Written By Melanie Lockert
Updated on February 27, 2026
Through the PSLF program, eligible borrowers with Direct Loans can get the remainder of their loans forgiven after 120 payments and 10 years of service at an approved employer. Plus, borrowers don’t have to worry about tax repercussions of forgiven loans under PSLF.
Below we cover the major PSLF statistics around applicants, the PSLF acceptance rate, reasons behind denied applications and more.
Top PSLF Statistics
Federal Student Aid publishes data that includes PSLF statistics relevant to borrowers. The information below is from its most recent report which includes application details from June 30, 2024 through September 30, 2025, as well as cumulative PSLF data through the end of September 2025. The data illustrated is ever-changing and will be updated on a regular basis.
PSLF Discharge Totals (Cumulative)
- Total Amount Discharged Through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver: $87.6 billion
- Average Loan Balance Forgiven Through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver: $74,100
- Total Borrowers with Loans Discharged Through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver: 1,183,600
PSLF Forms (June 30, 2024 through September 30, 2025)
- Total forms submitted: 3,276,900
- Forms processed that met eligibility requirements: 441,800
- Forms processed that did NOT meet eligibility requirements or were canceled by the borrower: 1,008,600
- Pending applications: 218,000
Borrowers on Track for PSLF (Cumulative)
- Outstanding loan balance for borrowers with student loan debt that have qualifying employment: $228.1 billion
- Number of borrowers who qualify for PSLF based on employment: 2,583,200
- Average outstanding loan balance: $88,300
History of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) was launched in 2007 as part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. This landmark student loan forgiveness program gave public service workers a form of debt relief in exchange for 10 years of service. PSLF helps attract federal student loan borrowers to fields like nonprofit work or government that are generally not as well compensated.
Given the program’s 10-year, full-time commitment, the first borrowers eligible for loan forgiveness applied in 2017. During that time, many PSLF applicants were rejected for a variety of reasons. As of March 2019, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 99% of PSLF applications were denied.
In 2018, eligibility requirements for PSLF were expanded to previously consider borrowers who made monthly payments via repayment plans that didn’t qualify. This program’s referred to as Temporary Expanded Public Service Loan Forgiveness (TEPSLF).
In recent years, PSLF borrowers had opportunities to gain additional PSLF credit via the PSLF Waiver and the IDR Account Adjustment (both now expired) for previously ineligible types of loans or payments. For example, major changes with the PSLF Waiver included counting previous student loan repayment — as well as some forbearance and deferment — toward PSLF, essentially expediting the forgiveness process.
Thanks to these expanded programs and improvements to the PSLF program overall, more borrowers are applying for PSLF than ever.
Below is a breakdown of current PSLF statistics. These figures offer insight into how many borrowers are benefiting from the program, including forgiveness amounts and reasons for some application denials.
Total forgiven from PSLF, TEPSLF, and PSLF waiver
The PSLF statistics below illustrate the total amount of student loans and borrowers that have taken part in the various PSLF-related programs.
| Total amount discharged through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver | Total unique borrowers with loans discharged through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver | Average loan balance forgiven through PSLF, TEPSLF & PSLF Waiver |
|---|---|---|
| $87.6 billion | 1,183,600 | $74,100 |
Total PSLF forgiveness (formal program only)
When applications rolled in for PSLF forgiveness, the acceptance rate drew scrutiny about the number of applications that weren’t accepted. Though there have been some hiccups along the way, the data shows that student loan borrowers are getting forgiveness through the program.
| Total amount discharged through PSLF | Total unique borrowers with loans discharged through PSLF | Average loan balance forgiven through PSLF |
|---|---|---|
| $35.2 billion | 450,400 | $78,200 |
Total TEPSLF forgiveness
The TEPSLF program loosened some eligibility requirements, making forgiveness possible for more borrowers who might otherwise not qualify for traditional PSLF. For example, one of the requirements for PSLF is to be on the right repayment plan.
