What is the maximum limit that Ohio offers in Student Loans?

Ohio offers Maximum Limit of $10,000 dollars or even more depending on the degree of the borrower that he or she has acquired during education.

What is Time-Barred Debt?

Time-Barred debt is the amount of debt that cannot be legally collected by the government due to expiry of allocated time-period of the associated loan of the borrower that the borrower did not pay back to the lender at that stipulated time.

Did Ohio forgive Loans due to Coronavirus Pandemic?

Yes, as per the loan suspension wavier announced by the government of US, currently all the loans are suspended due to Coronavirus Pandemic but they has been a huge interest wavier for the borrowers and in some cases, loans are been forgiven too.

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs in Ohio

Student loan forgiveness is one of the benefits that can be availed easily based on the profession you are at. It should be noted that are a number of jobs available to help get your loans forgiven. Having an in-depth understanding of the various student loan forgiveness jobs out there is crucial to see if your job can get your loans forgiven

Good news for natives of the State of Ohio, and migrants who moved there too. There are many student loan forgiveness programs specifically modeled and designed for residents of Ohio State which aims at helping the student borrowers to pay off their loans through coordinated debt management.

This guide is compiled specifically to expose student loan borrowers from Ohio to different repayment and forgiveness programs with assistance from the Ohio state government.

About 66% of students from the state have an average amount of student loan that amounts to $30,000

Having a pending loan to be paid off after college is quite a burden, hence, it is quite important to learn about different student loan repayment and forgiveness programs that can be availed in the state of Ohio.

Table of contents

Student loan forgiveness and repayment programs in Ohio
Grants and scholarships for Ohio students
The statute of limitations on Ohio student loans
How to make the most out of the forgiveness programs

Student loan forgiveness and repayment programs in Ohio

The United States Department of Education supports a general credit absolution program that medical caretakers fit the bill for. Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, the administration will excuse the full parity on direct advances taken out on or after October 1, 2007.

When compared to other states, there isn't much difference in terms of programs that offer loan repayment assistance or loan forgiveness. But some programs do exist that could be of great benefit to students who pursue a career path in law, dentistry or a physician.

These options can be considered for eliminating your Ohio student loans if you're employed in any of these fields.

John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

This program is specifically for lawyers out there. One of the few states offering this repayment program is the state of Ohio. It is available to state and federal public defenders or state prosecutors.

Those who want to use this repayment program must agree to remain in the position in which they currently serve for a minimum period of 3 years and also must avoid default on their federal student loans.

Here are some of the requirements of this program -

The attorneys have to be licensed to practice law without any interruption
Prosecutors and public defenders are required to work in favor of the state on criminal cases or cases such as those that involve juvenile delinquency
Federal defense attorneys are also eligible if they work on the cases that are mentioned above, but federal government prosecutors do not qualify
Private practice attorneys are ineligible even if they were contacted by the state
Attorneys that are supervising or training other prosecutors or public defenders are eligible

If you are able to receive funds from this program, you may be getting up to $10,000 per year and $60,000 in total. Sadly, if your loans are either Private or Parent PLUS loans, you are ineligible.

Ohio Dentist Loan Repayment Program

For those who are Dentists or a Dental Hygienist working in an underserved area, the Ohio student loan repayment program or the ODLRP should be able to help you pay off your student loans. It is offered by the Ohio State Department of Health.

Rules to be followed

You are required to practice for about 20-40 hrs per week and also provide services at sites that are agreed upon
You are required to serve Medicaid eligible patients, regardless of their ability to make payments
If it is mentioned in your contract, you can teach on-site for a limited amount of time

In exchange for this, participants of the ODLRP will get help on some or all of the Federal or private student loans that they have taken out for dental school or dental hygiene college.

It is not just limited to tuition, but can also cover other costs, such as room rent and boarding, stationaries like books and also lab expenses. The Director of Ohio Health determines the amount of this award.

Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program

The Ohio Repayment Assistance isn't limited to eligible Health Practitioners such as Dentists alone. Doctors too are eligible to get similar help through the Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program.

Similar to that of dentists, this program is directed at helping underserved communities. Any physician who accepts this loan repayment also has an obligation to work for a minimum period of 2 years in that community. The physician is also obligated to tend to the needs and welfare of patients regardless of their ability to pay, and are also obliged to accept Medicare and Medicaid.

Perks of the program

For the period of the first two years, you can get up to $25,000 for payment of medical school loans if you work for a minimum of 40 hours per week
As long as you continue to work for another year or two, you are eligible to get up to $35,000 to pay for your medical school loans
If you plan on working part-time but work for at least a period of 20 hours a week, you are eligible for at least half the amount
To become eligible for the same you should offer primary care in family practice, internal medicine, pediatric, adolescent medicine, geriatrics, obstetrics, gynecology or psychology

Ohio state loan repayment program

This program Ohio Department of Health State Loan Repayment Program offers loan repayment for primary care, mental health, and dental providers.you also must be working in federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) or state-designated Health Resource Shortage Areas (HRSA) to be eligible for this program. You must be in the contract of a minimum of two years with the option to extend to a third and fourth year if funds are available.

