Millions of Americans have student loan debt. However, there are fewer names on the list than there could have been.
The Biden administration has moved aggressively to lower the costs of federal student loans. It's also made significant strides in canceling the debt of nearly 3.6 million individuals. Here's exactly how much student loan debt relief has been approved so far, by state.
Image source: Getty Images.
Actions taken on student loan forgiveness
Before we examine the state-level data, let's take a look at what has been done to forgive federal student loans so far. The Biden administration has focused on four areas.
The rules for income-driven repayment (IDR) plans are that remaining loan balances can be forgiven after borrowers make the required number of payments (which vary based on the particular plan). However, over the years, the number of payments for some individuals was miscounted.
The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of correcting those errors. Its efforts have identified nearly 855,000 borrowers who are eligible for forgiveness.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program was established 16 years ago. It allows the Department of Education to forgive the remaining balance on federal student loans for borrowers who work with a government or not-for-profit organization and have made 120 qualifying monthly payments. Roughly 715,000 borrowers have had their federal student loans forgiven during President Biden's tenure in the White House.
There's an even older initiative to help borrowers than the PSLF. The Total and Permanent Disability discharge program was established in 1965. Its goal was to help individuals with disabilities who can't work and therefore aren't able to repay their federal student loans. Nearly 513,000 borrowers have had their loans canceled so far by the Biden administration.
Finally, more than 1.3 million borrowers have received federal student loan forgiveness for other reasons. These include individuals who were cheated by the schools they attended, attended a school that closed, or are covered by court settlements related to these issues.
State-by-state student loan forgiveness details
The following table shows the details of how many borrowers have been helped by the Biden Administration's actions related to PSLF and IDR plans in each U.S. state, district, and territory since October 2021:
| State |
PSLF: Number of Borrowers |
PSLF: Balance Approved for Forgiveness (in Millions) |
IDR: Number of Borrowers |
IDR: Balance Approved for Forgiveness (in Millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 10,700 | $831.7 | 13,560 | $597.4 |
| Alaska | 1,330 | $89.5 | 1,050 | $55.7 |
| Arizona | 11,700 | $840.0 | 21,790 | $1,099.4 |
| Arkansas | 6,370 | $439.3 | 7,480 | $369.4 |
| California | 60,680 | $4,450.6 | 65,340 | $3,145.5 |
| Colorado | 13,220 | $925.0 | 15,830 | $856.9 |
| Connecticut | 8,300 | $558.1 | 7,710 | $333.5 |
| Delaware | 2,250 | $160.9 | 2,610 | $123.1 |
| District of Columbia | 4,070 | $359.9 | 2,380 | $139.8 |
| Florida | 40,410 | $3,335.6 | 60,410 | $3,243.4 |
| Georgia | 29,160 | $2,563.4 | 40,850 | $2,279.0 |
| Hawaii | 2,250 | $161.7 | 1,800 | $96.8 |
| Idaho | 3,800 | $240.4 | 5,990 | $266.2 |
| Illinois | 27,550 | $1,939.7 | 30,010 | $1,402.1 |
| Indiana | 13,010 | $866.5 | 20,770 | $993.9 |
| Iowa | 7,290 | $400.4 | 11,330 | $502.1 |
| Kansas | 6,910 | $434.4 | 8,960 | $454.1 |
| Kentucky | 8,790 | $561.6 | 11,830 | $480.0 |
| Louisiana | 8,940 | $704.5 | 16,330 | $890.4 |
| Maine | 3,550 | $229.8 | 5,100 | $228.3 |
| Maryland | 21,520 | $1,688.3 | 17,830 | $984.8 |
| Massachusetts | 15,460 | $1,052.7 | 13,210 | $624.4 |
| Michigan | 25,410 | $1,755.6 | 28,740 | $1,364.3 |
| Minnesota | 15,400 | $945.4 | 14,500 | $692.1 |
| Mississippi | 6,990 | $587.7 | 10,210 | $487.8 |
| Missouri | 15,580 | $1,039.3 | 20,010 | $1,026.4 |
| Montana | 2,710 | $162.6 | 3,960 | $198.8 |
| Nebraska | 4,470 | $270.9 | 5,980 | $285.4 |
| Nevada | 4,200 | $306.2 | 7,290 | $352.8 |
| New Hampshire | 3,440 | $220.1 | 3,260 | $155.1 |
| New Jersey | 17,730 | $1,199.0 | 18,280 | $843.1 |
| New Mexico | 3,890 | $259.6 | 5,740 | $279.0 |
| New York | 56,540 | $3,841.3 | 44,230 | $2,045.6 |
| North Carolina | 19,730 | $1,422.1 | 26,390 | $1,221.3 |
| North Dakota | 1,340 | $81.2 | 2,210 | $106.7 |
| Ohio | 31,290 | $2,145.0 | 39,690 | $1,861.3 |
| Oklahoma | 6,490 | $431.7 | 12,230 | $592.2 |
| Oregon | 12,050 | $787.1 | 12,430 | $607.0 |
| Pennsylvania | 31,670 | $2,211.1 | 32,040 | $1,444.4 |
| Puerto Rico | 3,020 | $141.2 | 3,960 | $110.6 |
| Rhode Island | 2,230 | $151.7 | 2,740 | $116.2 |
| South Carolina | 13,170 | $1,079.5 | 17,460 | $914.3 |
| South Dakota | 2,350 | $134.2 | 3,240 | $157.5 |
| Tennessee | 12,950 | $994.7 | 18,100 | $933.4 |
| Texas | 45,600 | $3,212.5 | 67,590 | $3,314.3 |
| Utah | 4,000 | $281.2 | 4,220 | $229.2 |
| Vermont | 2,320 | $163.2 | 2,060 | $102.9 |
| Virginia | 23,340 | $1,622.0 | 22,930 | $1,116.1 |
| Washington | 15,700 | $1,048.6 | 17,390 | $834.1 |
| West Virginia | 4,160 | $244.8 | 5,270 | $211.0 |
| Wisconsin | 13,500 | $816.3 | 13,130 | $623.5 |
| Wyoming | 1,030 | $60.1 | 1,320 | $67.5 |
| All Other Locations | 5,570 | $412.4 | 6,150 | $292.5 |
| Total | 715,130 | $50,861.9 | 854,870 | $41,752.6 |
Data source: U.S. Department of Education. Chart by author.
More student debt cancellations on the way?
Significantly more federal student loans could be forgiven in the future. The Department of Education's Student Loan Debt Relief Committee met this week to talk about new student loan forgiveness regulations. This committee will reconvene in November and December to make draft rules available for public comment in early 2024.
Legal challenges could potentially derail these efforts, similar to what happened with the Biden administration's first attempt at widespread student loan forgiveness. However, if the new regulations aren't struck down by the courts, more student debt cancellations should be on the way sometime next year.
