Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Now Taking Longer Than Your Degree
KEY POINTS
- •As of November 30, over 800,000 borrowers await income-driven repayment approval from the US Department of Education.
- •The Education Department approved 170 relief applications in November and discharged 280 borrowers through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
- •Major repayment changes and tax implications are scheduled to hit in July 2026 following President Trump's 'big beautiful' spending law.
As of November 30, 802,730 student-loan borrowers remain trapped in Income-Driven Repayment purgatory, waiting for federal approval that’s slower than water freezing in Antarctica. In a court filing last week, the Department of Education revealed it processed relief for exactly 170 IDR applicants in November—probably fewer than the number of Starbucks locations in NYC—plus 280 lucky PSLF program discharges, which reward government workers after a decade of on-time payments. President Trump’s 2024 'big beautiful' spending bill promises major repayment shake-ups by July 2026, including taxing forgiven debt starting in 2026, a delightful twist for borrowers who’d hoped relief meant freedom, not a tax bill to rival their first car payment. Jennifer Oakes, age 41, summed it up: anxiety and nervousness because readers really don’t know if help is eventually coming, or if IDR is code for 'Infinite Delay Retirement.'
Share the Story
800,000+ student loan borrowers waiting on approvals as fast as dial-up internet, while Biden’s Dept of Education serves cold 'big beautiful' heartbreak disguised as 'relief.' Hope means patience went extinct in 2025.
If patience was a currency, the 802,730 IDR applicants could buy Mars and then some while DOE processes applications slower than your WiFi on a bad day.
Federal loan forgiveness processing in November: 170 approvals. Meanwhile, Spotify counts more monthly users than this backlog shrinks monthly.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 12/25/2025 | Author: Ayelet Sheffey
More Articles in US News
Linkin Park’s New Tour: Same Band, New Lead Singer, Twice The Confusion
Volunteer Battles Fire That Roasts His Own Home, Because Why Not
Sydney Sweeney's $1M Flop, Trump-Approved Jeans & Bathwater Soap Fiasco
Minneapolis Tells ICE To 'Get The F--- Out' Meanwhile Homeland Security Writes Yelp Reviews
Minneapolis Mayor Accuses Feds of Playing Hide-and-Seek Over Neighbor’s Fatal Car Stop
Chinese Crackdowns Cut US Fentanyl Supply, Trump Declares Pills Weapons of Mass Destruction
America Adds 50,000 Jobs, But Those 70,000 Stayed Home for Holidays
Trump Declares War on Wall Street’s Single-Family Home Monopoly, But Not the Homes They Own
