When you borrow through the federal loan programs (Direct Unsubsidized and GradPLUS) or the Harvard Law School loan program, you will not be liable for the continued payment of these loans upon death or permanent and total disability. Private lenders on the HLS Preferred Lender Lists also offer cancellation of the debt upon death and permanent and total disability of the borrower, as described in the program terms on those pages.
Funds borrowed through other private loan programs are not automatically discharged upon death or permanent injury. Other private lenders might seek collection of the outstanding debt from the co-applicant or, if the student has no co-applicant, from the student’s estate. In such cases, the loan would be discharged only after the co-applicant and the student’s estate had both been unsuccessfully sought for payment.