How much do you owe on your education loans?

[DesignDawg]

Hey all,

When you're a student having to live on your own, supporting yourself, paying your own way through college, it's really easy not to notice how much debt you are racking up in student loans. So, were any of you surprised to find out how much you owed when you got out of school? Who is still paying them? How much per month? What I think sucks is that, despite the fact that my parents didn't pay a dime for my education, and I supported myself through college, I COULD NOT apply for financial aid as an independent. They still required my parents' tax info so they could calculate their "assumed contribution," which OBVIOUSLY put me out of the running for need-based grants and such. Oh well. I got through my bachelor's with loans, grants (academic) and scholarships, and I'm actually getting paid to work on my master's (paycheck + free tuition), so for the next little while, Heather and I don't have to pay off any student loans. When that time comes, though (and we may start paying early anyway, just to get a head start), we are gonna owe the amount of a car note for a decent car every month.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[compuwiz1]

I have a lifetime of debt from my very expensive education, but I've never seen a day of college.

 

[yakko]

$0

 

[thedarkwolf]

$0
Going to a school that only cost $1200 a semester has some advantages .

 

[iamwiz82]

none... yet. Give me a few more terms of writing $9000 checks and ill get back to you...

 

[T2T III]

None. My employer paid for my bachelor's degree - all of it.

 

[Sundog]

Wayy tooo much!

 

[BlueScreenVW]

300 000 swedish kronor, which is about $30 000. And rising. But payments are limited to max 4 % of my future incomes, so it's not as bad as it might sound. Also, it's prescribed at death and/or retirement. This is for 5.5 years at the university.

 

[Mayhem1869]

I only have abot $6k left.

 

[SpongeBob]

$0, the government's pickin up the tab for my bachelors.

 

[SVTPower]

$0 on mine and $37,000 on my wifes.

 

[StageLeft]

$24k CAN on mine and wife's will be about $20-25k CAN when she's done next year.

 

[Frenchie]

Whittle mine down big time. Only $22,000 and change to go. Should have it paid off in two more years.

 

[jeremy806]

80k total when I got married... it's a bad topic over here.

jeremy806

 

[SmiZ]

I'm in the same boat as you Dawg, parents don't pay a cent, but I still have to claim their income. I'm looking at about $50,000 in loans by the time I'm done. Better make some money.

 

[Ladi]

My parents are paying for state school, but I have enough scholarships to cover tuition and fees.

I'll be ~$120,000 in debt before I finish though....law schools I'm looking at range from $30-40,000+ per year.

~Ladi

 

[cyclistca]

Nada but Mom and Dad paid for school. Of course university is a lot cheaper up here.

 

[Napalm381]

Zero.

 

[vi edit]

About 12k or so. The g/f will probably have close to 50k after 4 years of bachelors and then another 4 years of post grad

 

[Kosugi]

Finished 6 year degree with 22k in debt.

0 today.


The same education I got would cost you triple today, but I really don't think the education is three times better.

 

[DannyLove]

$0, doesnt seem as though loans are there to help.....it'll kill you in the end. too bad for you

 

[randomlinh]

round 5k right now... still in first year.... i need a job

 

[lepper boy]

me? down to 8k from 16k
wife? down to 20k from 25 k.....

LOANS SUCK!

 

[DesignDawg]

Looks like generally, everyone's in the same boat. I totally disagree with the one who said "loans aren't there to help." Well, if they weren't, I could NOT have gotten a degree at all. Same with my wife. Neither of our parents were in financial shape to put us through college at all, so we had to use loans. Luckily, my wife got a few pell grants, but my family's income was too high (believe me, it wasn't that high....they use a really crazy income figure to determine eligibility) for me to get one. So, sure, when we start paying our loans back, we are going to owe somewhere between $250 and $500 per month for a few years.... But if you compare the money we'll be making to what we would have it it weren't for the college educations, it's CHUMP change. At the very least, just with our bachelor's, we COULD be making more than both our parents right now. --But when we both finish our master's, we'll be making much more than both our sets of parents COMBINED. Paying off loans that amount to the price of a luxury automobile over 5-10 years isn't gonna be a huge burden. I wish I didn't owe it, but I'm not bitter about it. That would mean regretting getting a degree. No way.

Ricky
DesignDawg

 

[Scrapster]

$0 until I graduate.