Fact check: How many people received student loan forgiveness during president Joe Biden’s term in office?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the Biden administration approved student loan forgiveness for over 5 million Americans during President Joe Biden's term in office. The total amount of student debt canceled ranges from $183.6 billion to $188.8 billion, with most sources citing the higher figure ^{[1] [2]}.

The most precise figure comes from multiple sources stating that 5.3 million borrowers received a total of $188.8 billion in student loan forgiveness ^{[1] [3]}. This forgiveness was achieved through various mechanisms, including changes to existing debt forgiveness programs and ad hoc forgiveness for former students at for-profit institutions ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks important context about how this forgiveness was achieved. The analyses reveal that this debt cancellation occurred despite the collapse of Biden's broader forgiveness plan ^{[4] [1]}. The forgiveness was primarily delivered through existing programs such as:

• Borrower defense programs ^[4]
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness ^[4]
• Ad hoc forgiveness for students at for-profit institutions ^[3]

This distinction is crucial because it shows the forgiveness came through targeted program improvements rather than the sweeping debt cancellation that Biden originally proposed. The analyses indicate this was achieved through administrative changes to existing debt forgiveness programs ^[3], not through new legislation.

Political stakeholders who benefit from emphasizing these numbers include Democratic politicians and Biden administration officials who can point to concrete results for borrowers, while Republican critics might benefit from highlighting that the broader forgiveness plan failed and that this represents a more limited achievement than originally promised.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it simply asks for factual information. However, the framing could be misleading without proper context. Simply stating the numbers without explaining that this occurred "despite the collapse of his forgiveness plan" ^{[4] [1]} could give the impression that Biden's student loan forgiveness efforts were more successful than they actually were.

The question also doesn't distinguish between Biden's signature policy initiatives versus improvements to existing programs, which is a significant distinction for understanding the political and policy implications of these numbers. Without this context, the figures could be used to either overstate or understate the administration's achievements depending on the political perspective of the presenter.