So, my only debt is student loans. I went to college for 6.5 years. I got a useless bachelor’s degree which makes up most of my loans, and then I got an associate’s in dental hygiene, which is what I currently do. My university loans are about $80k, and my dental hygiene loans are about $30k, but with 14% interest. My dad co-signed, and we both have good credit, so I don’t get why the interest is so high, but whatever. I’m just trying to figure out what my options are because my monthly payments will be around $1500, and I’ll be making around $3500 a month, which doesn’t seem doable with everything else. The $80k loan is considered a private loan. I took it out through Wells Fargo, but they stopped offering student loans, so now it’s through Firstmark Services. It’s labeled as a private loan, which complicates things even more.
Look for a non-profit to help you refinance your student loans to a lower rate. 14% interest is way too high. With a co-signer, you should be able to get your rate down to 7-9%. That’s really your best bet because student loan debt is hard to get rid of, even through bankruptcy.
@Dez
I thought I heard something about the current administration making bankruptcy easier for student loans… Maybe I’m wrong though.
Blaire said:
@Dez
I thought I heard something about the current administration making bankruptcy easier for student loans… Maybe I’m wrong though.
I don’t want to file for bankruptcy, but I want my payments to be more manageable. When I talk to my loan companies, they say there’s nothing they can do, which doesn’t make sense to me.
@Rafe
If it’s a private company, the payments are set, but they should offer some forbearance if you’re having financial trouble. From my experience, student loans are impossible to get rid of, so just try to make as much money as possible and hope you don’t end up unemployed like I did after grad school. I’m about to file for Chapter 7 now because my credit card debt got out of control. Add in my student loans, and I’m close to bankruptcy. But hang in there, take it one step at a time.
@Rafe
Student loans can’t be part of bankruptcy, but if you play your cards right, you can make a decent income as a dental hygienist. My cousin makes $140k a year, and she gets bonuses throughout the year. She works in emergency dental services (weekends, cosmetic, etc.).
@Rafe
Have you tried SoFi?
Blaire said:
@Rafe
Have you tried SoFi?
I haven’t heard of SoFi, but I haven’t tried anything yet, except talking to my loan companies and National Debt Relief, but that didn’t seem like a good option. Right now, I’m paying $238 a month for one loan, but everything starts up in February and March, and my payments will be around $1500 a month. I’m just trying to figure out what options I have before I’m overwhelmed.
@Rafe
You should stay away from debt relief companies. Just search for ‘Non-profit student loans refinance’ and get some quotes. With two co-signers with good credit, you should be able to reduce your rate by a lot.
If all your loans are private, that makes things harder. The best option is to consolidate if you can and pay as much as you can. You might also want to consider moving to an area that pays better. The amount you mentioned is about half of what dental hygienists make in many places.
@Jalen
Only one of my loans is private, and I’m just starting out. I’m not going to make as much at first. The $3500 I mentioned is after taxes (I haven’t even started earning much yet, but I’m waiting on my license and should be making more soon). Before tax, it’s around $4500.
God bless America. Thoughts and prayers.
You don’t have many options, but I’d recommend Income-Based Repayment (IBR) for your federal loans. This would lower your payments significantly. I assume your dental hygiene loans are private, which is why the interest is so high. You can’t use IBR with private loans, but once the federal loans are lower, just put all the extra you can toward the private loans. After those are paid off, you can either pay down your federal loans or stick with IBR. After 20 years, your loans are considered paid off, no matter how much you’ve paid. There may be tax consequences from that, though.
@Eli
So my $30k is through Sallie Mae, and I have a few thousand through federal aid. My private loan is the $80k one, and that’s where the interest is so high.
Refinance your loans, and you’ll get a much better rate. Just make sure the payments aren’t too high. You could refinance the private loans and then use one of the lower federal loan repayment options, but keep in mind that the private loans don’t count toward your monthly payment for the federal loans.
You just learned the hard way how student loans work. $80k for a bachelor’s degree is insane. The best option is to work for a non-profit for 10 years. The interest will be a killer, though.
Jalen said:
You just learned the hard way how student loans work. $80k for a bachelor’s degree is insane. The best option is to work for a non-profit for 10 years. The interest will be a killer, though.
You’re talking about Public Service Loan Forgiveness, but that only applies to federal loans.