--- title: 1 Million Public Service Workers Have Now Had Their Student Loans Forgiven description: The White House announced it approved loan forgiveness for more public service workers, bringing the total debt discharged to $74 billion. authors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere has been covering the intersection of college and personal finance since 2015. She enjoys breaking down the complexities of college costs and financial aid, and she also runs Money’s Best Colleges. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Personal Finance - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2024-10-17T17:11:01.000Z' modified: '2024-10-17T17:11:01.000Z' section: Personal Finance tags: - News word_count: 800 canonical: https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Pencil erasing a one hundred dollar bill](https://img.money.com/2024/10/News-1-Million-Student-Loan-Forgiveness.jpg) More than 1 million student loan borrowers have now qualified for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. The milestone comes as the Biden administration on Thursday [announced](https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/biden-harris-administration-approves-additional-45-billion-student-debt) the latest batch of forgiveness for public-sector workers, with more than 60,000 borrowers getting $4.5 billion of debt canceled. In all, nearly $74 billion in debt has been canceled through the program in the past three years. This “isn't just a number. It's life-changing debt relief for over a million people who now have more breathing room to buy homes, start small businesses, save for retirement and more,” Natalie Quillian, White House deputy chief of staff, said on a call with reporters. Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or PSLF, was created in 2007 to offer loan relief for borrowers who spend at least a decade working in (often low-paying) government or nonprofit jobs. Borrowers have to make 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for an eligible employer to get their loans canceled. ## Take control of your student loans today! ### Refinancing your Student Loans could save you money on interest, help pay off your loan faster and even free up extra cash in your budget. Why wait? Click on your state to get started today! [See Details](https://money.com/pr/z75814e16c7f?ap_referrer=%2Fpslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million%2F) In the past, [PSLF was infamous](https://money.com/public-service-loan-forgiveness-application-delays/) for its high denial rates. At the time, the application process was complicated, borrowers regularly reported [confusion around eligibility requirements](https://money.com/public-service-loan-forgiveness-delays-ffel-loans/), and stories about loan servicers miscounting payments were common. In 2021, less than 7,000 borrowers had successfully qualified for [loan forgiveness](https://money.com/how-to-get-student-loan-forgiveness/) through PSLF — fewer than 3% of all applicants. “For too long, the program failed to live up to \[its\] commitment,” Quillian said. But approval counts have surged following the Biden administration’s efforts to overhaul the program. The White House rolled out a [temporary waiver](https://money.com/public-service-loan-forgiveness-pslf-waiver/) that gave borrowers [credit for past payments](https://money.com/public-service-loan-forgiveness-changes-waiver/) that didn’t count because of administrative errors and enacted permanent changes that [simplified the eligibility requirements](https://money.com/income-driven-repayment-pslf-changes/) and the process for certifying employment. More recently, the administration moved all PSLF management to Studentaid.gov with the goal of allowing borrowers to more easily track their progress toward forgiveness. “This is something that we're extremely proud of — not only the number but also that the process is fixed so that it can continue providing forgiveness for public servants for years to come,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said. With just a few weeks to go before the presidential election, he also painted the PSLF changes as a win for the Biden administration, comparing the recent approval numbers to those under former President Donald Trump. Trump, of course, is running against current Vice President Kamala Harris. ## Why PSLF is so important Improving the accessibility and reliability of PSLF has far-reaching economic and social benefits, according to a separate [analysis](https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/10/17/making-public-service-loan-forgiveness-work-for-borrowers-and-the-american-people/) published Thursday from the White House Council of Economic Advisors. The program was designed to help critical jobs — think: teachers, social workers, nurses and doctors — be more financially viable. But the CEA analysis shows there’s still work to do. Over the past two decades, public-sector workers earned, on average, 93 cents for every dollar paid to private-sector workers of similar ages and education attainment. The pay discrepancy between the two sectors has gotten worse in recent years, too, increasing from 2.8% in 2011 to 9.5% in 2023. And