Student loan debt reduction primarily recognizes a student borrowers' lack of ability to put down a full payment on their outstanding student loans or borrowings. Those students who have completely exhausted their interest relief under the program for Interest Relief may qualify for debt relief. Also those students who have been out of post-secondary studies for at least five years can qualify for a student loan debt reduction. This helps these students to thereby reduce the loan principal to a level that is slightly more affordable.

If the case is such that annual payments, on an average, are exceeding fifteen percent of the income of a family, then the principal amount of the student loan can be reduced. The maximum amount of assistance that can be given is the lesser amount of up to half of the loan amount, or up to ten thousand dollars. The eligibility criteria that must be met by a student who wishes to avail the student loan debt reduction are multifold. To avail a reduction it is required that the borrower must have completely exhausted all the available interest relief. The period for the borrower to repay the loan must be at least fifteen years and his or her loan must be in good standing. It is also required that the borrower must be able to demonstrate that he or she has an income that is robust and consistent enough to support the payment, post-reduction.

The student loan debt reduction is in place in an effort to recognize the rising need for trained professionals in underserved communities in the United States. This loan debt reduction comes as boon to those students who are under the intense financial burden of loans coupled with rising academic competitiveness and pressure of studies. Now more students can look towards higher studies and a promising career without the fear of large loans and repayment issues.