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Millions of Americans pursue college degrees in the hopes of creating a bright future for themselves. The goal is that after graduation, you’ll be gainfully employed and working toward a career that is both fulfilling and allows you to pay back your debts.

But as the cost of tuition across the country continues to skyrocket , the rosy picture of college allowing students to prosper after graduation may not be entirely accurate.

In America, the total student loan debt has reached $1.5 trillion , spread over 44 million borrowers. On average, students graduate with approximately $37,000 in student loan debt.

As a nation, we’re just beginning to understand how student loans affect the economy , and importantly—the lives of those holding the outstanding student debt.

America’s Student Debt Crisis

To understand how impactful the student loan debt crisis is, let’s put it into perspective. Consumer debt in the United States is measured by the Federal Reserve in five distinct categories—home, auto, credit card, student, and other debt.

Student loan debt was the smallest consumer debt category in 2003, at just 3.1% of the country’s total consumer debt. Fast forward 12 years to 2015 and student loan debt became the second largest category, accounting for 10.4% of the nation’s consumer debt. Since then household debt has continued to rise, with student loans accounting for 42% of all consumer debt in 2018.

How Does Student Loan Debt Affect Borrower’s Life Decisions

Given the demands of student loan debt, borrowers are delaying big life decisions. Things like buying a home or starting a family are happening later in life, for some, thanks to student loans and the financial implications they come with. Here are some of the areas affected by student loan debt:

Buying a Home

A 2017 study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that while tuition has continued to rise , the increasing cost has not prevented students from pursuing higher education. Instead, students have accommodated the increasing tuition by taking on more debt to earn their degrees.

The study found that while rising tuition and debt accumulation had no impact on college enrollment or B.A. attainment rates, they did impact homeownership among millennials.

Researchers found that between 11% to 35% of the decrease in homeownership among 28 to 30-year-olds between the years of 2007 and 2015 could be attributed to tuition hikes and rising student debt. According to The New York Times, “homeownership among Americans in their 20s and 30s in 2018 is hovering near a three-decade low .”

The growing student debt impacts borrowers’ ability to buy a home in a few ways. When you apply for a mortgage, creditors look at your debt-to-income ratio, which is what you owe against how much you make. Nearly one-fifth of those who apply for a mortgage aren’t approved due to their debt-to-income ratio.

Another factor is your credit score. If you’ve missed payments on your loan or if the loan is delinquent or you’ve defaulted, your credit score could have been negatively impacted.

Possibly the biggest hurdle to homeownership when you hold student loans is saving for the down payment. Of those carrying student loan debt, 85% say that difficulty in saving has delayed their ability to buy a house.

Not only can student loan debt delay homeownership, it also can make it more likely that you will live with your parents after graduation.

Marriage (and Divorce)

Homeownership isn’t the only thing being delayed as a result of student loans. According to the Federal Reserve , one of the effects of student loan debt is borrowers delaying decisions about marriage and starting a family. A Consumer Reports survey found that 12% of respondents delayed getting married due to student debt.

Marriage can impact your student loan payments, depending on the types of loans you have and the repayment plan you are on. If you are on an income-based repayment plan, your monthly bill might change based on how much you and your spouse earn and how you file your taxes.

Starting your life together in debt can add stress to a marriage. In some cases, the financial stress of student loans led borrowers to divorce. A survey from Student Loan Hero found that 13% of respondents attribute student loan debt as a cause of their divorce. In addition, couples with student loan debt were more likely to delay divorce due to their student loans.

Starting a Family

In 2018, the fertility rate reached a record low. That same year, The New York Times conducted a survey in an attempt to discover why people are having fewer children.

The survey found that 64% delayed having children because child care was too expensive and 43% waited to have children due to financial instability. Of the people that didn’t plan to have children at all, 13% said it was as a result of student debt.

For women, having children can have a serious impact on their career and income. While there are a number of reasons Americans are having fewer children, student debt is becoming an increasingly impactful factor when it comes to deciding to delay starting a family. Especially when you consider that women hold more student loan debt than men and will earn less over their careers.

Pursuing Graduate School

If you have undergraduate student loan debt, you’re less likely to enroll in a graduate or professional degree program. Graduate school often means even more debt. The median debt for graduate students is $57,600 and one in four borrowers owes $100,000 or more, according to the New America Foundation .

An advanced degree can mean increased job opportunity, but it’s important to determine if taking out the debt is worth it when compared with your anticipated earning potential.

