Federal Student Loans
Student debt should never be a lifelong burden.
For decades, policymakers and giant student loan companies like MOHELA have rigged the system: denying borrowers rightful relief under programs like Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Income-Driven Repayment (IDR). Even with extremists in power, we can still defend borrowers from attempts to sabotage existing relief programs, make servicing companies follow the rules, and expose predatory practices that keep people in debt.
We’ve already secured nearly $190 billion in debt cancellation by forcing elected officials to keep their promises—and we won’t stop until the system works for borrowers, not profiteers.
What We’re Doing
We helped secure nearly $190 billion in cancellation for 5 million borrowers by demanding programs like Income-Driven Repayment deliver on their promises, and fighting to expand these key protections.
Federal law promises that if you dedicate your career to public service, your student loans will be cancelled after 10 years. We are fighting to make sure the Trump Administration keeps this promise.
We investigate student loan companies like MOHELA and report on servicing failures, improper denials of debt relief, deception, and more. We leverage this insight to force the government at every level to use oversight tools to ensure companies are held accountable.
By The Numbers
Nearly $190 Billion
Nearly $190 billion in student debt cancelled for 5M borrowers.
1 million+ borrowers
PSLF fixes for 1M+ teachers, nurses, and other public service workers.
17 Million+ BORROWERS
17 million+ borrowers protected through stronger state laws.
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EXPLORE OUR OTHER WORK
PREDATORY LENDING & PRIVATE CREDIT
We believe that opportunity should not come with a lifetime of debt. We are fighting to hold private companies accountable, demanding justice for families, and rewriting the rules that shape how private credit is extended, serviced, collected, and reported across the economy.
FREE COLLEGE
It’s time to deliver a truly public, debt-free system and accountability for those who profit off the status quo, deny opportunity, and push borrowers further into debt.
WORKPLACE DEBT & LABOR EXPLOITATION
Every year, tens of millions of Americans leave their jobs. But for many of them, this can come with a surprise: a bill. That’s because more employers are relying on “stay-or-pay” contracts to trap workers, requiring them to pay a penalty if they leave a job. If left unchecked, stay-or-pay contracts have the potential to leave workers buried in debt just for taking a better opportunity or for having to quit a job to navigate personal hardship.
Public Corruption & Attacks On Public Power
Working families’ last defense against debt traps is often the federal agencies responsible for holding corporations accountable and enforcing the rules that govern our economy. Protect Borrowers will continue to expose public corruption and aggressively pursue the officials responsible for looting the federal government to the benefit of billionaires and the biggest corporations.
RACIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
We are dedicated to ensuring that marginalized communities are protected from mistreatment by the loan industry. We have investigated and reported on predatory actors who attempt to take advantage of underserved communities. Through innovative advocacy and the novel application of legal tools, Protect Borrowers is working to address discrimination in the market and demonstrate how protecting borrowers is critical to advancing racial equity and economic justice.
STATE & LOCAL PROJECTS
We support state and local efforts to ensure we have a safe and well-regulated economy that works for everyone across the country by helping legislatures enact new laws, providing technical assistance as agencies implement and enforce these laws, and training local offices to provide services to their communities.