Nearly 170 New Jersey public school teachers are seeing their student loans paid off through a three-year-old program created to address a statewide teacher shortage in districts where student performance is lagging.

North Jersey teachers from Cliffside Park, Paterson, Prospect Park and Garfield are among those participating in the program. Applications for the coming year are now closed.

The Teacher Loan Redemption Program, created in 2021, repays up to $20,000 in student loan debt over a four-year period, with a maximum of $5,000 repaid each year for those who qualify. Loan redemption payments equal 25% of the principal and interest of eligible student loan expenses.

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The state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority runs the program. The

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