Saving for Retirement

One of the negative effects of debt on young adults is that their retirement savings can be impacted. According to a 2018 study by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College , Millennials who never borrowed student loans saved twice as much for retirement by age 30 as college graduates who have student debt.

College graduates without debt at age 30 had saved approximately $18,200 for retirement as compared to just $9,100 for 30-year-olds with an average loan balance of $16,230.

The study also found that the actual amount of student loan debt alone wasn’t a factor in holding them back from saving for retirement. Instead, it found that any debt at all held borrowers back from saving.

Delaying retirement savings can mean playing catch up in your later years. Typically, the earlier you start saving for retirement, the more time your money will have to benefit from compound interest.

It can seem overwhelming to start saving for retirement while you’re still paying off student loan debt, but doing both at the same time can help you meet your financial goals in the future.

Managing Your Student Loans and Living Your Life

Student loans can impact almost every area of your life. But you don’t have to let student debt drag you down forever. There are alternate solutions that can help you manage your debt so you can work toward repayment. One option is student loan refinancing.

When you refinance your loans you take out a new loan with a private lender. Depending on your credit history and financial profile, you can qualify for a lower interest rate, which could substantially lower the amount of money you pay in interest over the life of the loan (depending on the term you select, of course).

At SoFi, you can refinance both private and federal student loans. If you’re enrolled in an income-based repayment plan or are working toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness, refinancing may not be for you, since you’ll no longer be eligible for those programs and other federal student loan protections.

But if you’re currently paying off a variety of loans with different loan servicers, refinancing could allow you to simplify your repayment plan, resulting in one monthly payment.

When you refinance with SoFi there are no origination fees or prepayment penalties. As a SoFi Member, you’ll have access to benefits including career counseling and unemployment protection, which could allow you to temporarily pause your student loan payments in the event that you lose your job through no fault of your own. To see how refinancing could help you manage your student loans, take a look at our student loan refinance calculator.

Don’t let student loans hold you back from living your life. Refinancing could potentially help you take control of your student debt, and you can get a quote from SoFi in just minutes.

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External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
If you are looking to refinance federal student loans, please be aware that the White House has announced up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for qualifying borrowers whose student loans are federally held. Additionally, the federal student loan payment pause and interest holiday has been extended beyond December 31, 2022. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans with SoFi, since the amount or portion of your federal student debt that you refinance will no longer qualify for the federal loan payment suspension, interest waiver, or any other current or future benefits applicable to federal loans. If you qualify for federal student loan forgiveness and still wish to refinance, leave unrefinanced the amount you expect to be forgiven to receive your federal benefit.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Notice: SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income-Driven Repayment plans, including Income-Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi always recommends that you consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss what is best for your unique situation.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
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While on the work grind at the office, you get an email from the HR department, inviting you down to pay them a visit. Uh-oh. What could possibly be up? You’re a rock star on the job, so you cannot imagine what the trouble could be.

The good news: you’re not getting fired. The bad news: they tell you that part of your wages are going to be garnished in order to pay back your outstanding school loans.

Student loan wage garnishment is a tough thing to face; what makes it doubly troublesome is the official letter from the U.S. Department of Education that notifies your employer that a percentage of your paycheck will now go directly to paying back your outstanding student loan balances.

This may be something that would be a big enough bummer when you’re the only one who knows about it. When your employer is let in on the secret, and ordered by the government to reconfigure your paycheck, the awkwardness knows no bounds.

Student loan wage garnishment does not make it easy for you or your employer . Your company’s payroll department generally executes (and sometimes calculates) the student loan garnishment amount, and forwards the payments to the correct agency or creditor. In some cases, your employer can be held liable for the full amount or a portion thereof for failure to comply with the garnishment. This can include interest, court fees, and legal costs.

If it’s any consolation, you would not be alone in this situation. Let’s start with the macro: according to
CNBC , more than one million people default on their student loans each year. By the year 2023, nearly 40% of borrowers are expected to default on their student loans. Outstanding debt in the U.S. has tripled over the last decade and now exceeds $1.5 trillion. That number far exceeds the traditional debt of autos and credit cards.

Now for the micro: according to a study by the ADP Research Institute , 7.2% of employees had their wages garnished in 2013 (the latest research we could find on this). Of that total, 2.9% of those garnishments were from student loan and court-ordered consumer debt garnishment.

