New York Student Loan Forgiveness Programs

New York offers more student loan repayment assistance programs than almost any state, but most open for a short window once a year and many are closed right now. Health care workers get the largest awards, led by the new HEALR program for providers who serve Medicaid patients, while prosecutors, public defenders, social workers, farmers, nursing faculty, and child welfare workers have smaller HESC programs. Teachers and everyone else should start with federal forgiveness programs, where the bigger dollars are.

Health Care Access Loan Repayment (HEALR)

HEALR launched in January 2026 as a $48.3 million program that pays up to $300,000 to psychiatrists, $100,000 to primary care physicians and dentists, and $50,000 to nurse practitioners and pediatric clinical nurse specialists (Office of the Governor). In return, recipients work full time for four years at an organization where at least 30% of patients have Medicaid or no insurance, or one contracted with a state-designated Social Care Network (NYS Department of Health). The psychiatrist award is the largest in our breakdown of student loan forgiveness for doctors.

Doctors Across New York (DANY) Physician Loan Repayment

DANY pays up to $40,000 a year for three years, or $120,000 total, to physicians who practice full time in an underserved area, and the most recent cycle planned roughly 132 awards from up to $15.8 million (NYS Department of Health). Physicians should compare it with HEALR and the federal options in our doctors forgiveness breakdown.

OMH Psychiatrist Loan Repayment Program

The Office of Mental Health (OMH) pays up to $120,000, or your loan balance if lower, to psychiatrists who work three years at an OMH facility, and it accepts applications continuously (NYS Office of Mental Health). State psychiatric centers are government employers, so the same years also count toward PSLF.

Community Mental Health Loan Repayment Program

OMH's 2026 round pays up to $30,000 over a three-year commitment to licensed master and clinical social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, creative arts therapists, occupational therapists, psychoanalysts, and psychologists at OMH-licensed community programs (NYS Office of Mental Health). It funds at least 500 awards from up to $5 million a year, with $1.5 million a year set aside for underrepresented professionals. Many of these employers are nonprofits, so track nonprofit student loan forgiveness through PSLF too.

Primary Care Service Corps

The Primary Care Service Corps pays up to $72,000 to dentists, $54,000 to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and certified nurse midwives, and $36,000 to mental health providers and dental hygienists for three years at an NHSC-approved site (NYS Department of Health). Nurse practitioners can compare it with federal Nurse Corps in our roundup of student loan forgiveness for nurses.

Regents Physician Loan Forgiveness Program

The State Education Department makes at least 80 awards of up to $10,000 a year for two years to physicians who finished residency within the past five years and practice in a Regents-designated physician shortage area (NYSED). Eligible specialties are family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics, and psychiatry in certain state facilities, and physicians can stack it with the federal options in our doctors forgiveness breakdown.

District Attorney And Indigent Legal Services Attorney Loan Forgiveness

HESC pays $3,400 for each year of qualified service, up to $20,400 over six years, to full-time district attorneys, assistant DAs, and indigent legal services attorneys with at least four but no more than nine years in the job (HESC). There's no income limit, and the same jobs qualify for PSLF.

Licensed Social Worker Loan Forgiveness

Licensed social workers who work at least 35 hours a week in a critical human service area can receive $6,500 a year, up to $26,000 over four years (HESC). Social workers at nonprofits and public agencies can add PSLF.

Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program

Registered nurses with a master's or doctorate who teach at a New York nursing school can receive $8,000 for each year of service, up to $40,000 (HESC). Nursing faculty at public colleges also work for PSLF-qualifying employers, which our graduate school forgiveness breakdown covers.

Child Welfare Worker Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program

Graduates of New York colleges who apply within two years of graduating and work five years in direct care at an OCFS-licensed nonprofit child welfare agency can receive up to $10,000 a year, or $50,000 total (HESC). Our list of nonprofit student loan forgiveness options covers what else these workers can use.

Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program

Farmers in their first 10 years of full-time farming in New York who agree to farm five more years can receive up to $10,000 a year, or $50,000 total, with no income limit (HESC). It's one of the few state programs outside health care and public service, so compare it with the options in our list of student loan forgiveness programs.

