You may have all or part of your Perkins Loan canceled for full-time employment in certain types of service, as long as your loan is not in default.

Heartland ECSI - Your Loan Servicer
Puget Sound has partnered with Heartland ECSI (Educational Computer Systems, Inc), to be the loan servicer for your Perkins Loan. Please complete your cancellation form and mail directly to Heartland ECSI for processing.

Download a Request for Cancellation Form (PDF)

Type of Service Amount Forgiven
Teaching 100%
Nurse or Medical Technician (OT/PT) 100%
Peace Corps or Americorps*VISTA Volunteer 70%
Early Intervention Services 100%
Law Enforcement or Corrections Officer 100%
Child or Family Service Agency 100%
Firefighters 100%
Librarian 100%
Speech-Language Pathologist 100%
Head Start Services 100%
Military Cancellation up to 100%

Teaching

  • full-time teacher in a public or other nonprofit elementary or secondary school or in a school or location operated by an educational service agency that has been designated by the Department in accordance with the provisions of section 465(a)(2) of the Act as a school with a high concentration of students from low-income families. An official Directory of designated low-income schools and locations operated by educational service agencies is published annually by the Department.
  • full-time special education teacher in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system, including a system administered by an educational service agency
  • full-time teacher in a public or other nonprofit elementary or secondary school system who teaches mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, or any other field of expertise that is determined by the State Department of Education to have a shortage of qualified teachers in that State.

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Nurse or Medical Technician

  • full-time nurse providing health care services
  • full-time medical technician providing health care services

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Peace Corps or Americorps*VISTA Volunteer

  • volunteer as a Peace Corps or Americorps*VISTA volunteer
  • Americorps volunteers do not qualify for this cancellation unless their volunteer service is with Americorps*VISTA. An Americorps*VISTA volunteer may only qualify for this cancellation if they elect not to receive a national service education award for his or her volunteer service. The Americorps*VISTA volunteer must provide appropriate documentation showing they have declined the Americorps national service education award.

Cancellation Rate - 70 percent cancellation over a period of 4 years:

15 percent of the original loan amount for each of the first and second 12-month periods of service
20 percent of the original loan amount for each of the third and fourth 12-month periods of service

Early Intervention Services

  • full-time qualified professional provider of early intervention services in a public or other nonprofit program under public supervision by a lead agency as authorized by section 632(5) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Early intervention services are provided to infants and toddlers with disabilities.

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Law Enforcement or Corrections Officer

  • full-time law enforcement officer for an eligible local, State, or Federal law enforcement agency
  • full-time corrections officer for an eligible local, State, or Federal corrections agency
  • full-time attorneys employed in Federal Public Defender Organizations or Community Defender Organizations, established in accordance with Section 3006A(g)(2) of Title 18, U.S.C.

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Child or Family Service Agency

  • full-time employee of an eligible public or private non-profit child or family service agency who is directly providing or supervising the provision of services to high-risk children who are from low-income communities and the families of such children

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Firefighters

  • full-time firefighter for a local, State or Federal fire department or fire district

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Librarian

  • full-time librarian who has a master’s degree in library science and is employed in an elementary or secondary school that is eligible for assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, or who is employed in a public library that serves a geographic area that contains one or more such schools

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Speech-Language Pathologist

  • full-time speech-language pathologist who has a master’s degree and who is working exclusively with schools that are eligible for assistance under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

Cancellation Rate - 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year

Head Start Services

  • full-time staff member in the educational component of a Head Start program, or a full-time staff member in a pre-kindergarten or child care program that is licensed or regulated by the State. The program must be operated for a period comparable to a full School year and must pay a salary comparable to an employee of a local educational agency

Cancellation Rate - for each completed year of service, a portion of this loan will be canceled at the rate of 15 percent of the original principal loan amount.

Military Cancellation - Upon making a properly documented written request, up to 50 percent of the principal amount of this loan may be canceled for qualifying service that ended before August 14, 2008, and up to 100 percent cancelled for qualifying service that began on or after August 14, 2008, as:

  • member of the Armed Forces of the United States in an area of hostilities that qualifies for special pay under section 310 of Title 37 of the United States Code

Cancellation Rate

For each completed year of service under the Military Cancellation provision that ended before August 14, 2008, this loan will be canceled at the rate of 12½ percent of the original principal loan amount.

For qualifying service that began on or after August 14, 2008, 100 percent cancellation over a period of 5 years:

15 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the first and second years
20 percent of the original principal loan amount for each of the third and fourth years
30 percent of the original principal loan amount for the fifth year