The Department of Education can approve relief for student loan borrowers through a process called borrower defense to repayment (borrower defense) if colleges engaged in certain types of misconduct. As of April 30, 2024, Education had discharged (i.e., forgiven) a cumulative total of $17.2 billion in federal student loans for 974,820 borrowers under borrower defense, according to agency data. Under the 1995 and 2016 borrower defense regulations, the agency determines if a borrower qualifies for loan relief using two pathways. Under the first pathway, Education evaluates individual borrower defense applications by following a multistep process to determine if a borrower's claim of a college's misconduct is credible. Under the second pathway, Education provides relief for a group of borrowers. Education uses this "group discharge" process when it determines that a college engaged in widespread and pervasive misconduct. In such cases, Education may provide relief to all borrowers who attended a specific college, campus, or program during a specific time, even if they did not submit applications. The $17.2 billion represents discharges through both the individual and group application pathways. The 974,820 borrowers include those who filed applications as well as those who did not. This report describes the process used to determine student loan relief under borrower defense and the total dollar amount of loans discharged; the number of borrower defense applications Education received and the outcome of those applications; and Education's approval of loan relief for groups of borrowers, among other things. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzed Education's cumulative borrower defense data as of April 30, 2024, the most recent data available. GAO also reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations, a relevant class-action lawsuit settlement (known as the Sweet settlement), Education policies and procedures, and other agency documents. GAO also interviewed agency officials.