How to Get Student Loan Forgiveness as a Travel Nurse

• PSLF is possible if you’re a full-time W-2 employee at a nonprofit or government hospital, but most travel nurses might not qualify.

• IDR forgiveness is the best fallback. Stay on an Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plan for loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.

• Nurse Corps Loan Repayment can erase up to 85% of unpaid nursing education debt. You must work full-time in a critical shortage facility for two years.

If you’re a travel nurse drowning in student debt, you’ve probably heard about Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) or Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) forgiveness. But do these actually work when your job changes every few months?

Here’s the bottom line: Loan forgiveness is possible, but only under certain conditions.

In this guide, we’ll break it down:

• The two main ways travel nurses can get federal student loan forgiveness are PSLF and IDR forgiveness.

• The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program can wipe out up to 85% of your debt if you work in a critical shortage area.

• The one-time IDR account adjustment that ended in January 2025 may have given you extra credit toward forgiveness if you’ve been in repayment for years.

PSLF can be tricky for travel nurses since it requires working for a government or nonprofit employer—not a private agency. But if you meet the right criteria, it could still be an option.

Let’s get into the details.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

PSLF wipes out your remaining qualified student loan debt after 120 qualifying payments in an IDR plan as long as you work full-time for a government, a nonprofit, or other PSLF-qualifying employers.

The main problem? Many travel nurses are not public service workers. Most are hired by for-profit staffing agencies, which means they’re not direct employees of a qualifying organization—and that disqualifies them from PSLF. Learn more about PSLF-qualifying jobs here: What Jobs Qualify for PSLF?

But you can still qualify for PSLF if:

• Your contract is directly with a government-owned or 501(c)(3) hospital

• You’re a full-time, W-2 employee of that organization

Frequent job changes and part-time hours make PSLF tough for most travel nurses. Unless you’re in a long-term W-2 role with a qualifying employer, PSLF isn’t a reliable option.

If you find a travel assignment that meets PSLF’s strict criteria, great—but don’t count on PSLF as your main forgiveness plan.

IDR Forgiveness

If PSLF isn’t an option because you work for for-profit hospitals or can’t string together enough qualifying contracts, IDR forgiveness could still be your path to student loan relief.

An income-driven repayment plan bases your monthly payment on your income after covering basic expenses. You can achieve total student loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.

Yes, two decades is a long time—but for many travel nurses who don’t qualify for PSLF, IDR is the main path to eventual forgiveness.

And if you’ve already been repaying your loans for a while, there’s good news: The one-time IDR account adjustment that ended in January 2025 may have knocked years off your repayment timeline.

One-Time Account Adjustment

In January 2025, a one-time account adjustment went into effect, giving federal student loan borrowers extra credit toward forgiveness.

This adjustment recalculates how past payments, forbearance, and deferment periods count toward IDR forgiveness—and it could be a game-changer if you’ve been in repayment for years.

What does it mean for you? If you’ve spent years bouncing between assignments and had periods of forbearance or deferment, those months might now count toward IDR forgiveness.

The Department of Education is automatically reviewing accounts, so check the new IDR tracker to see if you’re getting credit.

Why IDR Forgiveness Matters

If PSLF is not an option, IDR forgiveness is your safety net. Here’s why you should look into it:

• No Employer Restrictions: Work anywhere, at any hospital, and still qualify.

• Lower Monthly Payments: Payments adjust to your income, which helps if your earnings fluctuate between assignments.

• Path to Full Forgiveness: Once you hit 20 or 25 years on an IDR plan, your remaining balance is wiped out.

If you’ve been making payments for a while, this adjustment could shave years off your timeline. Don’t assume your servicer will update you—check your account and ask questions.

Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program

The Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program can wipe out a big chunk of your student loans—but only if you commit to working full-time at a Critical Shortage Facility or as a faculty member at a nursing school.

The catch? You typically need to stay in one place for at least two years, which doesn’t fit the travel nurse lifestyle.

If you’re open to settling down for a while, this student loan forgiveness option for nurses is worth considering. Otherwise, this program likely won’t work for you.

State and Local Loan Repayment Programs

Some states offer loan repayment assistance for nurses in underserved areas. But just like Nurse Corps, these programs usually require a one- or two-year commitment to a single facility.

If you find a location you love and decide to stay put, state student loan forgiveness programs can be a nice bonus on top of IDR or PSLF. But if you want the freedom to move between assignments, they won’t be much help.

These programs can be valuable—but for most travel nurses, the required long-term commitment makes them a tough fit. If flexibility is your priority, IDR forgiveness is your most realistic option.

If you took out a Perkins Loan, you might also qualify for Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation, which forgives the debt for nurses working in eligible public service roles.

Smart moves can keep your loans manageable and set you up for forgiveness. Here’s what to do:

• Check employer eligibility before signing a contract. Ask if the facility is nonprofit or government-owned and if you’ll be a W-2 employee or a 1099 contractor—only W-2 roles with qualifying employers count for PSLF.

• Stay on an IDR plan. Even if PSLF isn’t an option, an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan keeps payments low and leads to forgiveness after 20 or 25 years. Confirm with your servicer that you’re in the right plan, like IBR or SAVE.

• Document everything. Save contracts, pay stubs, and Employment Certification Forms (if aiming for PSLF). Track payment dates, contract lengths, and job gaps to prove qualifying work.

• Check your IDR adjustment. The January 2025 account adjustment may have shaved years off your repayment timeline. Log in or call your servicer to see if you’re closer to forgiveness.

• Know private loans aren’t covered. No federal forgiveness program applies to private loans. If you refinanced federal loans, you lost PSLF and IDR eligibility. If you have both, focus on federal forgiveness first and refinance private loans for a better rate. This guide will teach you how to refinance student loans.

PSLF is a challenge for most travel nurses, but IDR forgiveness is still an option. Stay on track, and don’t miss out.

As a travel nurse, loan forgiveness is possible—but your options depend on how flexible you are with your assignments.

• PSLF is one of the fastest federal loan forgiveness programs if you can land contracts at qualifying nonprofit or government facilities and handle the paperwork. The payoff? Total loan forgiveness in just 10 years (as long as you’re full-time and on an IDR plan).

• IDR forgiveness is the fallback. It takes longer (20 or 25 years), but if PSLF isn’t realistic for your travel lifestyle, it’s the next best option. And thanks to the one-time account adjustment, you might already be closer to forgiveness than you think.

• Nurse Corps and state student loan forgiveness programs are good options if you’re willing to stay put. These can wipe out debt if you commit to a single facility for a couple of years, but most travel nurses don’t use them. It’s good to know, but it’s not a primary strategy.

You can build a career on the road and get your loans forgiven. Just be strategic with your assignments (if aiming for PSLF), or stay consistent on an IDR plan (if PSLF isn’t fit).

Book a call with our student loan expert. We help borrowers clear their student loan debt through PSLF and other forgiveness options.

Related reading:

• Do Nurses Qualify For PSLF?

• Student Loan Forgiveness For Healthcare Workers

• List Of Hospitals That Qualify For PSLF

• First Responder Student Loan Forgiveness

• Does The VA Qualify For PSLF?