Trump Administration Identifies Thousands More Eligible for Student Loan Forgiveness

Court filing shows over 40,000 borrowers identified for debt relief under income-driven repayment plans and public service loan forgiveness.

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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A recent court filing revealed that the Trump administration has identified more than 40,000 federal student loan borrowers who are eligible for debt forgiveness under various repayment programs. This includes over 10,800 borrowers in income-driven repayment plans and another 18,160 who qualified for public service loan forgiveness. The administration has been working to process these discharges and provide relief to eligible borrowers.

Why it matters

Student loan debt continues to be a major financial burden for millions of Americans, with over $1.6 trillion in outstanding loans nationwide. The identification and processing of eligible borrowers for forgiveness programs is an important step in providing relief and easing this burden, especially for public sector workers and those enrolled in income-driven repayment plans.

The details

The court filing showed the Trump administration identified over 40,000 borrowers eligible for federal student loan forgiveness in January 2026. This included more than 10,800 borrowers in income-driven repayment plans like Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, and Pay As You Earn. Another 18,160 borrowers had their loans cancelled through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. The Education Department said it is working to process these discharges and provide the eligible borrowers with notices in February.

  • In January 2026, the Trump administration identified over 40,000 borrowers eligible for federal student loan forgiveness.
  • The Education Department said it will provide eligible borrowers with notices about their debt cancellation in February 2026.

The players

Trump Administration

The federal executive branch under former President Donald Trump, which has been working to identify and process eligible borrowers for student loan forgiveness programs.

U.S. Department of Education

The federal agency responsible for administering federal student aid programs, including income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

American Federation of Teachers

A teachers' union representing 1.8 million members that sued the Trump administration last year over denying student loan borrowers their legal rights to debt forgiveness.

Randi Weingarten

The president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Nancy Nierman

The assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York.

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What they’re saying

“Thanks to our lawsuit, 20,000 more teachers, nurses, firefighters and public service workers finally got their debt discharged.”

— Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers

“These people should be getting their notices in February.”

— Nancy Nierman, Assistant Director, Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program

What’s next

The Education Department said the borrowers deemed eligible for income-driven repayment forgiveness in January have not yet had their debts discharged, but will be provided a short period to opt out of the debt cancellation before it is finalized.

The takeaway

The identification and processing of over 40,000 eligible borrowers for student loan forgiveness programs represents an important step in providing relief to those struggling with the financial burden of student debt. However, a significant backlog of applications for affordable repayment plans remains, underscoring the ongoing challenges in the federal student lending system.