some professions have a much more dramatic gap. Teachers, for example, earned nearly 29% less in 2022 when compared to all other full-time workers after accounting for age and education. That, coupled with the [high cost of attending college](https://money.com/college-costs-enrollment-survey/), can discourage people from choosing these careers. That matters because if too few people pursue public-sector positions, there are a host of ripple effects. The CEA points to vacant teaching positions and high turnover at schools, as well as longer wait times for medical appointments and inadequate access to primary care doctors, as examples. ## Other Biden administration student debt relief efforts The latest PSLF discharges come as two of the Biden administration's other major attempts at student [debt relief remain blocked](https://money.com/student-loan-forgiveness-lawsuits-update/) in the courts. The new Saving for a Valuable Education repayment plan and the ["Plan B" to forgive some debts of borrowers](https://money.com/biden-unveils-new-student-loan-forgiveness-plan/) in more specific situations, like those who've been repaying for decades or who have a financial hardship, are both still on hold. Still, the Education Department has had considerable success at granting debt relief through existing programs. Aside from Public Service Loan Forgiveness, some 1.4 million borrowers have had loans forgiven through income-driven repayment plans, including those who benefited from a [one-time payment count adjustment](https://money.com/student-loan-forgivness-idr-payment-adjustment/); more than 1.6 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools or dealt with institution closures have had their debts canceled; and more than 500,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability have had their debts discharged. All told, the administration says it has forgiven $175 billion in student debt for more than 4.8 million Americans. ## Compare Student Loan Refinance rates today ### Get pre-approved in 2 minutes ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/26621/medium_18b55bcd-82cd-4d73-b404-97711fd4a5e7.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/ee7e65831c0d?bidid=4110394473&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670343585&ptoken=f79a11bf9fed5e401da8c30ccf0d0ec0) ### Compare multiple lenders ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38966/medium_752a1e55-4e21-4d57-a49f-43d51659e66b.webp) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/6264cfd6d72d?bidid=4110394472&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670343585&ptoken=2d0d5b3bb927a48bc2b86649842fbbda) ### Low-interest rates & a variety of repayment options ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28522/medium_d9060e39-6dbd-420c-9b34-621585e2f2ac.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/31b5746d4e54?bidid=4110394476&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670343585&ptoken=c45c70976da18a29b16a7e8fd46481b9) ### Consolidate federal & private loans ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22270/medium_29794957-e55c-4470-9680-6dee519667e1.png) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/873a3797bbc4?bidid=4110394475&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670343585&ptoken=a4fe050dacfe62e63b3b31a7339e2a74) ![See Details](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/38975/medium_fada6d3e-7950-482c-b365-f29d6aee9f01.webp) Our Partner [See Details](https://money.com/go/87e6ceb7973d?bidid=4110394477&pmeta=p129-c524-u27951&ptid=670343585&ptoken=3c7d9b7cbd9de1d3adadb455fb97418e) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/26621/medium_18b55bcd-82cd-4d73-b404-97711fd4a5e7.png) Refinance your Student Loan with SoFi today! [See Details](https://money.com/pr/odc45b263191?ap_referrer=%2Fpslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Personal Finance", "item": "https://money.com/personal-finance/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Student Loan Debt", "item": "https://money.com/student-loan-debt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "1 Million Public Service Workers Have Now Had Their Student Loans Forgiven" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/", "name": "1 Million Public Service Workers Have Now Had Their Student Loans Forgiven", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2024-10-17T17:11:01.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/pslf-student-loan-forgiveness-1-million/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-10-17T17:11:01.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "1 Million Public Service Workers Have Now Had Their Student Loans Forgiven", "articleSection": "Personal Finance", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2024/10/News-1-Million-Student-Loan-Forgiveness.jpg", "width": 2880, "height": 1920, "caption": "News-1-Million-Student-Loan-Forgiveness" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kaitlin Mulhere", "url": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/#author", "description": "Kaitlin Mulhere has been covering the intersection of college and personal finance since 2015. 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