A new study finds a growing number of distressed student-loan borrowers are successfully discharging debt using a streamlined bankruptcy process. Researchers report that simplified filings and reduced procedural barriers are enabling borrowers with crippling balances to secure relief more often than in the past. The development signals renewed pressure on policymakers and loan servicers to reassess repayment and adjudication frameworks for defaulted federal and private student loans. Higher-education finance officers and financial-aid directors should expect shifts in collections and student-accounting practices if this pattern continues. Universities that factor default and recovery rates into institutional aid strategies may need to update forecasting models. Legal scholars say the trend could prompt legislative responses or administrative guidance that directly affect campus enrollment and affordability efforts.