Get On Your Feet Loan Forgiveness Program

Get On Your Feet pays 100% of your monthly federal income-driven payment for 24 months if you earned no higher than a bachelor's degree from a New York college in December 2014 or later and have adjusted gross income under $50,000 (HESC). HESC says the application is available, but the program is postponed until fall 2026. It lists only IBR at 10% of discretionary income, PAYE, and REPAYE as qualifying plans, so check our RAP vs. IBR comparison before switching plans.

NYS Math And Science Teaching Incentive Program

Full-time students preparing to teach secondary math or science can receive $7,070 a year for 2026–27, or actual tuition if lower, and must then teach math or science full time in a New York secondary school for five years (HESC). Teaching must start within two years of finishing your degree and certification, and future teachers can plan ahead with our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

Masters In Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship

Graduate students in a full-time master's in education program can receive up to $5,655 a semester, capped at SUNY tuition, in exchange for five years of full-time teaching in a New York public school or public pre-K program (HESC). Graduate borrowers can compare this with our graduate school forgiveness breakdown.

Senator Patricia K. McGee Nursing Faculty Scholarship

Licensed registered nurses in master's or doctoral nursing programs can receive up to $20,000 a year, or SUNY graduate cost of attendance if lower, and must then live in New York and serve as nursing faculty or adjunct faculty for four years (HESC). Nurses already teaching can use the Nursing Faculty Loan Forgiveness program above, and our nursing forgiveness roundup covers federal options.

Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship

Workers with at least two years at an OCFS-licensed nonprofit child welfare agency can have their degree covered, up to SUNY cost of attendance or $20,000 a year at private graduate schools, if they commit to five more years in direct care in New York (HESC). Awards convert to a 10-year loan if you don't finish, so compare it with nonprofit student loan forgiveness through PSLF.

New York bases its income tax on federal adjusted gross income and automatically updates with changes in federal law, and it also has an explicit subtraction for student loan death and disability discharges (The College Investor). PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness stay tax-free at both levels.

Forgiveness under income-driven plans became federally taxable again on January 1, 2026, when the American Rescue Plan exclusion expired, and New York follows that treatment (Taxes And Student Loan Forgiveness). Borrowers expecting IBR or RAP forgiveness can estimate the bill with our student loan tax bomb calculator.

HESC says District Attorney and Indigent Legal Services loan forgiveness payments are taxable and reported on a 1099 (HESC). Ask the agency running any other New York award how it's reported, and read our explainer on the 1099-C and student loan forgiveness before filing.

Does New York Have A Student Loan Forgiveness Program?

New York offers student loan repayment assistance programs rather than broad loan forgiveness. It runs 12 loan repayment programs and four service-based scholarships for health care workers, lawyers, social workers, farmers, teachers, and child welfare workers. Borrowers outside those fields rely on Get On Your Feet, federal programs like PSLF, and income-driven plan forgiveness.

Does New York Still Have Teacher Loan Forgiveness?

HESC's NYS Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, which paid up to $20,000 to teachers in hard-to-staff districts or shortage subjects, is no longer accepting applications (HESC). Future teachers can use the Math and Science Teaching Incentive or Masters in Education scholarships, and working teachers should use the federal programs in our teacher forgiveness breakdown.

Can New York Doctors And Nurses Get Help Repaying Student Loans?

Psychiatrists can receive up to $300,000 and primary care physicians up to $100,000 through HEALR, and DANY pays physicians up to $120,000 (Office of the Governor). Nurse practitioners can use HEALR or the Primary Care Service Corps, and nursing faculty have their own HESC program, covered alongside federal options in our nursing forgiveness roundup.

What Happened To Get On Your Feet?

HESC still takes Get On Your Feet applications, but it has postponed the program until fall 2026 and lists only IBR, PAYE, and REPAYE as qualifying plans (HESC). Borrowers weighing a move to RAP should read how RAP works and confirm with HESC before switching.

Is Student Loan Forgiveness Taxable In New York?

New York follows federal treatment, so PSLF and Teacher Loan Forgiveness are tax-free while income-driven plan forgiveness granted after 2025 is taxable (The College Investor). Use our tax bomb calculator to estimate what you'd owe.