Defaulting on your student loan is not ideal. We’re going to share some details on federal student loan garnishment, and how you can avoid defaulting on your loans:

How Does Federal Student Loan Garnishment Work

First, let’s discuss how wage student loan garnishment works:

Your loan becomes delinquent the first day after you miss a payment, and it will remain delinquent until you pay that unpaid amount. That means even if you start making monthly payments again, you’re not off the hook. You’re still delinquent until that missed payment is paid. If you are more than 90 days delinquent on your payment, your loan servicer reports the lateness to the three national credit bureaus. This can affect your credit score.

If the situation does not resolve itself, the government may resort to contacting your employer and garnishing your wages. They can also take that sweet tax refund you’re expecting, by law, and without a court order. And they can legally garnish up to 15% of your disposable income.

How is disposable income defined ? Disposable income generally is calculated when your tax obligations and other withholdings such as social security, Medicare, state tax, city/local tax, health insurance premiums, involuntary retirement or pension plans are subtracted from your gross pay.

Anyone working in the United States or a U.S. territory can have their earnings garnished for almost any type of obligation that is authorized by federal or state laws.

Ways To Help Prevent Your Student Loan From Becoming Delinquent

If you are concerned about wage garnishment for your federal student loans, there are proactive options that you can consider to keep your account from becoming delinquent in the first place:

Scheduling automatic payments. You can have the monthly obligation automatically and electronically deducted from your checking or savings account.

Building an emergency savings fund. You can save at least six months of backup funds that you can use specifically to make your monthly payments. This may come in handy should you be without income for a time.

Ways To Help Prevent Your Student Loans From Going Into Default

Based on your financial circumstances, there are a few options available that may allow you to make your student loan payments more affordable or even put them on a temporary hold:

Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans: With these plans, your student loan payments are adjusted based on your discretionary income . Depending on the plan you choose , the government typically extends your repayment terms and readjusts your monthly payment. The downside: You may pay more interest over the life of your loan(s).

Forbearance or Deferment: If making payments is becoming or has become nearly impossible, you can ask your lender to defer your payments or request forbearance. If they agree and you qualify, you can delay your payments and avoid default.

Learn more about avoiding delinquency and default at the Department of Education’s website.

Student Loan Refinancing vs Consolidation

If student loan wage garnishment is the nightmare that comes true, here are two options that may be able to stop it: consolidating or refinancing your student loans. First, know the difference between the two (and it’s a pretty big one):

When you refinance student loans, you’re actually paying off your existing loans with a new loan from a private lender. In this process, you can possibly reduce your payments and make them more affordable. Or you may be able to lower your interest rate. However, you also will lose out on certain benefits that come with federal student loans, like deferment and forbearance, and lose your eligibility for all other federal student loan programs.

When you consolidate your federal student loans with the federal government, you essentially “bind” them all together into one, big loan. Sounds like a plan, but there can be a few downsides; this could result in you paying more in interest over the life of your new, consolidated loan because the interest rate on your consolidated federal loan will be the weighted average of all your loans, rounded to the nearest eighth of 1%. You can also only consolidate your federal loans under a Direct Consolidation Loan , which has its own requirements if you’re already in default , and isn’t available for private student loans.

Consolidating a Defaulted Loan

According to the U.S. Department of Education , if you want to consolidate a defaulted loan, you must make “satisfactory repayment arrangements ” on the student loan with your current loan servicer before you consolidate.

If you want to consolidate a defaulted loan that is being collected through garnishment of your wages, or that is being collected in accordance with a court order after a judgment was obtained against you, you may only do so if the garnishment order has been lifted or the judgment has been vacated. (Get more details
here .)

Refinancing Your Student Loans

You may be able to combine your private and federal loans into one brand-new, private refinanced loan.

You may be a good candidate for student loan refinancing if you have a steady income, a consistent history of on-time debt payments, and you don’t have need for federal student loan benefits—among other important personal financial factors. (When you refinance your federal loans with a private lender, you can no longer access any federal loan benefits.)

A lender will most likely offer you a few choices for your refinanced student loan: fixed and variable interest rates, as well as a variety of repayment terms (this is often based on your credit history and current financial situation). If you qualify for refinancing, your new loan should (hopefully) come with a new interest rate or a new loan term that can lower your monthly payments.

Learn how refinancing your student loans with SoFi can help you manage your student loan debt.

