See if your loans should be cancelled
All federal student loans have built-in protection against things like fraud, school closings, permanent disability and death.
Learn about whom to contact, the four types of loan cancellation, eligibility requirements and applicable forms:
- Whom should I contact about loan cancellation?
- False certification: cancellation due to fraud
- Closed schools: cancellation due to a school closing while you were attending
- Unpaid refund: cancellation due to a school not refunding an unused portion of your loan
- Total and permanent disability
- Death
- Spouses and Parents of September 11, 2001 Victims
Whom should I contact about loan cancellation?
Contact your lender to discuss your eligibility for loan cancellation. If you don’t know who your lender is, go to the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS), which is the central database for all federal student loan information. Then you can download the appropriate form below and send it to your lender to apply for loan consolidation.
Back to topFalse certification: cancellation due to fraud
False certification cancels any loans that were fraudulently originated by the school. False certification applies to loans disbursed after January 1, 1986, and is tightly defined to cover the following specific situations:
Ability to benefit
Every school must certify that students are eligible for a federal student loan. For students without a high school diploma or GED, this means the school must demonstrate that the student is academically able to benefit from the school’s programs before the student can take out a loan. Many schools test each student’s ability before certifying them for loans and offer remedial classes to prepare them for the challenges of college.
If a school falsely certified you for a program for which you did not qualify, you may be eligible for loan cancellation. However, you must demonstrate that the school falsely certified your ability to complete the program by:
- Failing to test your academic abilities
- Conducting improper or fraudulent tests
- Failing to offer remedial instruction
Ability to benefit cancellation only applies to fraudulent certification. It does not apply to schools that misrepresent their education programs, the quality of their facilities and faculty, or their ability to help you find employment in your field of study.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion. 
Unauthorized signature
If an official your school forged your signature on a promissory note or loan application, you may be eligible for loan cancellation.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Disqualifying status
If your school certified your eligibility to study for a field in which you couldn’t work, you may be entitled to loan cancellation. Barriers can include physical or mental conditions, legal status or other conditions that would legally bar employment in your field of study. An example of this is a school knowingly admitting a felon into law school.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Identity theft
If student loans were taken out in your name as a result of identity theft, you may qualify for a false certification cancellation.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Closed schools: cancellation due to a school closing within 90 days of your being enrolled
If your school closed while you were enrolled and before you completed your program, you may be eligible for loan cancellation. The U.S. Department of Education has an online closed school search page where you can confirm your school closed. Closed school cancellation applies to loans disbursed after January 1, 1986, and covers these specific situations:
- You did not complete the program through a teach-out at another school
- You could not transfer academic credits or hours from the closed school to another school
- The school closed while you were enrolled
- The school closed within 90 days of an approved leave of absence or withdrawal
You can find out more on the U.S. Department of Education’s Closed School Information section of the website.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Unpaid refund: cancellation due to a school not refunding an unused portion of your loan
If your school was to refund a portion of your loan to your lender and didn't, the amount of the refund and any accrued interest related to the refund amount can be cancelled.
If your school is still open, contact your school to discuss the situation. If your school is no longer open, contact your loan holder to discuss your options.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Total and permanent disability
If you become totally and permanently disabled, your student loans may be cancelled. To qualify, you must have a physician (doctor of medicine or osteopathy) certify that you are totally and permanently disabled.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
Death
Upon death, a borrower’s remaining student loans are cancelled and no future payments are necessary. The same applies for the death of a student on PLUS loans. To validate a borrower’s death, an original death certificate, a certified copy, or a clear, accurate and complete photocopy are required.
Back to topSpouses and Parents of September 11, 2001 Victims
This loan cancellation is for survivors of public servants and other victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.
