the Department of Education made a U-turn by covertly reducing the number of people who qualify for President Biden's student loan forgiveness programme.
The new rules, which were revised on the department's website at the end of September.
It prevent borrowers with certain debts issued and handled by private lenders.
But currently guaranteed by the government from being eligible for relief.
According to NPR, this "extraordinary turnaround" might have an impact on hundreds of thousands of borrowers.
The future of forgiveness also appears less secure now than it did when it was first announced six weeks ago due to the start of legal battles.