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SoFi Student Loan Refinance
If you are looking to refinance federal student loans, please be aware that the White House has announced up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for qualifying borrowers whose student loans are federally held. Additionally, the federal student loan payment pause and interest holiday has been extended beyond December 31, 2022. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans with SoFi, since the amount or portion of your federal student debt that you refinance will no longer qualify for the federal loan payment suspension, interest waiver, or any other current or future benefits applicable to federal loans. If you qualify for federal student loan forgiveness and still wish to refinance, leave unrefinanced the amount you expect to be forgiven to receive your federal benefit.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Notice: SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income-Driven Repayment plans, including Income-Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi always recommends that you consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss what is best for your unique situation.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .
Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.
External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

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Managing student loan payments can feel like a part-time job. It can be even more overwhelming if you’re experiencing financial trouble, whether that’s due to a job layoff, caring for a family member, or for another reason.

The good news is there are options available to those going through a rough financial patch, including the Economic Hardship Deferment program . But even then, it can be difficult to navigate all of the information on which deferment program you may be eligible to apply for based on the reason for your hardship and the type of student loans you have. So that’s what we’re going to discuss today.

Economic Hardship Deferment, also known as student loan financial hardship, is a program offered in certain cases on federal student loans for borrowers who are eligible and having an exceedingly difficult time making their student loan payments for financial reasons.

Below, we’ll discuss the Economic Hardship Deferment program and what it means for you and your loans, who qualifies to make a hardship claim for student loans, how to apply for the program, and whether it’s the right path for you. We’ll also cover alternatives to Economic Hardship Deferment.

What Is Economic Hardship Deferment?

A student loan deferment is when a student loan payment or multiple payments are put on hold for a designated period of time—hitting the “pause button.” An Economic Hardship Deferment is awarded to those who are facing serious financial trouble, as determined by factors such as monthly income and family size.

Those approved for the program can take up to 36 consecutive months of deferment so long as they still meet the qualifications. All participants (except those in the Peace Corps) need to reapply each year.

An important distinction to understand is whether your loans will qualify for a deferment period where interest will accrue, or one where interest does not accrue. Generally, loans that are subsidized will not accrue interest during deferment, whereas an unsubsidized loan will.

In the event your loan qualifies for deferment but will continue to accrue interest, you’ll usually have two options: First, to make interest-only payments on the loan or second, to allow interest charges to rack up.

When you allow interest charges to accumulate on an unsubsidized loan, that interest will be tallied up and added to the balance of the loan at the end of the period. This is a process called “capitalization.”

Not only will you have a new, larger balance to pay off, but any future interest payments will be calculated on top of the new, higher balance, meaning you’re paying interest on top of interest. All else equal, the result is that your monthly payments will likely be even higher than they are now.

Which Loans Qualify for Economic Hardship Deferment?

This is a federal loan program, and not all federal loans qualify. Here are a few examples of loans that may qualify (and check the link below for a full, updated list of eligible loans):

•  National Direct Student Loans (NDSL Loans)

•  Federal Family Education Loans (FEEL Loans)

•  Federal Stafford Loans

•  Federal Perkins Loans

•  Federal Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS Loans)

•  Federal PLUS Loans

•  Federal Consolidation Loans

•  National Defense Student Loans

The Economic Hardship Deferment program is typically available for loans made on or after July 1, 1993.

Private loans taken out from a private bank or lender won’t qualify for the federally run Economic Hardship Deferment program, though your private lender(s) might offer their own hardship programs. If they offer such a program, they will have their own unique qualifications and application process.

It certainly doesn’t hurt to ask if you are in a difficult financial situation. Remember, lenders don’t want you to default on your loans, and are often willing to work with borrowers to find some sort of solution. With both federal and private loans, never hesitate to call the lender, discuss your situation, and explore options.

Who Qualifies for Economic Hardship Deferment?

To make a hardship claim for student loans, you will have to fill out paperwork and provide documentation proving that you are experiencing financial hardship. Some of the eligibility criteria for an Economic Hardship Deferment will depend on your income, family size, and the poverty income guidelines for your family size in the state where you live (150% of the state poverty level or less). It will also depend on what percentage your student loan payment is of your monthly adjusted gross income.

To qualify for Economic Hardship Deferment, you will need your personal information such as your name, Social Security number, and address—and you’ll need to know what type of loan you are requesting economic hardship deferment for.

Here are some examples of what you may need to prove to the loan servicer evaluating your eligibility for deferment:

  1. You’ve already been granted Economic Hardship Deferment on loans made under another federal student loan program.

  2. You’re receiving payments under a federal or state public assistance program during the time in which you request your loan deferment. Examples of such programs include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Food Stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or other forms of state assistance.

  3. You are serving as a Peace Corp volunteer.

  4. You work full-time (30 hours per week) and your monthly income does not exceed 150% of the poverty guideline for your family size and state.

To determine whether your family is at or below 150% of the poverty guideline, reference the following table.

