Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 9 - Issue 2

On Monday, the Education Department (ED) announced that it has provided $183.6 billion in student loan forgiveness to five million borrowers during the Biden Administration. According to ED, forgiveness was provided through three types of discharges – $465 million in Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF), $1.26 billion in borrower defense discharges, and $2.5 billion in total and permanent disability discharges. In addition to the $183.6 billion, ED also noted that it has provided $56.5 billion in forgiveness to 1.4 million borrowers through income-driven repayment (IDR).

This week, ED sent out emails to borrowers alerting them that their student loans will remain in forbearance until no earlier than September 2025. This is due to the court injunction that prevented the implementation of parts of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan and other IDR plans, including forgiving loans. According to ED, borrowers will “be in this forbearance until servicers are able to accurately calculate monthly payments, which Federal Student Aid (FSA) expects servicers to be able to do no earlier than September 2025.” Additionally, first payments will be due no earlier than December 2025.

After identifying a methodological error in its preliminary fall 2024 enrollment reports – initially indicating a five percent decrease – the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) has revised its findings to report an enrollment increase.

In a recent NPR interview, Secretary Miguel Cardona reflected on the Department of Education’s successes and challenges throughout his tenure.

The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) published a report outlining key priorities for state higher education leaders in 2025, including increasing state operating support for public colleges and universities, advancing economic and workforce development, and expanding state funding for financial aid programs.

There were no relevant student-aid related bills recently introduced for consideration by the 119th Congress (2025-26).