If you are receiving unsolicited phone calls from an entity pretending to be ACCC (a trusted non-profit credit counseling agency), please be assured that ACCC’s policy is NEVER to contact you unless you’ve explicitly requested us to call you. Also be cautious of emails from an unusual or unfamiliar domain. ACCC’s domain extension is @consumercredit.com, and any emails using a different extension should be treated with suspicion.

×

ACCC’s Client Login allows current clients to access their program information, including the due date, program benefits, and other documents.

Select a Client Login below based on the service that you are currently enrolled in:

Debt Management Program

Client Login

Not yet a client, but looking to get started?

ACCC offers debt relief options to individuals and families that are suffering from stress related to credit card debt by providing effective credit counseling, helping to consolidate debt, and advising on debt management.

Get Started

Wait!

You are now leaving the Consumer Credit website and are going to a website that is not operated by ACCC. We are not responsible for the content or availability of linked sites.

Are you sure you want to leave?

No, return me to the previous page.

Yes

Everything You Need to Know About Student Debt Forgiveness

Student loan debt is a burden that can follow college graduates for years after they finish their degree. Due to COVID-19, the CARES Act has suspended federal student loans until December 31, 2020. While this may be helpful in the short-term, student loan borrowers will still have to start making payments again next year. You may be wondering if student debt forgiveness is an option. As a non profit credit counseling agency, ACCC is here to outline everything you need to know about student debt forgiveness and alternative options!

ACCC has the facts about student debt forgiveness.

ACCC has the facts about student debt forgiveness.

Student Debt Forgiveness: Who Qualifies? 

Eligibility for student loan debt forgiveness can be complicated. It depends on a number of factors, including what kind of student loans you have, how long you’ve been paying on them, and how long you have been employed full-time. These programs are designed to encourage bright young minds in America to give back to their community by choosing careers in high-need fields. There are both federal and state student loan forgiveness programs, each with different criteria for qualification. In order to know if you qualify, you will likely have to do a bit of research on your own.

There are several careers paths that may offer student loan forgiveness. If you work in the public sector or at a nonprofit organization full-time, you may qualify for full cancellation of your student loans. Besides public sector or nonprofit employees, doctors and registered nurses may also be eligible for student debt forgiveness. Medical professionals serving in the military could also qualify for additional student loan forgiveness programs. Another common career that often is eligible for student loan forgiveness is teachers. If you aren’t sure what you qualify for, don’t be afraid to ask questions and do your own research before you apply.

Other Student Loan Options

If you don’t qualify for student debt forgiveness, there are still other options. There are various repayment plans that may be helpful, as well as consolidation and deferment options: 

Types of Repayment Plans

There are a number of student loan repayment options to help you pay off student loans in a timely manner that will also work with your budget. Repayment plans can be changed at any time, even if you’ve been assigned a repayment plan when you first began repaying the student loan. These repayment options are available for Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL). For federal Perkins loans, check for student loan repayment program options with the school. 

  • Standard Repayment Plan
  • Graduated Repayment Plan
  • Extended Repayment Plan
  • Income-Based Repayment Loan
  • Income-Contingent Repayment Plan
  • Income-Sensitive Repayment Plan

Student Loan Consolidation

If you have multiple federal student loans to pay off, you may want to consider student loan consolidation. With consolidation, your student loans are combined into one monthly payment. This can be convenient since you won’t have to worry about remembering to make multiple payments each month. Consolidating your student loans can also lower your monthly payment by increasing the amount of time you have to pay off the loan. However, once you consolidate your student loans, you can lose benefits like interest rate discounts, rebates, or student debt forgiveness.

If you are struggling to pay off debt, ACCC can help! Schedule a free credit counseling session with us today. 

ABOUT AUTHOR / Madison

Madison is a Marketing Communications & Programs Associate at ACCC. She is excited to share her tips on saving money and being financially responsible here on the Talking Cents blog!

View all author posts →

creditU

Your Ultimate Money Management App

Meet CreditU, the ultimate one-stop debt and financial management app! See your full financial overview, including debts, income, expenses, and savings.

CreditU Apple App Store
Dev Tool:

Request: blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-student-debt-forgiveness
Matched Rewrite Rule: blog/([^/]+)/?$
Matched Rewrite Query: post_type=post&name=everything-you-need-to-know-about-student-debt-forgiveness
Loaded Template: single.php