First, determine your family size. This includes you, your spouse, any children who receive more than half of their support from you, any unborn children who are to be born during the deferment period, and anyone else living with you for whom you provide at least half of their support.

Next, find your family size on the following table, and compare to your monthly income.

Family Size	Alaska	Hawaii	All Other States
1	$1,897.50	$1,745.00	$1,517.50
2	$2,572.50	$2,366.25	$2,057.50
3	$3,247.50	$2,987.50	$2,957.50
4	$3,922.50	$3,608.75	$3,137.50
5	$4,597.50	$4,230.00	$3,677.50
6	$5,272.50	$4,851.25	$4,217.50
7	$5,947.50	$5,742.50	$4,757.50
8	$6,622.50	$6,093.75	$5,297.50
Each additional person, add	$675.00	$621.25	$540.00

These figures are from 2018 and are subject to change annually.

You are likely to qualify for the student loan financial hardship program as long as you meet one of these prerequisites. If that is the case, and you would like to pursue the option, contact your lender or student loan servicer. Tell them you would like to apply for Economic Hardship Deferment. At this point, they typically ask you a series of questions and have you fill out an Economic Hardship Deferment Request form .

Pros and Cons of Economic Hardship Deferment

Pros

For someone who is in desperate need of reprieve from their student loan payments, the program can be a godsend. You may want to consider taking advantage of this program if the alternative is defaulting on student loans, which can have a long-lasting, detrimental effect on your credit score and history.

If your loans are subsidized, there is no cost to taking an Economic Hardship Deferment.

Periods of deferment are provided to borrowers who need time to find a job, increase their income, or recover from the many myriad of life events that could leave someone in a place of need. There is no shame in this, whatsoever, but it’s a great idea to use the deferment period to work on rebuilding.

Cons

With unsubsidized loans, taking a period of deferment will make the loans in question cost more over time. Even if you make interest payments during your deferment, you aren’t chipping away at the principal, and so all of those payments are essentially a wash. If you don’t make interest payments, the total value of those unpaid interest payments will be slapped on top of the loan balance, increasing your loan balance and the amount you’ll owe in interest, over time.

When the period of deferment ends, your monthly payment will likely be higher than it is now, which may be difficult for someone who is already experiencing financial hardship. Use the program if you need it, but know it can come with some costs in the long term.

It is also extremely difficult to qualify for Economic Hardship Deferment. The program utilizes stringent criteria to determine eligibility with income review using poverty level guidelines as noted above. (For example, a single person working full-time and earning $20,000 per year and living in California who is not already on food stamps or other forms of government assistance would probably not qualify for Economic Hardship Deferment.) This makes the program unavailable to many people who are legitimately having difficulty making their loan payments.

Alternatives to Economic Hardship Deferment

Forbearance

If you do not qualify for Economic Hardship Deferment, an option is to request forbearance. Forbearance is similar to deferment, though in no cases will interest cease to accrue, and periods of forbearance generally do not exceed 12 months (and could be shorter). You’ll need to check with your loan servicer to see if you
qualify .

Income Driven Repayment Plans

There are multiple options for income-driven repayment plans. These options will calculate your monthly payment based off what you earn and stretch the loan term from to 20 or more years.

Though your monthly payments will be lower, which provides some immediate relief, you will pay significantly more in interest over time. It is possible to switch to an alternative repayment plan and back again if your financial situation improves.

Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program

With 10 years of on-time payments at a qualifying job (like a government worker, a teacher, a doctor, or nurse at a qualifying facility), it is possible to have student loans forgiven with the PSLF program. If you go this route, you’ll usually want to switch to an income-driven repayment plan.

Student Loan Refinancing

Another option to consider for both your federal and private student loans is student loan refinancing. Refinancing is the process of switching out your loan or multiple loans with one new loan at an (ideally) lower rate of interest.

The lower rate of interest could save you money on interest payments over the life of the loan. Use a student loan refinancing calculator to see how lower interest rates affect your monthly payments.

It’s important to know that if you refinance federal loans with a private lender, you will lose access to federal student loan programs such as Economic Hardship Deferment or PSLF. That’s because you’ll refinance with a private lender, such as SoFi. (Some private lenders, including SoFi, do offer protections in the event of job loss, so be sure to ask.) No matter your situation, help is available. A great place to start is by calling your loan servicer and discussing your options.

Learn more about refinancing your federal or private student loans with SoFi and find your rate in just two minutes.

