Biden-Harris Administration Announces Nearly $5 Billion in Additional Student Debt Relief

The Biden-Harris Administration announced today the approval of an additional $4.8 billion in student loan debt relief for 80,300 borrowers. These discharges stem from fixes made by the U.S. Department of Education to income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Today’s announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration to nearly $132 billion for more than 3.6 million Americans.

“Before President Biden took office, it was virtually impossible for eligible borrowers to access the student debt relief they rightfully earned,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “The data released today once again make clear that the Biden-Harris Administration’s relentless efforts to fix the broken student loan system are paying off in a big way, with more than 3.6 million borrowers now approved for nearly $132 billion in loan forgiveness. This level of debt relief is unparalleled and we have no intention of slowing down.”

Today’s debt relief approvals are in two categories:

  • $2.2 billion for nearly 46,000 borrowers through fixes to IDR that will provide borrowers with an accurate count of progress toward forgiveness and address longstanding concerns with misuse of forbearance. Including today’s numbers, the Biden-Harris Administration has now approved almost $44 billion in IDR relief for nearly 901,000 borrowers.
  • $2.6 billion for 34,400 borrowers through PSLF. This includes borrowers who have benefited through the limited PSLF waiver and ongoing regulatory improvements to the programs. This brings total relief through PSLF up to $53.5 billion for almost 750,000 borrowers since October 2021. By contrast, only about 7,000 borrowers had received forgiveness through these programs at the start of the Biden-Harris Administration.

An unparalleled track record of borrower assistance

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to reduce the burden of student debt and ensure that student loans are not a barrier to opportunity for students and families. The Administration earlier this year launched the most affordable student loan repayment plan – SAVE – which makes many borrowers’ monthly payments as low as $0 and prevents balances from growing because of unpaid interest.

The Administration secured the largest increase to Pell Grants in a decade and finalized new rules to protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts or insufficient earnings. And, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on the Administration’s original student debt relief plan, the Administration continues its work to pursue an alternative path to debt relief through negotiated rulemaking under the Higher Education Act.

Beyond the relief under IDR and PSLF, the Biden-Harris Administration has also approved:

  • $11.7 billion for almost 513,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.
  • $22.5 billion for more than 1.3 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.

Below is a state-by-state breakdown of the total approvals for IDR and PSLF:

Borrowers with Processed PSLF Discharges (PSLF, TEPSLF, and limited waiver) by Location (since 10/1/2021)

State Borrower Count Outstanding Balance (in millions)
     
Alabama 11,180 $874.8
Alaska 1390 $93.8
Arizona 12,340 $890.5
Arkansas 6,680 $463.2
California 63,660 $4,701.6
Colorado 13,900 $971.0
Connecticut 8,710 $589.5
Delaware 2,360 $167.4
District of Columbia 4,260 $378.2
Florida 42,210 $3,499.5
Georgia 30,660 $2,711.9
Hawaii 2,360 $167.8
Idaho 3,970 $249.7
Illinois 29,010 $2,049.7
Indiana 13,700 $918.3
Iowa 7,690 $422.2
Kansas 7,230 $455.7
Kentucky 9,220 $587.7
Louisiana 9,320 $738.6
Maine 3,750 $244.7
Maryland 22,580 $1,779.7
Massachusetts 16,220 $1,105.8
Michigan 26,550 $1,844.4
Minnesota 16,160 $993.5
Mississippi 7,340 $620.1
Missouri 16,310 $1,092.5
Montana 2,830 $171.9
Nebraska 4,690 $285.9
Nevada 4,390 $324.3
New Hampshire 3,640 $233.3
New Jersey 18,570 $1,260.7
New Mexico 4,070 $274.3
New York 58,840 $4,009.0
North Carolina 20,790 $1,503.1
North Dakota 1400 $85.2
Ohio 32,820 $2,260.8
Oklahoma 6,840 $454.8
Oregon 12,650 $828.1
Pennsylvania 33,120 $2,317.2
Puerto Rico 3,130 $147.0
Rhode Island 2,340 $160.5
South Carolina 13,820 $1,134.8
South Dakota 2,450 $139.8
Tennessee 13,580 $1,045.6
Texas 47,950 $3,395.6
Utah 4,200 $295.2
Vermont 2,460 $171.7
Virginia 24,430 $1,703.9
Washington 16,490 $1,106.0
West Virginia 4,360 $257.9
Wisconsin 14,130 $857.8
Wyoming 1070 $62.9
All Other Locations 5,710 $424.5
Total 749,500 $53,523.6

 

Data as of November-end 2023

The sum of individual values may not equal the total due to rounding and timing.

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Borrowers Identified for Forgiveness under Income Driven Repayment Account Adjustment by Location

State Borrower Count Outstanding Balance (in millions)
     
Alabama 14,270 $631.8
Alaska 1100 $58.9
Arizona 22,880 $1,154.7
Arkansas 7,900 $390.2
California 68,780 $3,317.6
Colorado 16,650 $899.4
Connecticut 8,140 $351.3
Delaware 2,750 $130.1
District of Columbia 2,510 $148.3
Florida 63,330 $3,394.0
Georgia 42,900 $2,392.6
Hawaii 1,920 $102.7
Idaho 6,260 $277.2
Illinois 31,790 $1,481.9
Indiana 21,850 $1,045.1
Iowa 11,890 $522.7
Kansas 9,450 $478.3
Kentucky 12,430 $503.1
Louisiana 17,020 $928.1
Maine 5,370 $240.3
Maryland 18,850 $1,043.6
Massachusetts 13,950 $653.7
Michigan 30,120 $1,428.9
Minnesota 15,250 $723.7
Mississippi 10,750 $514.7
Missouri 21,020 $1,076.0
Montana 4,130 $207.2
Nebraska 6,280 $300.4
Nevada 7,660 $370.8
New Hampshire 3,460 $163.9
New Jersey 19,330 $891.0
New Mexico 6,020 $293.2
New York 46,810 $2,163.4
North Carolina 27,800 $1,291.0
North Dakota 2300 $110.4
Ohio 41,750 $1,951.3
Oklahoma 12,830 $621.4
Oregon 13,140 $639.3
Pennsylvania 33,710 $1,526.2
Puerto Rico 4,220 $118.1
Rhode Island 2,880 $122.2
South Carolina 18,450 $968.3
South Dakota 3,390 $164.7
Tennessee 19,050 $980.9
Texas 71,380 $3,506.4
Utah 4,430 $238.0
Vermont 2,170 $107.7
Virginia 24,130 $1,172.6
Washington 18,350 $878.0
West Virginia 5,610 $223.8
Wisconsin 13,830 $653.8
Wyoming 1400 $71.8
All Other Locations 7,200 $348.8
Total 900,800 $43,973.4

 

Data as of early November 2023

The sum of individual values may not equal the total due to rounding and timing.