During the 2022 legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 22-1220 to address Colorado’s educator shortages by helping remove barriers to educator preparation. The law authorizes CDHE to offer loan repayment assistance on qualified loans for licensed K-12 Colorado educators and counselors, mainly for those early in their careers who serve in rural and hard-to-fill positions in Colorado.
Those who qualify can receive up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness for a given year. The program is funded for two years. Individuals who continue to qualify may apply every year of the program for up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness annually.
Apply Now
The 2022 program application is open through June 15, 2022. The first monthly payments to awardees will begin in July 2022.
How to Apply
The first step in the application process is to submit an initial interest survey.
The link to a more detailed part of the application will be emailed to you within 72 hours from our vendor – tuition.io.
NOTE: If you submitted a complete application to the Colorado Educator Loan Forgiveness program between Dec 15, 2021 and April 15, 2022, there is no need to submit another application. We will be processing applications from that similar loan forgiveness program to identify applicants who would qualify for this program.
For technical assistance, including if you need a link giving you access to the detailed part of the application from tuition.io or need a password reset, please contact: EdLoanForgiveness@tuition.io
Program Flyer / Program Flyer- SPANISH
Who Can Apply?
- Must be a Colorado state licensed educator or counselor currently employed in a K-12 Colorado school
- Must work in an approved rural school/district (or) work in a content-shortage area in a non-rural school/district
- Must have attended an educator prep program in Colorado or completed your counseling studies in Colorado
- Priority will be given to individuals early in their career
Questions
Answers to FAQ can be found in the Program's Informational Booklet/ Informational Booklet-Spanish
If you have any additional questions about the program or you find a link on this page is broken, please contact:
EdLoanForgiveness@dhe.state.co.us
For technical assistance with the application, please contact:
Additional Educator Funding Resources
Additional Educator Funding Opportunities List
Colorado Center for Rural Education: For information about stipends available to rural educators, please see the Colorado Center for Rural Education’s website: https://www.unco.edu/colorado-center-for-rural-education/stipends/. Stipends are available for rural student teachers, in-service educators, alternative licensure candidates, National Board certification candidates, and/or substitute teachers.
Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs for Educators: There are 4 Federal Loan Forgiveness programs for educators. Please see the following website for more information: https://studentaid.gov/articles/teacher-loan-forgiveness-options/.