You can receive up to $50,000 of student loan repayment for full-time work on a two-year contract. If you opt for part-time work, you can receive up to $25,000 of student loan repayment for a two-year contract.

National health service corps loan repayment program in Ohio

Licensed primary care clinicians in eligible disciplines can apply for the national health service corps loan repayment program within the state of Ohio. Once again, you must work in an HPSA within Ohio for the required two-year contract period.

You can receive up to $50,000 of student loan repayment for full-time work. The amount isn’t set in stone and depends on the needs of the site. Generally, the more high-need the site is, the more you can receive in student loan repayment.

Part-time work is also an option for this loan forgiveness program. The amount will be determined in the same way but won’t exceed $25,000 for two years. An extension may be offered on a yearly basis after the two-year contract. It’s possible to eliminate all of your student loans with continuation contracts, which are given with discretion.

Student to service Ohio loan repayment program

The NHSC has a second loan repayment option for Ohio residents. This program provides loan repayment for students currently pursuing a degree, you must be pursuing a degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine to be eligible.

The student loan repayment is generous with students able to receive up to $120000. You will agree to work full time in a high need HPSA for three years to receive this funding.

It’s possible to receive complete student loan forgiveness with this program if you’re offered an extension contract and apply for additional forgiveness. There’s no guarantee of this, and decisions are made annually based on current funding.

You’ll apply for the NHSC Students to Service Loan Repayment Program before your final year in medical school. You must be a full-time student when applying.

Nurse education assistance loan program

This program was created for Ohio students enrolled at least half time in an approved Ohio nurse education program. Due to the amount of funding, this loan program is only available to future nurse instructors and Registered Nurses (RNs) at this time.

The loan award amount varies based on funding. Loan cancellation after graduation is awarded annually to applicants. To be considered for complete loan cancellation, you must be employed full time as an RN or licensed practical nurse in the state of Ohio for at least five years after graduation. You need to reapply every year for NEALP loans. In addition, you must submit a recertification form annually once you enter your five years of service.

Ohio scholarships and grants

Ohio provides several state-specific scholarships and grants you can apply for. If you’re currently a student, you have options for avoiding student loans altogether. This Ohio department of higher education keeps an updated list of scholarships and grants available for students. Some of the prominent ones is:

Choose Ohio first scholarships.
Ohio college opportunity grant.

Along with these funding options, Ohio offers exceptional in-state tuition rates and scholarships for those whose parents have fallen in the line of duty. To get started, check out the Ohio Scholarship search website.

If you’re no longer a student, you’ll want to compare the loan repayment programs with federal student loan forgiveness options before enrolling in a service contract.

Grants and scholarships for Ohio students

Other than the options mentioned above, there are quite a few other options for Ohio student loan forgiveness. There are various options in terms of grants and scholarships to discuss for incoming students.

Although they won't be of any help if you have already finished your studies and graduated, nonetheless, if you are an incoming student, make sure you have a look at them.

Current grants and scholarships posted on the Department of Education's website

Ohio College Opportunity Grant (for students in a financial need)
Nurse Education Assistance Program (for students approved Ohio nursing programs)
Ohio War Orphans Scholarship (for children of disabled or deceased Ohio veterans who served in combat)
Choose Ohio First (for STEM students)
Opportunities for Veterans (for active members and veterans, and family members sometimes)
Ohio Safety Officers College Memorial Fund (for Ohio children and spouses of safety officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in the US, as well as service members who died while specific operations)
Forever Buckeyes (in-state tuition for Ohio high school graduates who moved outside of the state but transferred back to an Ohio school and established residency in the state)
Geological Survey Grant Program (for students pursuing research in geology in Ohio)

And finally, they also feature a specific scholarship search tool for Ohio.

The Statute of Limitations on Ohio student loans

If you are already in default on your Ohio student loans and have very little options on how to rehabilitate them, the statute of limitations might be able to help you out.

If your debt surpasses the statute of limitations, it is called 'time-barred' debt. Even though it may be required for you to pay that money back, the repayment of such a debt is no longer enforceable by the law.

Hence, a debt collector will be able to sue you for it, but if you attend the court proceedings and manage to provide proof that this debt is a time-barred debt, you're most likely to win the case. Although this doesn't prevent them from collecting the debt.

The statute of limitations varies among states and its sometimes invalidated by some types of debt. Sometimes, student loan debt falls into the 'written contracts' category, which gets time-barred after a period of 8 years according to the Ohio revised code 2306.06.

But there's bad news - This law is not applicable to Federal loans. So, only private loans are eligible to become time-barred.

How to make the most out of the forgiveness programs

Regardless of whether you were born in the state of Ohio or you moved there by sheer luck or due to work, make sure you try to get help for loan repayment assistance and student loan forgiveness in Ohio. If you do not see anything that makes you eligible, take it to your representative.

Utilize the GovTrack to look up and reach out to your Ohio Senators and Representatives.

Finally, make sure your debt does not ruin your life and happiness by taking control of it. If you need some more help, have a look at other articles we've written on student loan forgiveness and more.