Frequently asked questions

No. Registering gets you into the community — you can build a profile, browse the marketplace, and message employers without any obligation. A real commitment only exists once you formally accept an offer that has loan repayment or a bonus attached, and every term of that offer, including the employment length and repayment schedule, is spelled out in writing before you sign anything.

No. You control exactly what's visible on your profile and to whom. Employers only see your full profile — transcripts, licensure status, contact details — once you choose to apply to their listing or respond to outreach they've sent you. Until then, your identity stays private.

New employers join the platform every month, and coverage is growing fastest in the regions where clinical shortages are worst. Tell us your program and where you want to practice, and we'll notify you the moment something opens in your area — many students who sign up early get first access before a new listing is even public.

In most cases, yes. Employer student loan repayment through Clasp is designed to sit alongside programs like PSLF or income-driven repayment rather than replace them — your federal plan and its forgiveness timeline stay intact, and the employer payments simply add extra progress on top. Because rules vary by program and by loan type, we recommend consulting with your loan servicer or financial advisor before you accept any offer so there are no surprises.

Traditional student loan forgiveness for healthcare workers usually requires years of qualifying public-service employment before any balance is forgiven. Clasp works differently: it's an employer-funded benefit, not government forgiveness, so payments toward your loans can start as soon as you're working full-time, without a waiting period tied to a specific loan type or employer sector.

A sign-on bonus is cash paid once, usually shortly after you start, with no ongoing structure attached. Student loan repayment by an employer is paid over time — monthly or quarterly — directly against your loan balance, which may reduce the principal faster and could cut the interest you'd otherwise keep paying over the life of the loan. Some Clasp employers offer both as part of the same package, so you get an upfront bonus and a long-term repayment benefit together.

It ranges from roughly $10,000 to $180,000 depending on the employer, the role, the length of the commitment, and the location — rural and high-need facilities tend to offer more because they're competing harder for candidates. Every opportunity on the Clasp marketplace shows its own amount and contract terms up front, so you never have to guess or negotiate blind.

Not typically. Jobs with student loan repayment are usually offered by employers competing hardest for clinical talent, which means they tend to price salary competitively on top of the benefit rather than trimming it to cover the cost. When you're comparing two offers, add the annualized value of the repayment to the base salary to see the real total compensation, rather than judging the roles on salary alone.

A dollar of employer paying student loans and a dollar of extra salary aren't quite the same — the loan-repayment dollar can be tax-free up to an annual limit under current law, while extra salary is taxed as ordinary income right away. That means a loan repayment benefit can sometimes be worth more to you after taxes than an equivalent bump in base pay, on top of directly shrinking the balance you're carrying.

Employer student loan repayment sits on top of whatever federal repayment plan you're on, including RAP — the two aren't in competition and don't cancel each other out. Your federal plan stays exactly as it is, with its own monthly payment and timeline; the employer benefit is simply an additional payment that goes straight toward your principal, which may pay down the balance faster than your federal plan alone would.

Your loans stay exactly where they are — the servicer, the interest rate, and your plan don't change. Employer contributions are simply additional payments applied toward your existing balance, the same as if you made an extra payment yourself. Depending on the forgiveness program you're pursuing, extra payments can shift your timeline or change your taxable income, so we recommend consulting your loan servicer or financial advisor to understand exactly how it interacts with your specific plan before you accept any offer.

Clasp loan repayment agreements run over a set term, often tied to the length of your initial contract with the employer. If you leave before that term ends, the remaining scheduled payments simply stop — you are never required to pay back what's already been paid to your loan servicer.

Employer student loan repayment programs through Clasp cover both! Because employer student loan repayment is a private benefit funded by your employer rather than a government program, it isn't restricted to federal loan types the way some forgiveness programs are — private student loan forgiveness through an employer works essentially the same way as it does for federal loans, as long as the loan is in your name and serviced by one of the loan servicers supported by Clasp's loan repayment platform.

They overlap but aren't identical. Student loan forgiveness usually means a government or nonprofit program cancels part of your balance after you meet specific conditions, like years of qualifying employment. Employer student loan repayment is a workplace benefit — your employer pays down your loans as part of your compensation — so it can start faster and doesn't require public-service employment, even though the end result, a smaller loan balance, looks similar.

Additional payments above your minimum monthly payment can help lower your principal, so even modest monthly employer contributions can meaningfully shorten your repayment timeline and reduce the total interest you pay, especially early in the loan when interest makes up a larger share of each payment. A borrower receiving consistent employer payments alongside their normal payment can often cut years off a standard 10-year repayment schedule, depending on the loan balance, rate, and contribution amount. Speak to your financial planner to understand how this benefit could impact your financial future.

