A student loan forgiveness program for public sector workers has now provided relief to over 1 million Americans, a significant increase from just 7,000 approvals prior to its overhaul by the Biden administration two years ago. President Joe Biden announced this achievement on Thursday, emphasizing his administration’s efforts to fulfill a commitment to public servants, including teachers, firefighters, and nurses. This progress comes despite legal setbacks that have stalled Biden’s broader student debt cancellation initiatives due to challenges from Republican-led states.
“For too long, the government failed to meet its obligations,” Biden said in a statement. “We pledged to change that, and thanks to our administration’s actions, over 1 million public service workers have received the relief they rightfully deserve under the law.”
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, established in 2007, aimed to forgive remaining federal student loans for college graduates after 10 years of work in government or nonprofit roles. However, beginning in 2017, most applicants were denied due to complex and lesser-known eligibility requirements.
A 2018 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) revealed that 99% of applicants were rejected, often because they weren’t in the correct loan repayment plan or because their payments had been temporarily paused through deferment or forbearance—time periods not counted toward the 10-year requirement. The GAO criticized the Education Department for failing to clearly explain the rules.
The program faced legal and political controversies, with congressional Democrats pushing the Trump administration to relax the regulations and honor the program’s intent. At the time, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos maintained that she was adhering to the rules enacted by Congress.
Labeling the program as “broken,” the Biden administration introduced a temporary waiver in 2021, which allowed borrowers to receive credit for prior periods of deferment or forbearance, among other adjustments. In the following year, the Education Department revised the rules to permanently expand eligibility.
Since then, thousands of borrowers have qualified for loan cancellation as they complete the 10-year requirement. On Thursday, an additional 60,000 borrowers met the criteria, raising the total to over 1 million. When Biden assumed office, only 7,000 borrowers had received forgiveness over the preceding four years.
Overall, the program has eliminated $74 billion in loans for public sector workers.
In a statement, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said, “I want to assure college students nationwide that choosing a career in public service is not just a noble endeavor, but also a dependable path to becoming debt-free within a decade.”
Following legal challenges to Biden’s own student loan forgiveness proposals, the administration has increasingly highlighted the record levels of debt cancellation achieved through existing programs.
Altogether, the administration reports having canceled $175 billion in loans for approximately 5 million borrowers. The PSLF program constitutes the largest portion of this relief, with additional cancellations made through income-driven repayment plans and a 1994 rule granting relief to students defrauded by their schools.
While Biden initially promised widespread student loan cancellation, the Supreme Court blocked his plan last year to cancel up to $20,000 in debt for 40 million Americans. Biden directed the Education Department to pursue a new legal strategy, but a judge in Missouri has temporarily halted the revised plan in response to challenges from Republican states.
