The Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) administers three state-sponsored loan repayment programs. For each program, DHEO will make a one-time payment on behalf of an awarded applicant directly to the lender.
For all three student loan payment programs:
- The loan payment will be sent directly to the educator’s student loan provider
- Payments may be subject to taxation which will be amortized over the course of a recipient’s paycheck
- Payments can be made towards private and federal student loans.
- These programs are different from the Federal Teacher and Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
| Program | Description | Application Opens | Application Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Needs Educator Student Loan Payment Program | Educators are eligible to apply if they have a qualified student loan and teach on a standard certificate in a high-needs Delaware public school and/or a high-needs subject area, listed below. Applicants must be employed full-time for at least 1 school year in the high-need school/area. An applicant can receive only 1 payment per year and no more than 5 payments over the applicant’s lifetime.
Educators in any facility operated by the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families in which education programs are provided are also eligible to apply. |
11/01/2024 | 11/30/2024 |
| Speech Language Pathologist Student Loan Payment Program | Must be employed full-time as a speech-language pathologist in a Delaware public school, for at least 1 school year. An applicant must have secured a qualifying student loan before applying. An applicant may receive only 1 loan payment per year and may not receive more than 3 loan payments in the applicant’s lifetime. | 11/01/2024 | 11/30/2024 |
| Mental Health Support Services Student Loan Payment Program | An applicant must be employed as a school counselor, school psychologist or a school social worker in a Delaware public school for at least 1 school year. An applicant must hold an educator’s license and certificate issued by the Delaware Department of Education. An applicant may receive only 1 loan payment per year and may not receive more than 3 loan payments in the applicant’s lifetime. | 11/01/2024 | 11/30/2024 |
Apply Now
The application will be open and accept responses during the application windows listed in the chart above. There is one application for all three student loan payment programs. Before completing the application, review the following list of information that is requested when you fill out the online application:
- Your PHRST Employee ID number, this can be found on your paycheck
- Your Adjusted Gross Income from the most recent tax year
- The total dollar amount of your outstanding student loans
- The name of your student loan lender (If you have multiple lenders, the name of the lender that you would be requesting payment be sent to)
Application Timelines:
2023-2024 School Year
- November 1, 2023 – The application will be open and can be accessed on this website
- November 30, 2023 at 4:30 PM – application will close
- End of February 2024 – announcement of 2023-2024 recipients
- End of March 2024 – loan payments begin, it will take up to 15 weeks to process individual payments to student lenders
2024-2025 School Year
- November 1, 2024 – The application will be open and can be accessed on this website
- November 30, 2024 at 4:30 PM – application will close
- End of February 2025 – announcement of 2024-2025 recipients
- End of March 2025 – loan payments begin, it will take up to 15 weeks to process individual payments to student lenders