Federal student loan forgiveness for healthcare workers, like PSLF, forgives your remaining balance after 120 qualifying monthly payments at an eligible employer — a real benefit, but a slow one. Clasp's employer-funded model pays money toward your loans from your first month of full-time work, at for-profit and nonprofit employers alike, so many students end up using both: federal forgiveness as the long-term backstop, and employer repayment to shrink the balance faster in the meantime.

Clasp isn't a government forgiveness program. Instead, Clasp connects you with employer student loan repayment benefits that can function like private student loan forgiveness in practice — your employer makes real payments toward your loan balance, private or federal, and those payments are yours to keep even if you eventually leave the job. It's a private-sector way to reduce what you owe without relying on a federal forgiveness program that may or may not apply to your loan type.

Beyond forgiveness programs, the main ways to pay off student loans are standard or income-driven federal repayment, refinancing into a lower rate, aggressive extra payments toward principal, and employer-based assistance like sign-on bonuses or employer student loan repayment. Employer repayment is unique among these because it's money added on top of your paycheck specifically earmarked for your loans, rather than money you have to find room for in your own budget.

Generally no — employer payments simply reduce your balance faster, which is not disqualifying for most forgiveness programs, though it can shift your forgiveness timeline since programs like PSLF calculate remaining balance based on your qualifying payment count, not a fixed dollar amount. If you're actively pursuing PSLF or another forgiveness track, consult with your loan servicer or financial advisor before you accept an offer to understand exactly how the two interact for your loans.

No. A sign-on bonus is taxed as ordinary income the moment you receive it, the same as any other paycheck. Student loan repayment is treated differently — up to $5,250 a year can be tax-free under Section 127 — so the two benefits can carry very different tax outcomes even when the dollar amounts look similar on paper.

It's the part of the federal tax code that lets employers run an Educational Assistance Program covering student loan payments, not just tuition. If your employer's plan qualifies, the payments made on your behalf — up to $5,250 per year — aren't counted as income to you, so you don't owe federal income or payroll tax on that portion.

Generally, no double-dipping — the portion of your loan payments excluded from income under Section 127 isn't the same dollar you'd otherwise claim under the separate student-loan-interest deduction, so check with a tax professional on how the two interact for your specific return.

Not always. The federal Section 127 exclusion is well established, but state and local tax treatment of employer student loan repayment can differ by state and can change year to year. This isn't tax or legal advice — when in doubt, confirm your state's treatment with a tax professional before you file.

This is one of the most important student loan forgiveness tax implications to understand: forgiveness under some programs can be treated as taxable income in the year it's granted, potentially creating a large one-time tax bill, while PSLF forgiveness is currently tax-free under federal law. Employer student loan repayment avoids that risk entirely for amounts under the $5,250 annual Section 127 limit, since those dollars are excluded from income as they're paid rather than taxed in a lump sum later. Consult with your tax professional to understand how student loan forgiveness or employer student loan repayment could impact your financial picture.

If your employer's payments are excluded from income under a qualifying Section 127 plan, they generally won't show up as extra taxable wages on your W-2. Any amount paid above the annual exclusion limit is typically added to your W-2 wages like normal pay. You won't receive a separate 1099 for this benefit — check with your employer's payroll or benefits team if you want to see exactly how a given year's payments were reported.

The fastest way to find jobs that pay towards student loans is to search a marketplace built specifically around that benefit rather than a general job board, since most general listings don't mention loan repayment at all even when it's available. Create a free Clasp profile, filter by your program and location, and every result you see is a job with student loan repayment already built into the offer — not something you have to negotiate for after the fact.

Employers are paying towards student loans for the same reason they raise sign-on bonuses: clinical roles are hard to fill, turnover is expensive, and debt is the single biggest financial pressure most new graduates carry. A loan repayment benefit lets an employer offer real, ongoing financial relief without permanently inflating base salary, while giving new hires a strong incentive to stay through the full commitment period.

No. While large health systems are well represented, jobs with student loan repayment on Clasp also come from smaller practices, specialty clinics, and rural facilities that are often competing hardest for candidates and therefore offering some of the most generous terms. Filtering by location and facility size on the marketplace will surface options you might not find through a traditional job search.

Yes, for students it's completely free, and that's not a limited-time offer — it's core to how the platform works. Employers pay to be listed on the platform and to reach the pool of clinical students and graduates, which is what funds the marketplace. Students never pay to join, build a profile, browse listings, message employers, or apply to any opportunity.

Timelines vary by employer and by how many candidates a listing attracts, but most applicants hear back within a couple of weeks of applying. From there, interviews typically happen within another one to two weeks, and employers who move forward with an offer usually send formal terms — salary, repayment amount, and commitment length — shortly after the final interview.

