New York State Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

New York State runs seven student loan forgiveness programs through the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), each tied to a specific career field or, in one case, to a low-income graduate working in any job. Awards range from roughly $3,400 a year for prosecutors and public defenders to $10,000 a year for farmers and child welfare workers, with lifetime caps between $20,000 and $50,000.¹ These are separate from federal options like Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and you can qualify for a state program even if you are also pursuing federal relief.

Which Program Fits Your Situation

Six of the seven programs require you to work in a specific field in New York. The seventh, Get on Your Feet, is open to any recent graduate under an income cap. Here is the short version so you can skip to what applies to you:

Recent graduate earning under $50,000, any job: Get on Your Feet
Full-time farmer: Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program
Full-time child welfare worker at an eligible nonprofit: Child Welfare Worker Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program
Certified teacher in a shortage subject or hard-to-staff district: Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
District attorney, assistant DA, or indigent legal services attorney: District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness
Nursing faculty with a master’s or doctorate teaching at a New York nursing school: Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program
Licensed social worker in a designated critical human service area: Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness Program

Get on Your Feet (For Any Recent Graduate Under the Income Cap)

Get on Your Feet is the broadest program because it is not limited to a profession. It covers 100 percent of your monthly federal income-driven repayment plan payment for up to 24 months, paid directly toward your federal loan balance.² The practical value depends on what your income-driven plan calculates as your monthly amount.

To qualify, you must have graduated from a New York State high school (or earned a high school equivalency diploma through an approved New York program), earned an undergraduate degree from a college headquartered in New York, and applied within two years of that degree.³ Your adjusted gross income (including a spouse’s if applicable) must be under $50,000.² You also need to be enrolled in a federal income-driven repayment plan that sets payments at roughly 10 percent of discretionary income, such as Pay As You Earn or Revised Pay As You Earn. If you are employed, the job must be in New York, though holding a job is not itself a requirement.

One critical timing note: Get on Your Feet is postponed until fall 2026. The application portal is open and HESC is accepting submissions, but no awards are being processed until then.³ If you are nearing the two-year window after graduation, apply now anyway to preserve eligibility.

Programs for Farmers and Child Welfare Workers

These two programs pay the most: up to $10,000 a year for five years, capped at $50,000.

The Young Farmers program requires you to operate a farm in New York full-time, hold outstanding student loan debt from an approved New York college or university, and commit to farming in the state for at least five years.⁴ The annual award is the lesser of $10,000 or your remaining loan balance, so payments stop once your eligible debt is covered.

The Child Welfare Worker program is for people working full-time as child welfare workers at voluntary not-for-profit agencies licensed by the Office of Children and Family Services. You sign a service contract committing to five years of direct care at an eligible agency.⁵ This program has broader loan coverage than most: eligible debt includes federal loans, New York State loans, and private student loans from commercial lenders, as long as the debt funded an undergraduate or graduate degree from an approved New York school. Parent PLUS loans are excluded.

Programs for Teachers, Attorneys, Nursing Faculty, and Social Workers

Teachers

Certified teachers working full-time in a subject shortage area or hard-to-staff school district can receive up to $5,000 per year for four years, with a $20,000 lifetime cap.⁶ You must have been teaching in an eligible setting during both the current and previous school years. HESC updates the lists of qualifying subject areas and districts, so verify both before applying.

District Attorneys and Public Defenders

Prosecutors and indigent legal services attorneys who have worked full-time in New York for at least four years but no more than nine can receive $3,400 per year for up to six years, capped at $20,400.⁷ District attorneys, assistant district attorneys, and attorneys providing indigent legal services all qualify, as do law school graduates awaiting bar admission who are already employed by a prosecuting or criminal defense agency. There is no income limit on this program.

Nursing Faculty

Registered nurses licensed in New York who hold a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing and teach at a New York nursing school can receive up to $8,000 per year, with a $40,000 lifetime cap over five years.⁸ You must provide at least 12 credit hours of classroom or clinical instruction during the qualifying annual period.

Licensed Social Workers

Licensed social workers employed full-time (at least 35 hours per week) in a designated critical human service area can apply. HESC publishes a county-by-county list of eligible service areas, and you must have worked in your qualifying role during the full calendar year before applying.⁹ Check the program page for current award amounts and duration; the designations and funding are reviewed annually.

Baseline Eligibility Across Programs

Beyond the professional criteria, most HESC forgiveness programs share a few baseline rules. You must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, a legal New York resident who has lived in the state for at least 12 continuous months, and not in default on any federal or New York State student loan.⁷ If you are currently in default, cure that status first.

Loan type matters. Get on Your Feet covers only federal loans in income-driven repayment. The Child Welfare Worker program accepts federal, state, and private commercial loans. Other programs sit somewhere between those two ends, so confirm your specific loans qualify before you count on an award.⁵ Only Get on Your Feet requires income-driven repayment plan enrollment; the career-specific programs do not.

How to Apply

All applications run through the HESC website. Start at the loan forgiveness programs page and select the program that matches your situation.¹ Before you log in, pull together your federal loan servicer name, account numbers, outstanding balances, and current repayment plan, along with financial information from your most recent tax return for the income verification. For career-specific programs, your employer must complete and sign a verification form confirming job title, full-time status, and start date. Proof of New York residency, such as a driver’s license or utility bill, is also commonly required.

After submission, HESC communicates decisions by email or through its online messaging system. If approved, you are not done. Most programs require annual recertification with updated employment and residency documentation. Miss a recertification deadline and your payments can be suspended and your participation ended.

Taxes on Forgiveness Awards

The American Rescue Plan Act temporarily excluded student loan forgiveness from federal taxable income, but only for loans forgiven between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2025.¹⁰ Forgiveness received in 2026 is generally treated as cancellation-of-debt income on your federal return. Your lender or the NYS Office of the State Comptroller will issue a 1099-C in early 2027 showing the total forgiveness payments you received during the year.³

If your total liabilities exceed the fair market value of your assets at the time of forgiveness, you may qualify as insolvent under federal tax rules and can exclude some or all of the forgiven amount by filing IRS Form 982.¹⁰ For New York State income tax treatment, HESC directs borrowers to consult a tax professional or the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. Plan for a potential tax bill in the spring after any year you receive forgiveness payments.

If You Break the Service Commitment

These programs are contracts. The state pays your loans; you serve in New York for the agreed term. Under Get on Your Feet, anyone who is not a New York resident when a payment is made must refund those payments, and HESC can pursue recovery.² For the career-specific programs with a five- or six-year service contract, leaving early typically means losing future payments and potentially owing back what you already received.

Becoming delinquent or defaulting on any federal or state student loan during the forgiveness period also costs you eligibility until the issue is resolved. The same goes for failing to comply with a service condition from a prior state award. Before you commit, be honest with yourself about whether you can finish the full service term. Walking away partway through can leave you worse off than if you had never enrolled.

1
Higher Education Services Corporation. New York State Loan Forgiveness Programs
2
New York State Senate. New York Education Law 679-G – New York State Get on Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program
3
Higher Education Services Corporation. Get on Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program
4
Higher Education Services Corporation. Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program
5
Higher Education Services Corporation. Child Welfare Worker Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program
6
Higher Education Services Corporation. Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
7
Higher Education Services Corporation. District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness Program
8
Higher Education Services Corporation. Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness (NFLF) Incentive Program
9
Higher Education Services Corporation. Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness (LSWLF) Program
10
Taxpayer Advocate Service. What to Know about Student Loan Forgiveness and Your Taxes