Get our weekly newsletter for the latest in money news, credit card offers + more ways to save
Minnesota has several repayment programs for a relatively wide range of professions — especially if you’re in medicine or agriculture. It’s also one of the few states with aviation and veterinarian forgiveness programs.
Minnesota Agricultural Education Loan Forgiveness Program
Amount: $3,000 per year — for up to five years
Qualifying loans: All federal and private student loans for undergraduate and graduate degrees. Parent PLUS Loans are ineligible, as are Direct Consolidation Loans that include Parent PLUS Loans.
This program is designed to encourage agricultural professionals to go into primary and secondary school teaching. Recipients of this award must agree to work at an eligible teaching job full time for at least one year. You can apply for up to five years of forgiveness.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you must meet the following criteria:
Undergraduate or graduate degree in agricultural education that’s eligible for a Minnesota state teaching license
Work at a Minnesota public, private or charter school — or at a tribal contract school that receives Minnesota aid
Teach agricultural education to grades five through 12
Minnesota Aviation Degree Loan Repayment Program
Amount: $3,000 to $5,000 per year — for up to five years
Qualifying loans: Any loan used to cover the cost of a professional aviation degree from a Minnesota school
The purpose of this program is to encourage aspiring pilots and aircraft technicians to attend school and work in Minnesota. Technicians can receive up to $3,000 per year, while pilots can get as much as $5,000 in annual repayment assistance. If you receive this award, you’re required to work in Minnesota full time for at least one year.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you must meet the following criteria:
Associate or bachelor’s degree from a Minnesota school
Qualified pilot that holds or is in the process of obtaining an airline transport pilot certificate OR qualified aircraft technician that holds an aviation mechanic certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration
Minnesota resident
Student loans from a professional aviation degree at a Minnesota institution
Minnesota Health Care Loan Forgiveness Programs
Amount: $5,000 to $30,000 per year — depending on your practice
Qualifying loans: Student loans used to pay for the cost of attendance for an undergraduate or graduate program.
Minnesota has several forgiveness programs designed to encourage healthcare professionals to work in underserved rural and urban areas throughout the state. Ultimately, how much you receive is based on 15% of the average student loan debt of recent graduates in your particular area of practice.
Eligibility requirements
While it varies by program, you must work at an eligible healthcare facility. Eligible facilities depend on your area of practice.
Members of these professions must work in a state-designed rural area. Minnesota defines this as any area outside of the following counties:
Anoka
Carver
Dakota
Hennepin
Ramsey
Scott
Washington
Healthcare professionals in the following cities are also ineligible:
Duluth
Mankato
Moorhead
Rochester
St. Cloud
To qualify, you must work in an underserved community in one of these Minnesota cities:
Duluth
Mankato
Minneapolis
Moorhead
St. Paul
Underserved communities can be described as one of the following:
Health professional shortage area (HPSA)
Medically underserved area (MUA)
Area with a medically underserved population (MUP)
Nurses that don’t work in a designated rural area must work in one of the following:
Licensed nursing home
Home care office
Intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled
Housing with services establishment
Hospital that operates a licensed nursing home, as long as you work in the nursing home at least 50% of the time
Students studying to become either Allied Health instructors or nursing teachers are required to work at a post-secondary Allied Health Care or nursing program.
Dentists that don’t work in a designated rural area must work for a practice where at least 25% of the patients either:
Pay on a sliding scale
Pay through a public program
Minnesota Rural Veterinarian Loan Repayment Program
Amount: $15,000 per year — for up to five years
Qualifying loans: Student loans used to pay for an undergraduate or veterinarian graduate degree from the University of Minnesota
This program for new and prospective veterinarians aims to bring animal healthcare services to rural areas in Minnesota. Applicants must attend school or have a degree from the University of Minnesota. If accepted, you must work at least five years in an eligible area and dedicate at least half of your services to livestock raised for food.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you must meet the following criteria:
You need to be a current student or graduate from the Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota that meets one of the following requirements:
Current student: In the last year of your program and have satisfactory academic progress
Graduate: Finished school within the past three years
You must pledge to work for at least five years as a licensed veterinarian in an eligible position. Your job needs to meet the following criteria:
Full-time position. Minnesota defines this as at least 30 hours a week for 45 weeks a year.
Involve care of food animals. At least 50% of your hours must be dedicated to working with livestock raised for food.
