Student Debt Cancellation to Cost $379 Billion, Education Department Estimates
The U.S. Department of Education announced that it estimates the Biden administration’s program to cancel student debt to cost $379 billion, or about $30 billion a year over the next 10 years.
The estimates are based on “highly uncertain assumptions about future economic conditions and participation rates,” the department noted.
The Biden administration’s plan is set to provide up to $10,000 in debt relief to borrowers who earn less than $125,000 per year, or $20,000 in debt relief to Pell Grant recipients who meet similar income standards. An application to receive the benefit is expected in early October.
“As a result of Student Debt Relief, millions of borrowers will no longer have to make repayments on their loans and millions more will be able to substantially reduce their repayments,” the Department of Education announced, adding it estimates that “over the next 10 years, the program will cost on average $30 billion annually.”…