Student Loan Forgiveness for Native Americans: Everything You Need to Know

Q: Can you get your student loans forgiven if you are Native American?

Yes. There are a number of Native American student loan forgiveness programs available, including the Indian Health Services Loan Repayment Program and the Tribal College or University Cancellation plan. You can research the different options to find the one that might be best for you.

Q: Do you need to prove that you are Native American to have your student loans forgiven?

In some cases, to be eligible for student loan forgiveness, you may need to prove that you are Native American. For example, the Indian Higher Education Grant requires you to be an American Indian/Alaska Native.

Q: Which kinds of student loans can be forgiven for Native Americans?

Native Americans who work in the health and teaching professions will find forgiveness programs available for some federal student loans, including Perkins Loans and Direct Loans.

Native American Student Loan Forgiveness Tips

Melissa BrockUpdated August 14, 2025

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Editor’s note: Lantern by SoFi seeks to provide content that is objective, independent and accurate. Writers are separate from our business operation and do not receive direct compensation from advertisers or partners. Read more about our Editorial Guidelines and How We Make Money.

March 2025: The Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan for federal student loan repayment is on hold due to a court injunction. As of late March, these loan repayment plans are available: Income-Based Repayment, Pay As You Earn, and Income-Contingent Repayment. Federal student loan consolidation applications are also live. To monitor the latest decisions on federal student loan plans, check the Federal Student Aid site.

There are specific plans that Native Americans may be eligible for to help get relief from student loan debt. Read on for more information about student loan forgiveness for Native Americans, plus other options available for paying off your student loans.

What Is Student Loan Forgiveness?

With student loan forgiveness, all or some of a borrower’s student loan debt is canceled or forgiven, and they are no longer obligated to pay for the forgiven amount. There are different types of forgiveness, including federal and state programs, as well as those for certain professions or groups, such as military student loan forgiveness. There are also programs specifically aimed at Native American student loan forgiveness.

Native American Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Here are five indigenous student loan forgiveness programs, how they work, and the eligibility requirements.

1. Indian Health Services Loan Repayment Program

The Indian Health Services Loan Repayment Program assists those in health profession-related positions, such as physicians, nurses, dentists, and psychologists, with loan repayment. To qualify, applicants must work full-time at a health facility serving American Indian or Native Alaskan communities for two years, and if approved, they may receive up to $50,000 in loan repayment. If you have more than $50,000 in loan debt, you can extend your initial two-year contract and continue to serve until your debt is paid off.

2. Tribal College or University Cancellation

If you teach for five years at an accredited tribal college or university, and are a full-time faculty member, you may be eligible for having 30% of the original principal amount of your Perkins Loan canceled.In this program, 15% of the original principal loan balance plus interest is canceled the first and second years, 20% plus interest is canceled the third and fourth years, and 30% is canceled the fifth year. This program is one of a number of options for student loan debt forgiveness for teachers that you can explore.

3. Native American Grants

The Indian Higher Education Grant program offers financial aid to eligible American Indian/Alaska Native students to help with attendance at an accredited higher education institution.In order to qualify for the program, you must be:

An American Indian/Alaska Native
Accepted or enrolled in an accredited degree program, college, or university
Enrolled in a federally recognized American Indian tribe or Alaska Native village (or a family member must be enrolled)

Prior to applying, you can answer a series of questions to see if you may be eligible for this benefit.

4. Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

If you work full-time for a federal, state, local, or tribal government or nonprofit organization and are repaying your loans in an income-driven repayment plan, you may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. After you make 120 qualifying monthly payments, PSLF forgives the remaining balance of your federal Direct Loans. Direct Loans are low-interest loans granted by the federal government to help students pay for postsecondary education under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program.

5. Teacher Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

Teaching full-time for five consecutive years in a low-income school or educational service agency may qualify you for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on federal loans, including Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans and subsidized and unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans. You may also be able to obtain forgiveness for the outstanding portion of a Direct Consolidation Loan or a Federal Consolidation Loan.If you received a Perkins Loan in the past, you can qualify for up to 100% cancellation if you serve full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system in a high-need school. You can also teach part-time at multiple schools, at a private school, preschool, or pre-kindergarten, or low-income school. All Bureau of Indian Education elementary and secondary schools that operate on Indian reservations qualify as schools that teach low-income students.

Student Loan Forgiveness Alternatives

In addition to programs for Native Americans, there are some other student loan forgiveness alternatives you may wish to consider. In cases of financial hardship, deferring student loans, which means getting approval from your loan servicer to pause them temporarily, could also be an option. Note that deferment for economic hardship and unemployment will no longer be available for loans made after July 1, 2027.

Student Loan Income-Driven Repayment Programs

An income-driven repayment plan makes student loan repayment more manageable by putting you on a payment plan based on your income and family size. Income-driven repayment plans base the borrower’s minimum monthly payment on the income they earn, and their payment won’t surpass 10% to 20% of their discretionary income. This type of payment plan is long-term — 20 to 25 years — but it can make it easier to afford payments. Due to recent legislation, most of the current IDR plan options are set to close soon. Current borrowers will still have access to the Income-Based Repayment plan or can switch to the new Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) in the summer of 2026. One way to get an overview of all your options is to contact your loan servicer for all the student loan repayment plans available. You can also use the Loan Simulator tool on the Federal Student Aid website.

Student Loan Refinancing

When you refinance student loans, you apply for a new loan that replaces your original loans and you get new rates and terms. There are advantages and disadvantages of student loan refinancing. One perk is that refinancing your student loans may help you get a lower interest rate so that you could save money and pay off your student loan debt faster.However, a major drawback is the way refinancing impacts student loan forgiveness. If borrowers refinance a federal student loan into a private loan, they lose access to federal protections and benefits. It’s very important to be aware of this if you’re considering refinancing federal loans. Learn more about how student loan refinancing works before you make a final decision about whether it's the right option for you.

The Takeaway

There are a number of student loan forgiveness programs for Native Americans that could help you make considerable headway in paying off your student loan debt. Explore the available plans to see what you might be eligible for.If you don’t qualify for one of these programs, there are other options, such as the Income-Based Repayment plan and student loan refinancing, that may make it a little easier to manage and pay back your student loans.Keep in mind that refinancing federal loans means losing access to federal benefits. Make sure you've weighed the pros and cons before moving forward with refinancing your student loans. If you’re interested in refinancing, many lenders let you check your rates online with no impact on your credit score. By taking advantage of this prequalification, you can quickly browse offers with no obligation. Lantern by SoFi can help you find and compare student loan refinance rates so you can find the best offer for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you get your student loans forgiven if you are Native American?

Do you need to prove that you are Native American to have your student loans forgiven?

Which kinds of student loans can be forgiven for Native Americans?

Photo credit: iStock/cagkansayin

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About the Author

Melissa Brock

Melissa Brock is a higher education and personal finance expert with more than a decade of experience writing online content. She spent 12 years in college admission prior to switching to full-time freelance writing and editing. Her work has appeared on Yahoo Finance, Entrepreneur, Investopedia, The Balance, FinanceBuzz, The Journal of College Admission, MarketBeat, College Finance, Rocket Mortgage, LeverageRx, Benzinga, Morty, Ally, and more.

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