NYT
A Borrower’s Timeline of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Quagmire
Sunday, September 20, 2026
A county lawyer in Kentucky submitted 22 applications for Public Service Loan Forgiveness between January 2025 and September 2026 while making payments on her federal student loans for approximately 20 years. The Department of Education did not approve forgiveness under the program, which is designed to cancel remaining loan balances for borrowers employed in qualifying public service positions who make 120 monthly payments. The lawyer's repeated applications and extended repayment period illustrate ongoing challenges borrowers have faced in accessing the forgiveness program since its creation in 2007.