Minnesota State Loan Repayment Program
Amount: $20,000 per year
Qualifying loans: Any student loan used to pay for your undergraduate or graduate degree related to health care
This program, which is funded by both the federal and Minnesota State government, is designed to bring healthcare providers to rural and urban areas with a shortage of medical professionals. It involves a two-year service commitment, and applicants must provide letters or reference, a personal essay about the area they’re about to serve and a resume when they apply.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you need to meet the following criteria:
Eligible health professional .
Practice or have a contract to practice in Minnesota
Not enrolled in any forgiveness programs for defaulted student loans
Minnesota Teacher Shortage Loan Repayment Program
Amount: $1,000 per year — for up to five years
Qualifying loans: All federal and private student loans for undergraduate and graduate degrees related to education. Parent PLUS Loans are ineligible, as are Direct Consolidation Loans that include Parent PLUS Loans.
This program is an incentive for teachers to work in underserved communities or subject areas. Awards are offered to those who apply first, so get in on the application early. In addition to your professional eligibility, the state also considers financial need when reviewing applications.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you need to meet the following criteria:
Teach in a designated teacher shortage geographical or subject area
Hold a teaching license from the Minnesota Department of Education
Work for a school district
Provide classroom instruction
Federal John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program
Amount: Varies by year
Qualifying loans: All federal loans used to pay for an undergraduate, graduate or law school education — excluding Parent PLUS Loans or Direct Consolidation Loans that include Parent PLUS Loans
Minnesota lawyers interested in working as full-time public prosecutors or defenders might want to consider this three-year repayment program. Every three years, 16 public prosecutors and 16 public defenders who commit to at least three years of service receive this award.
Applicants who can demonstrate financial need or are fluent in Spanish, Somali, Hmong or American Sign Language get preference. If you get accepted, you’re eligible for another two years of assistance after your three-year commitment is up.
Eligibility requirements
To qualify for this program, you must be current on your student loan repayments and have worked full time for at least three years at one of the following positions:
Public prosecutor or defender for the state of Minnesota, local or tribal government working on criminal or juvenile delinquency cases
Nonprofit employee providing legal representation to indigent persons in criminal or juvenile cases under contract with the Minnesota State, local or tribal government
Federal defender attorney working in Minnesota at a defender organization that offers representation to indigent persons in criminal or juvenile delinquency cases
Eligible work includes supervision, education or training of other people working on these cases — you don’t necessarily have to be the lead prosecutor or defender. You must commit to three more years of this type of work to qualify.
What if I don’t qualify for any of Minnesota’s forgiveness programs?
There are a few other options to reduce your student debt, including:
Apply for student loan refinancing. Taking out a new student loan to pay off your current debt can give you lower rates or better terms — and even get you out of debt faster.
Switch to an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan. Federal loan holders with low income can get affordable monthly repayments and forgiveness after 20 or 25 years for signing up for an IDR plan.
I defaulted on my student loans. What’s the statute of limitations on debt in Minnesota?
The statute of limitations for debt in Minnesota is six years after making your last repayment. This means after those six years are up, your lender or collection agency can’t sue you for payment.
However, this statute of limitations only applies to private student loans. Federal and state student loan holders can still be sued even after six years have passed.
We update our data regularly, but information can change between updates. Confirm details with the provider you're interested in before making a decision.
Minnesota offers several loan repayment and forgiveness programs as an incentive to build up underserved rural and urban areas. Like with many states, there are more opportunities for healthcare providers than any other profession, though teachers, lawyers and even pilots could find help.
No, only student loans are eligible for these forgiveness programs.
None of Minnesota’s student loan forgiveness programs promise to wipe your balance clean. If you’re looking for full forgiveness, consider signing up for an income-driven repayment plan or applying for the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. These can cancel all of your federal student loans.
Private loan holders might need to apply to a combination of federal, state and private programs to have their entire debt load canceled. You can compare options by reading our guide to student loan forgiveness.
It depends, though most state student loan programs require you to be current on your student loan payments to qualify. However, there are some federal loan forgiveness programs that will remove the default from your credit report if you qualify.
Anna Serio is a trusted lending expert and certified Commercial Loan Officer who's published more than 1,000 articles on Finder to help Americans strengthen their financial literacy. A former editor of a newspaper in Beirut, Anna writes about personal, student, business and car loans. Today, digital publications like Business Insider, CNBC and the Simple Dollar feature her professional commentary, and she earned an Expert Contributor in Finance badge from review site Best Company in 2020.
Hanna Andersson’s Organic Cotton Long John is comfortable and available in family sizes. Here’s what I thought of the fit, and details on sustainability.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.