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External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
If you are looking to refinance federal student loans, please be aware that the White House has announced up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for qualifying borrowers whose student loans are federally held. Additionally, the federal student loan payment pause and interest holiday has been extended beyond December 31, 2022. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans with SoFi, since the amount or portion of your federal student debt that you refinance will no longer qualify for the federal loan payment suspension, interest waiver, or any other current or future benefits applicable to federal loans. If you qualify for federal student loan forgiveness and still wish to refinance, leave unrefinanced the amount you expect to be forgiven to receive your federal benefit.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Notice: SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income-Driven Repayment plans, including Income-Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi always recommends that you consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss what is best for your unique situation.

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That master’s degree in art history may help you understand cubism, but is it going to help you buy a Picasso one day? While material gain is not the only driving factor in most people’s decision to pursue higher education, it is worth considering, especially as more Americans become conscious of graduating with large outstanding student loan debt.

Lifetime Earnings by Education

When you’re considering graduate school, you have a lot to think about, including which programs best fit your interests, where the school is located, how much it costs, and how you’ll pay for it. The price of some grad programs can be dizzying: One year at Harvard Business School may set you back over $109,000.

A potentially hefty price tag means you have to consider whether a degree is worth the cost, especially if you have to take out student loans to help you get there. One way to help you do this is to examine the ratio of the cost of obtaining a new degree relative to the income it will help you generate once you graduate.

This measure is very much like return on investment—the ratio between net profit and cost from an investment of resources.

Your time and tuition can be considered your investment resources, and your future income is your profit. For the purposes of this article, we’ll call this measure a return on education, or your ROEd. And of course, your ROEd depends on how much of a boost you get by going for a graduate degree and how much money you put into securing the degree.

So what graduate degrees are yielding students a high ROEd? Unfortunately, a grad degree in the humanities may provide a relatively small boost in income.The average salary for a graduate with an MA in the
humanities is $68,000. Other degrees—especially professional degrees like JDs, MDs, and MBAs—can provide a significant boost to your post graduation prospects. Stanford University Class of 2018 MBA grads have an average starting salary and bonuses of nearly $174,000, the highest in the country.

It’s clear that in some cases a graduate degree can have a huge impact on your lifetime earning potential, offering a high ROEd. Yet, this isn’t always the case, and with a low ROEd, you’ll want to weigh the benefits of a degree carefully.

Weighing a Graduate Degree

Your ROEd and other factors can help you decide whether a graduate program is worth it before you apply to graduate school.

Determining need: Determine whether or not you need a graduate degree to advance in your field. If you want to go into academia, you’ll likely need a PhD. However, if you have an undergrad engineering degree, you may not need more school to rise through the ranks of your company.

Factoring in your undergrad degree: not all undergrad degrees are created equal. Some undergrad degrees, like business, engineering, and mathematics degrees, are relatively lucrative out of the starting gate. Will a grad degree really produce a significantly higher salary? If you asked a Magic 8 ball this question, it would say “signs point to yes”: Someone with a bachelor’s in business can expect to earn an average entry-level salary of $56,720, whereas an MBA can earn a projected starting salary of $78,332.

Considering job prospects: When you achieve your graduate degree, will it be easy for you to find a job? With a PhD in an obscure subject, you may be competing for very few available positions. More general degrees may give you more job options and flexibility to grow.

Examining opportunity cost: The value of one choice relative to another alternative is known as opportunity cost. This concept is particularly relevant when you consider the financial opportunities you might lose by taking a few years off from working while you’re in school.

In other words, you won’t be getting a salary while you’re hitting the books. And if you’re already working at a relatively lucrative position, your opportunity cost could be high. You might want to factor this cost in when considering ROEd.

Note: There are ways to offset opportunity cost, such as working while you’re in school. Some employers will offer to pay for part of your schooling in exchange for an agreement that you will work for them for a given period of time.

Making conservative estimates: When calculating your own ROEd, being conservative with how much you think you will earn when you graduate, especially in your first years out of school, can be a big help. A conservative estimate helps keep you from overestimating your ROEd and can give you a better chance of arriving at a decision that’s financially beneficial to you.

Tipping the Balance

One way to improve your ROEd is by lowering the amount you pay for your degree. Look for scholarship programs that can help you pay for your tuition. Also, some degree programs offer full rides to students, often in exchange for teaching undergrad classes.

Sadly, help with tuition can be a rarity for degree programs that typically lead to high-paying jobs, such as MBAs, law degrees, and medical degrees.

If you need to take out student loans to pay for your degree, being smart about terms and interest rates can help you keep your costs down. When you’re considering student loans, shop around for lenders who offer low interest rates, low fees, and favorable terms.