Yes — in fact, that's when most students apply. Employers list opportunities well ahead of graduation dates because they want to lock in candidates early, so applying during your final one to two years of school is normal and often gives you access to more open roles than waiting until after you've finished your program.

Look at the total repayment amount, the payment schedule (monthly versus a lump sum), the length of the employment commitment required to receive it in full, whether the benefit is structured to qualify for the Section 127 tax exclusion, and what happens to unpaid amounts if you leave early. Two offers with the same headline number can differ significantly once you compare these details side by side.

No. Employers set their own criteria for each listing, and in practice most care far more about your program, your license track, and your graduation timing than your transcript. Some employers do ask about academic standing during the interview process, but a strict GPA cutoff is the exception rather than the rule.

If you're enrolled in a U.S. clinical program and will be authorized to work here after graduation, yes — you can create a profile and apply just like any other student. Individual employers may have their own visa sponsorship requirements or restrictions, and those are noted on the listing itself so you know upfront whether a given opportunity can support your status. Please note - Clasp currently only supports employer repayments towards loan servicers located in the US.

No. While nursing is the largest single field represented, student loan forgiveness and employer repayment opportunities for healthcare workers on Clasp also cover advanced practice clinicians, physical and occupational therapists, dental and optometry professionals, veterinarians, and other allied health roles facing similar staffing shortages.

Yes. Eligibility for employer student loan repayment through Clasp is based on your program, license track, and graduation timeline — not on which type of loan you're carrying. Because it's a private-sector benefit rather than a government program, private student loan forgiveness works through the same employer repayment mechanism as federal loans do.

No. You can create a profile and start browsing eligible opportunities with no job offer in hand — that's the point of joining early. Eligibility for any specific opportunity is determined once you apply and an employer reviews your profile, not before.

Partner employers commit to periodic payments toward your student loans for the duration of the program or until employment ends, and they disclose the term length, payment schedule, and any conditions up front — before a student ever accepts an offer. That transparency is a requirement of listing on the platform, not an optional courtesy.

By tying financial benefits directly to continued employment, Clasp gives new hires a strong, concrete reason to stay through the full commitment period rather than leaving early for a marginally better offer elsewhere. Partner employers have seen meaningful gains in year-one retention as a result, which lowers the cost of constantly recruiting and onboarding replacements for hard-to-fill clinical roles.

Partner employers range from large hospital systems and multi-site health networks to independent practices, dental and optometry groups, and veterinary clinics — any organization competing for clinical talent in a field with a documented shortage. What they have in common isn't size, it's a need to offer more than salary alone to win candidates.

Yes — that's exactly the problem Clasp solves for employers. Rather than standing up an internal student loan repayment or forgiveness program from scratch, hospitals and health systems can list a fully defined benefit on Clasp and reach students already looking specifically for loan forgiveness for healthcare workers, with administration, payment tracking, and compliance handled through the Clasp platform.

Depending on your employer, benefits can include employer-sponsored student loan repayment, sign-on bonuses, and a direct pipeline into a confirmed job before you even graduate. Because every listing states its terms up front, you're able to weigh the full package — salary, repayment, bonus, and commitment length — rather than discovering pieces of it after you've already accepted.

Healthcare is our primary focus today, given the scale of clinical staffing shortages across nursing, therapy, and other clinical fields, but the underlying model — connecting employers with students early and tying financial support to employment — is built to extend to other hard-to-hire fields over time. As new industries face similar talent shortages, expect the platform to grow with them.

Not in the government-program sense — Clasp doesn't cancel debt itself. It's a marketplace that connects you with employers offering Clasp facilitated student loan repayment as part of your job benefit package, which reduces your balance the same way forgiveness does, just funded by your employer rather than a federal agency, and often starting much sooner.

Through Clasp, the main ways to pay off student loans are direct monthly or quarterly employer payments toward your balance, one-time sign-on bonuses you can apply toward loans yourself, or a combination of both built into a single job offer. Every listing spells out which structure a given employer uses so you can choose the path that fits your loans best.

Select "Forgot password" on the login screen and follow the emailed reset link to set a new one. If you don't receive it within a few minutes, check your spam or promotions folder, confirm you're using the email your account was created with, and contact support if it still doesn't turn up.

Write to us at students@clasp.com with your question or account details and we'll typically respond within one business day. For anything urgent related to an active offer or upcoming start date, mention that directly in your email so our team can prioritize it.

Once you're logged in, use the marketplace filters to sort by repayment amount, program, and location rather than browsing all listings — every result on Clasp already includes some form of student loan repayment, so filtering just narrows down which jobs that pay towards student loans best match what you're looking for.

Yes. Log in and update your loan details in your account at any time; if your balance or servicer changes after you've accepted an offer, let your employer's HR or benefits contact know as well so their payments continue routing correctly.