• The Biden Administration released new data showing the number of people in each state who applied for student debt relief or were automatically eligible for relief.
• Over 1.5 million Floridians applied or were automatically eligible for student debt relief.
• California and Texas led all states in applications.
• Applications were received within the four weeks the program was active before lawsuits and a federal judge’s ruling halted the U.S. Department of Education from processing applications.

26.2 million Americans have applied or were automatically eligible for student debt relief, with 1.5 million of those coming from Florida, the Biden Administration announced on Friday.

According to the data, more than 26 million Americans were either automatically eligible for the program or have applied. Additionally, more than 16 million had their applications fully approved.

The Biden Administration also gave a state-by-state breakdown of the number of borrowers who have applied and been approved. 1,598,000 Floridians applied or were deemed automatically eligible for relief. California led the way with 2,315,000 applicants, followed by Texas with 2,163,000.

In August, President Joe Biden rolled out a plan to forgive $10,000 in student loan debt for those making under $125,000 annually, and provide up to $20,000 in debt relief for borrowers who have received Pell grants.

The program was aimed at protecting borrowers most at risk of delinquency or default as a result of hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic when the payment pause ends.

The debt relief program, however, was halted after conservative groups filed a barrage of lawsuits, claiming the policy was an overreach of executive authority. Two of those lawsuits have been successful in stopping Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear oral arguments on Feb. 28.

According to the administration, more than 40 million Americans would qualify for the debt relief program if it was still active.

The White House noted that nearly 90% of the benefits of the relief going to out-of-school borrowers would go to those earning less than $75,000 per year.