TO students on student loans--- tell me how you are managing your student loans? What is the extent or how big?

I don't understand why people get so worried about student loans. They are NOT like normal debts. It's not like you're going to be having the bailiffs round. They are completely separate from other debt so will not affect your credit rating, ability to get a mortgage etc.

Try and think of it like a graduate tax. It's not as if you have to make repayments of X amount every month and are going to end up scrabbling around to find enough to make ends meet, the repayments are proportionate to the amount you earn and very reasonable. They are also taken directly from your wages so you don't even need to think about it. Try putting different salaries into this calculator - you can tick the box that says student loan, and it then tells you how much is taken off for that as well as for tax and NI. If you earn 20k p/a, for example, you'll pay £50 tax, £30 NI, and £8 student loan per week. Personally I find the level of tax scarier!

http://listentotaxman.com/

As for the new gov't - I very much doubt that helping students repay their loans is going to be a priority. In fact, I would be happy you got your degree when you did, as fees are more likely to go up in the next few years than go down. Oh, and yes, I got maximum loans so will have the same level of debt as you, as will most students - it's not something I even think about, let alone actually worrying about it!

I had $9000 in student loan debt, but I did a year of public service w Americorps and got $5000 to pay towards the loans so it's down to about $4000 now which isn't bad. I'm not sure if the UK has any public service opportunities to help repay the loans but if they do i highly suggest doing it. You get good work experience and the award which is great.

I see you're from the UK, so the system might be a little different. But I have three different loans I'm paying off, which total over $33,000. I pay one for $150/mo, the other is $180/mo, and the last one is $70/mo, so I pay $400/mo.

After graduating college, you get a six month grace period before paying. I have a job to pay them, and I'd like to go to grad school for a Master's Degree this August, so we'll see how it goes. The American government has been saying for years that they'll do things to help students like us, but they hardly ever do.

The only way to be fully relieved from your student loan debt is to pay it off, die, or become disabled and unable to work. If you're unemployed or on economic harship for awhile, you can get a deferment for your loans.