NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— As President Biden’s plans for student debt relief continue to unfold, data released by the US Department of Education on Tuesday estimates more than 40 million people will receive assistance, including 600,000 borrowers in Louisiana.
WGNO’s LBJ sat down with Rachel Thomas, the Senior Communications Advisor for Policy at the White House, to find out more about the plan and what it means for Louisiana. Watch the full interview in the player below.
Thomas says the impact of the forgiveness plan could provide relief to nearly 40% of all Louisiana adults who attended college. According to a White House fact sheet, the relief will provide up to $20,000 to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to other borrowers.
FULL INTERVIEW: White House official talks student debt relief in Louisiana
The Department of Education also released an estimated amount of eligible borrowers by state. See the full data in the table below. To learn more about the plan and to find out how to apply, click here.
Eligible student borrowers by state
| State or Jurisdiction | Estimated Number of Borrowers Eligible for Student Debt Relief (rounded to the nearest hundred) | Estimated Number of Pell Borrowers Eligible for Student Debt Relief (rounded to the nearest hundred) |
| AK | 60,500 | 37,300 |
| AL | 588,000 | 404,900 |
| AR | 365,600 | 269,000 |
| AS | 2,000 | 1,500 |
| AZ | 810,800 | 554,900 |
| CA | 3,549,300 | 2,340,600 |
| CO | 698,100 | 419,000 |
| CT | 454,200 | 238,200 |
| DC | 105,600 | 60,300 |
| DE | 116,900 | 68,000 |
| FL | 2,427,600 | 1,716,300 |
| GA | 1,506,100 | 1,039,100 |
| GU | 6,900 | 4,500 |
| HI | 111,500 | 65,700 |
| IA | 408,700 | 248,900 |
| ID | 201,400 | 144,900 |
| IL | 1,486,600 | 863,600 |
| IN | 856,400 | 555,500 |
| KS | 360,900 | 225,500 |
| KY | 563,300 | 394,000 |
| LA | 608,100 | 435,200 |
| MA | 813,000 | 401,200 |
| MD | 747,100 | 419,400 |
| ME | 175,000 | 105,300 |
| MI | 1,316,000 | 849,300 |
| MN | 729,700 | 416,300 |
| MO | 777,300 | 502,200 |
| MP | 1,400 | 1,000 |
| MS | 417,200 | 316,400 |
| MT | 120,400 | 78,600 |
| NC | 1,190,500 | 785,500 |
| ND | 82,000 | 49,600 |
| NE | 232,100 | 136,000 |
| NH | 175,100 | 85,300 |
| NJ | 1,082,900 | 590,300 |
| NM | 215,900 | 159,000 |
| NV | 315,800 | 216,900 |
| NY | 2,258,800 | 1,320,100 |
| OH | 1,677,800 | 1,085,700 |
| OK | 454,300 | 321,600 |
| OR | 499,000 | 332,100 |
| PA | 1,717,300 | 988,800 |
| PR | 275,500 | 241,900 |
| RI | 133,900 | 75,300 |
| SC | 681,100 | 458,400 |
| SD | 109,100 | 65,100 |
| TN | 795,300 | 542,000 |
| TX | 3,323,200 | 2,306,700 |
| UT | 282,700 | 206,300 |
| VA | 965,100 | 566,500 |
| VI | 7,800 | 4,700 |
| VT | 72,200 | 37,100 |
| WA | 697,600 | 423,800 |
| WI | 685,100 | 412,700 |
| WV | 213,100 | 145,000 |
| WY | 49,600 | 31,400 |
| Other | 10,900 | 7,400 |
| Unknown | 3,770,600 | 1,376,000 |
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