Over $166 billion in student debt has been forgiven by President Joe Biden - here's the breakdown by state.

President Joe Biden made student debt relief a focus of his administration.

The Supreme Court struck down the mass forgiveness promised by the president during his campaign, and some of his other debt relief initiatives, such as the Saving on a Valuable Education plan and the negotiated rulemaking plan, are currently being held up in court.

Despite his administration's challenges, it has successfully cleared $166.5 billion in student loans, according to Department of Education data.

Under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, over 4.4 million borrowers across the country have had their debt cancelled, with an average of $38,207 in debt being forgiven. This includes borrowers who were able to receive forgiveness through the SAVE plan before it was blocked, as well as those who received total and permanent disability discharges and borrower defense to repayment discharges.

In an October statement, Biden pledged to fight for higher education to be a pathway to the middle class, not a hindrance to opportunity from the start of his administration.

How much student debt has been forgiven in each state

On average, borrowers in the District of Columbia had more debt forgiven than any state, with roughly 15,000 residents having an average of nearly $53,000 in loans discharged per borrower under the Biden administration. Additionally, D.C. residents have the highest average student debt balances overall, owing an average of nearly $55,000, according to Education Data Initiative.

Vermont is the only state where the average debt forgiveness amount exceeds $50,000 per borrower, with D.C., Maryland, and New York also having high levels of debt forgiveness per borrower on average.

Each state's number of borrowers who received loan forgiveness under the Biden administration is displayed on the map.

Paths to debt forgiveness

Biden's debt forgiveness mainly came through existing programs such as PSLF and borrower defense to repayment, which provides relief for borrowers who were defrauded by schools or educational programs that misrepresented or lied about successful outcomes.

Biden's administration made changes and updated processes to ensure students could actually see their loans discharged through relief programs.

As of March 2021, only 32 borrowers out of an estimated 2 million potentially eligible had received loan discharges through income-driven repayment, despite PSLF having provided debt relief to just 7,000 borrowers prior to his term in office.

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