The U.S. Department of Education filed for an 18‑month extension to the deadline for resolving nearly 200,000 borrower defense claims tied to a 2022 settlement, asking a federal judge to push decisions beyond the January deadline. The settlement had promised timely decisions or automatic relief for students who filed claims against predominantly for‑profit institutions; the Education Department now says it lacks the resources to meet the court-ordered timetable. Borrower-advocacy groups urged the court to reject the request, calling it a breach of commitments to defrauded students. For university compliance officers, financial-aid administrators and legal teams, the move signals further regulatory uncertainty and continued litigation risk around borrower relief, institutional reporting obligations and federal oversight. (Source: court filing and reporting on the Sweet v. McMahon settlement.)