You can refinance your student loans through lenders such as SoFi to help secure lower interest rates or a more flexible loan term. Doing so can be a good idea if you have a better financial profile than when you originally took out your loans.

Lowering the interest rate on your loan can reduce the amount you’ll pay over the life of the loan, helping to improve your ROEd. You can also refinance for a longer loan term—that would get you a lower monthly payment, but wouldn’t help your ROEd because it ultimately might mean paying more interest on your loan overall. Keep in mind that if you do refinance, keep in mind that you’ll lose access to federal loan benefits when refinancing for a private loan.

Also, don’t forget to look into student loan forgiveness programs. If you plan to find employment with a nonprofit or a government organization, you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program after you make 10 years worth of qualifying monthly payments.

You may also want to consider looking for employers who will help you pay back your loans as part of the benefits package they offer to employees.

Intangible Benefits

Though money is an important part of your decision about whether to go to grad school, it isn’t everything. There are lots of benefits that can’t be pegged to a dollar amount, including social connections and whatever extra skills you acquire that aren’t directly related to your degree.

Visit SoFi to learn more about how to pay for graduate school, and how student loan refinancing could aid your repayment plan after grad school.

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External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
If you are looking to refinance federal student loans, please be aware that the White House has announced up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for qualifying borrowers whose student loans are federally held. Additionally, the federal student loan payment pause and interest holiday has been extended beyond December 31, 2022. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans with SoFi, since the amount or portion of your federal student debt that you refinance will no longer qualify for the federal loan payment suspension, interest waiver, or any other current or future benefits applicable to federal loans. If you qualify for federal student loan forgiveness and still wish to refinance, leave unrefinanced the amount you expect to be forgiven to receive your federal benefit.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Notice: SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income-Driven Repayment plans, including Income-Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi always recommends that you consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss what is best for your unique situation.

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College students are graduating with tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt, which can make it difficult to make monthly student loan payments, let alone get by financially each month.

For those looking to get some help, the federal government offers some potential options, including income-driven repayment plans and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Or refinancing your student loans can also help you potentially lower your interest rate or your monthly payment.

One option you may not be aware of is to apply for repayment program “grants.” These grants function similarly to scholarships in that you don’t have to pay them back, at least not monetarily. Instead, post-graduation, you’ll typically agree to work in a certain field for a set period in exchange for the help.

There are several student loan repayment programs that act like grants but don’t technically refer to themselves as such. You might consider them grants to pay off student loans, however, because they don’t require you to pay back the money plus interest.

Here are a few repayment programs to look into:

National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program

Qualifying health care providers can receive up to $50,000 if they agree to a two-year commitment to work in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA).

You can apply if you’re a licensed primary care physician, nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, physician assistant, dentist, dental hygienist, or a qualifying behavioral and mental health provider.

In addition, to be eligible for this grant you must have qualifying student loan debt and also be:

•  A U.S. citizen or national

•  As applicable, a provider or be eligible to be a provider in Medicare, Medicaid, or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program

•  Fully trained and licensed to practice

National Institute of Mental Health Loan Repayment Program

If you work or plan to work in biomedical, behavior, social, or clinical research, you may qualify for a grant to pay off student loans up to $35,000. You can apply the award to qualifying undergraduate, graduate, or medical school loans.

In return, you’d “agree to engage in at least two years of qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit organization,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health .

NURSE Corps Loan Repayment Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration provides this program to registered nurses (RN), advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), and nurse faculty with nursing debt that meets the program’s qualifications. To qualify, you must also:

•  Commit to working at least two years in an eligible Critical Shortage Facility (CSF) in a high-need area or an accredited school for nursing

•  Have received your nursing education in an accredited school of nursing in the U.S.

If you qualify, you may receive up to 85% of unpaid nursing debt over three years—that’s 60% over the first two years with an option to extend to a third year for an additional 25%.

Indian Health Service Loan Repayment Program

This grant is for health professionals who agree to work in an American Indian or Alaska Native community for at least two years. In exchange, you can receive up to $40,000 in grants to help pay off student loans.

Recipients also have the option to extend their contract each year until their debt is completely paid.

Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

If you’re a veterinarian working in an area designated by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture as a “shortage area,” you may be eligible to receive up to $25,000 each year for a (minimum) three-year service commitment. The grant is reserved only for veterinary school student loan debt, however.

John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

This program provides assistance to local, state and federal public defenders, and state prosecutors. To qualify, you would agree to work as a prosecutor or public defender for at least three years.

