Student Loan Calculator
Before overextending yourself, it’s important to leverage a Student Loan Calculator, such as the one below, to help you determine your monthly student-loan payment and the time it would take to pay off your debt.
Results
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Tips
Based on your monthly payment, you should consider this loan only if your annual income is going to be more than at graduation. This estimate assumes that 10% of your gross monthly income will be devoted to repaying your student loan.
Adding extra to your monthly payment would reduce your principal balance faster since more money would be left over after finance charges. Having a lower balance sooner in turn reduces your interest payments, as your interest rate would apply to a smaller amount and compounding would be diminished. In short, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run and get out of debt much sooner – if you can afford to scrimp now. But we know that adding extra to your monthly bills could be a big deal!
Making smaller payments more frequently is a great way to build discipline and improve budgeting efforts. It will also save you money on interest and help you get out of debt sooner. How? By making more than one payment per month, you would reduce your average daily balance – the amount your APR applies to. You would therefore pay less in interest each month. With lower monthly costs, more of your budgeted monthly payment will apply to your principal balance and you’ll be back above water ahead of schedule.
The longer your loan term is, the more you’ll pay in interest. That’s because interest compounds over time, which means a given month’s finance charges are the result of applying your account’s APR to the sum of your principal balance and the interest you were charged the month before (and the month before that, etc.). In order to use this saving strategy, however, one must be able to afford higher monthly payments. You’ll save on interest in the long run; fewer monthly payments simply demand bigger monthly contributions.
Cities with the Most & Least Student Debt
Ask the Experts
With tuition rates and other college costs rising every year, many parents struggle to finance their children’s college education. As a result, many students take on debt or forgo post-secondary education altogether. For advice on how to afford college and insight on the impact of student loans on the economy, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:
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What are the most common mistakes people make when financing their post-secondary education?
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What should people consider when applying for student loans?
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What steps should someone take if they find they cannot afford their student-loan payments?
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What impact, if any, does the large and growing amount of outstanding student-loan debt have on the economy as a whole?
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Brad Lindberg
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment and Former Director of Student Financial Aid at Grinnell College
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Robert Kelchen
Assistant Professor of Higher Education, Department of Education Leadership Management and Policy, Seton Hall University
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Paul F. Goebel
CPFM – Director, University of North Texas Student Money Management Center
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Burton Williams
Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Associate VP for Advancement, Associate Dean, College of Business, Associate Dean, College of Education, Lipscomb University
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Tim Wolfe
Director of Financial Aid & Scholarships, University of Nevada at Reno
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Don Hossler
Senior Scholar, Center for Enrollment Research, Policy, and Practice, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California
Brad Lindberg
Robert Kelchen
Paul F. Goebel
Burton Williams
Tim Wolfe
Don Hossler