PSLF borrowers need to repay student loans through an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan (e.g., Pay As You Earn, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment). Through TEPSLF, borrowers who made payments on a different payment plan might be eligible for forgiveness.
| Total amount discharged through TEPSLF | Total unique borrowers with loans discharged through TEPSLF | Average loan balance forgiven through TEPSLF |
|---|---|---|
| $0.3 billion | 7,500 | $42,500 |
Total forgiven from the PSLF waiver
The PSLF waiver was a unique opportunity for borrowers that ended on October 31, 2022. It allowed borrowers to receive PSLF credit for payments made under previously ineligible types of loans (e.g., Federal Family Education Loan Program) and for payments made before a loan was consolidated — among many other generous benefits.
| Total amount discharged through PSLF waiver | Total unique borrowers with loans discharged through PSLF waiver | Average loan balance forgiven through PSLF waiver |
|---|---|---|
| $52.1 billion | 758,800 | $68,600 |
Number of PSLF forms submitted
The PSLF and TEPSLF applications are now in just one form for borrowers to fill out. Based on this change, PSLF data and reports after April 2021 are a bit different. Before this time period, PSLF statistics included whether an Employment Certification Form (ECF) or forgiveness application was submitted. The format of these reports has changed again for June 2024 and beyond, with all PSLF application data being lumped together.
The numbers reflected below include PSLF forms from borrowers processed from June 30, 2024 through September 30, 2025:
- Total forms submitted: 3,276,900
- Processed applications: 2,050,400
- Pending applications: 218,000
- Closed/cancelled applications: 1,008,600
Total employment certification forms submitted
PSLF, unlike income-driven repayment forgiveness, has an employment requirement that borrowers must meet to qualify. The organization a borrower works for must meet specific criteria.
| Total forms complete that met employment certification requirements | Total forms that met employment certification requirements and requirements for PSLF forgiveness |
|---|---|
| 2,049,900 | 441,800 |
Of those who met both employment certification and PSLF forgiveness requirements, 63% were government workers and 37.2% were 501(c)(3), nonprofit workers.
Top reasons for closed or cancelled applications:
- 74.3% submitted incomplete applications.
- 11.4% were closed per the borrower's request.
- 7.5% didn't have a valid borrower and/or employer signature.
- 4.7% had employer eligibility issues (e.g., employer is ineligible or there are errors or inconsistencies in the employment information.)
- 2% had no open federal student loans.
Top reasons for pending applications:
- 82.6% awaiting signature documentation from borrower and/or employer.
- 15.5% undergoing employer eligibility assessment.
- 1.9% assessing qualifying payment counts.
PSLF-eligible balances and employers
The major thing borrowers need to qualify for PSLF is to work at an employer that qualifies for the program. Generally, this can include a nonprofit or government organization. Borrowers working toward PSLF can submit an Employment Certification Form.
| Current outstanding loan balance for borrowers with student loan debt that have qualifying employment | Amount of borrowers who qualify for PSLF based on employment with an outstanding balance | Average outstanding loan balance for student loan borrowers who qualify for PSLF based on employment |
|---|---|---|
| $228.1 billion | 2,583,200 | $88,300 |
Number of qualifying payments for PSLF borrowers
More than 2.58 million borrowers currently have eligible employment for PSLF, representing about $228.1 billion in outstanding student loan debt. But most borrowers are still working toward the required 120 qualifying payments, with the largest share in the early- to mid-repayment stages.
The latest report breaks down qualifying payment counts for cumulative PSLF borrowers as follows:
- More than half (51.1%) of PSLF borrowers are in the first four years of PSLF progress, specifically zero to 48 qualifying payments.
- About a third (34.8%) are roughly halfway through their 10-year journey with 49 to 96 qualifying payments.
- A decent share (14.1%) are within close reach of PSLF forgiveness with 97 to 119 qualifying payments.
Use the PSLF Help Tool to apply today
As you can see from the PSLF statistics outlined above, millions of student loan balances have been discharged under PSLF for thousands of borrowers.
Borrowers who wonder where they stand regarding PSLF can use the PSLF Help Tool. It lets you see if you qualify for PSLF or TEPSLF. Borrowers are also advised to submit their Employer Certification Form each year to track payments and eligibility.
Private student loans from private financial institutions — not the U.S. Department of Education — don’t qualify for student loan forgiveness programs.
If you’re working toward PSLF, keep good records of payments and employment, evaluate expanded eligibility with the waiver, and contact your loan servicer if you need more information.
Have questions regarding PSLF? Get in touch with a Student Loan Planner team member or book a consultation.
Not sure what to do with your student loans?
Take our 11-question quiz to get a personalized recommendation for 2026 on whether you should pursue PSLF, IDR, or refinancing (including the one lender we think could give you the best rate).