In return, you may be eligible to receive up to $10,000 in assistance per year up to a total of $60,000.

Department of Justice Attorney Student Loan Repayment Program

If you agree to a three-year service obligation with the Department of Justice as an attorney, you may be able to qualify for loan repayment assistance of up to $6,000 per year in matches based on your payments.

To be eligible, you must have at least $10,000 in qualifying federal student loan debt. The maximum amount you can possibly qualify for is $60,000 in total.

Armed Forces Repayment Programs

Each major branch of the military offers free grants to help enlisted service members pay off student loans. Here’s a high-level overview of some of the notable programs:

•  Army Student Loan Repayment Program (College Loan Repayment Program): If you meet specific qualifications and are active duty, Army Reserve, or Army National Guard Soldiers, you can get up to $65,000 of your student loans repaid by the Army.

•  National Guard Student Loan Repayment Program: If you enlist for a minimum of six years and satisfy other requirements , you can receive up to $50,000 in assistance.

•  Navy Student Loan Repayment Program: With a three-year commitment, you may be eligible to receive up to $65,000 in repayment assistance over that time.

•  Air Force JAG Student Loan Repayment Program: Once you’ve completed one year of service as a JAG officer , you may be eligible to receive up to $65,000 in grants to pay student loans over a three-year period.

State-Based Grants

Several states offer free grants to help pay student loans for borrowers who agree to live and work in the state, usually in a specific field. Here are some examples:

•  New York State Young Farmers Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program: Eligible college graduates pursuing a career in farming who agree to operate a farm in New York state for at least five years can receive up to $10,000 per year to help pay their student loans.

•  North Dakota Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Student Loan Program: Qualifying college graduates who work in STEM-related fields in North Dakota may be eligible to receive up to $1,500 per year and up to $6,000 total student loan forgiveness.

•  Pennsylvania Primary Health Care Loan Repayment Program: If you’re a physician, dentist, or another practitioner who commits to two-years in an underserved area in Pennsylvania , you may be eligible to receive between $30,000 and $100,000 in student loan repayment assistance.

•  California Bachelor of Science in Nursing Loan Repayment Program: RNs living in California who agree to a one-year service commitment may receive up to $10,000 to help repay their student loans. They can also renew that commitment for up to two more years and receive up to $10,000 each year they qualify.

•  Maine Alfond Leaders Program: If you live in Maine and work in a STEM-designated job, you may qualify for repayment of up to half of your outstanding student loan debt, with a $60,000 maximum.

What to Do While You’re Waiting for Your Grant Money

If you qualify for a grant or student loan repayment based on your career or where you choose to work and live, the assistance can make a world of difference for your student loan repayment strategy.

But in the meantime, you’ll still have to make regular payments on your loans. One way to potentially get a lower payment or interest rate is student loan refinancing.

Depending on the terms you qualify for, you could significantly reduce the amount of money you pay in interest over the life of the loan. Or you could extend your loan term and potentially reduce your monthly payments, but that would mean you’d pay more in interest overall (longer term=more payments).

One thing to keep in mind, though: If you’re applying for grants that only apply to federal loans, you may want to hold off on refinancing, because you’ll lose your federal loan benefits when you refinance.

If you qualify to refinance with SoFi, there are no origination fees or prepayment penalties. You can even use our convenient student loan refinancing calculator to compare your current loan with a SoFi loan to get an idea of how refinancing could help you accelerate your student loan repayment.

Ready to see how refinancing your loans with SoFi could help you take control of your student loan repayment plan? You can get a quote in less than two minutes.

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External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
If you are looking to refinance federal student loans, please be aware that the White House has announced up to $20,000 of student loan forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for qualifying borrowers whose student loans are federally held. Additionally, the federal student loan payment pause and interest holiday has been extended beyond December 31, 2022. Please carefully consider these changes before refinancing federally held loans with SoFi, since the amount or portion of your federal student debt that you refinance will no longer qualify for the federal loan payment suspension, interest waiver, or any other current or future benefits applicable to federal loans. If you qualify for federal student loan forgiveness and still wish to refinance, leave unrefinanced the amount you expect to be forgiven to receive your federal benefit.

CLICK HERE for more information.

Notice: SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income-Driven Repayment plans, including Income-Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi always recommends that you consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss what is best for your unique situation.

Third-Party Brand Mentions: No brands, products, or companies mentioned are affiliated with SoFi, nor do they endorse or sponsor this article. Third-party trademarks referenced herein are property of their respective owners.
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