Title I middle school and this thread has been incredibly eye-opening! I had no idea the Teacher Loan Forgiveness process was this complicated and drawn out. Reading everyone's experiences, I'm realizing I need to start preparing NOW even though I won't be eligible to apply for another 4 years. Quick question for those who've been through this - I currently have both Direct Loans and some older FFEL loans from undergrad. Should I consolidate everything into Direct Loans right away, or wait? I've heard conflicting advice about whether consolidation resets your payment count for forgiveness programs. Also, I'm teaching 6th grade math - does that qualify for the higher $17,500 forgiveness amount since it's math, or only the $5,000 since it's middle school? The requirements seem confusing about grade levels vs. subject areas. Thanks to everyone sharing their experiences here - it's frustrating that we have to crowdsource this information instead of getting clear guidance from our loan servicers, but this community is invaluable!

I'm a high school science teacher in my 3rd year at a Title I school, and this thread is both terrifying and incredibly helpful! I'm planning to apply for Teacher Loan Forgiveness in 2 years, but after reading all these horror stories about MOHELA, I'm wondering if I should also be preparing for PSLF as a backup plan. My original loan balance was $31,000 and I'm currently on an Income-Driven Repayment plan paying about $180/month. Since I teach chemistry, I should qualify for the full $17,500 Teacher Loan Forgiveness, but honestly after reading about 9+ month processing delays and constant denials, I'm losing faith in the system. Has anyone here successfully done both programs simultaneously? Like gotten Teacher Loan Forgiveness for your first 5 years, then continued with PSLF for the remaining 5 years to get full forgiveness? I'm trying to figure out the best long-term strategy since it seems like having multiple paths might be safer than relying on just one program. Also, thank you to everyone sharing specific actionable advice like the case escalation language and CFPB complaints - I'm screenshot-ing all of this for when I need it in a couple years!

I'm a new member here but have been following this thread closely because I'm dealing with the exact same situation! I'm a 4th year elementary teacher (so still one year away from being eligible to apply) and seeing all these processing delays and horror stories with MOHELA has me really concerned. What strikes me most is how many of you are staying persistent despite the system clearly being designed to wear us down. That takes real courage and I have so much respect for everyone fighting this battle. I wanted to ask - for those of you who have been successful or are still in process, have you found it helpful to connect with other teachers at your school who might be going through the same thing? I'm wondering if there's power in numbers, like if multiple teachers from the same school are all calling about delayed applications, maybe that creates more pressure on the servicers? Also, I've been keeping detailed records from day one thanks to advice I've seen in forums like this, but I'm realizing I should probably also be taking photos/screenshots of my actual loan balances and payment history regularly in case they try to claim my payments don't qualify for some reason. Thank you all for sharing your experiences - it's helping those of us coming behind you prepare better for what's unfortunately going to be a fight.

I'm a newer teacher (2nd year) at a Title I elementary school and this thread is both incredibly helpful and absolutely infuriating! Reading everyone's experiences makes it clear that the loan servicers are deliberately making this process as difficult as possible to discourage people from following through. What really gets me is that we're the people educating the next generation, often in the most challenging schools, and this is how the system treats us? Meanwhile, we could have gone into private sector jobs making more money with better benefits, but we chose public service because we believed in these programs. I'm definitely taking notes on all the strategies you've shared - the case escalation language, documenting everything, filing CFPB complaints, and keeping detailed call logs. It's ridiculous that we have to become amateur legal experts just to get what was promised to us, but if that's what it takes, so be it. One question for the group: has anyone tried reaching out to their state's Department of Education or teacher's union for support with these applications? I'm wondering if there are any state-level resources that might be able to advocate for us or provide guidance beyond what the federal servicers are giving us. Keep fighting everyone - reading your persistence gives me hope that when my time comes in 3 years, I'll be ready for the battle!

I'm a 3rd year high school math teacher at a Title I school, and honestly this entire thread is both incredibly helpful and completely disheartening. The fact that we have to create our own survival guide just to access programs that were designed to encourage people to go into teaching is absolutely backwards. What really bothers me is how the loan servicers seem to have zero accountability. Like, how is it legal for them to just say "it's processing" for 9+ months with no real updates? If any other industry treated customers this way, there would be consequences. I'm definitely bookmarking this thread and taking screenshots of all the advice - the case escalation language, CFPB complaints, documentation strategies, everything. It's crazy that I have to prep for battle 2 years before I'm even eligible to apply, but clearly that's the reality. One thing I'm wondering - has anyone tried organizing with other teachers beyond just their own school? Like creating a group of teachers across the district or state who are all dealing with delayed applications? Sometimes there's more power in collective action, and it might get more media attention than individual complaints. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, even the frustrating ones. At least now those of us still working toward eligibility know what we're up against and can prepare accordingly.