The Trump administration identified more than 40,000 federal student loan borrowers as eligible for debt forgiveness in January, according to a recent court filing. Roughly 22,000 qualified under income-driven repayment plans, which cancel remaining balances after 20 or 25 years of payments, while 18,160 borrowers became eligible through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program for those working in government or non-profit roles for 10 years. The update follows a legal settlement requiring the Education Department to provide regular progress reports on loan discharges. While some borrowers have begun receiving “golden email” notifications confirming eligibility, more than 626,000 applications for affordable repayment plans remain backlogged. The department has reduced the overall processing queue but acknowledged that delays continue, particularly for PSLF buyback requests.
