Don’t Fall for These 5 Student Loan Myths

Carrie Smith

Updated on May 28, 2020

May 28, 2020May 28, 2020Student Loan RepaymentFeatured, Student Loans1311Carrie Smith

Editorial Note: This content is not provided or commissioned by any financial institution. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and may not have been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the financial institution.

We’ve got your back! Student Loan Hero is a completely free website 100% focused on helping student loan borrowers get the answers they need. Read more

How do we make money? It’s actually pretty simple. If you choose to check out and become a customer of any of the loan providers featured on our site, we get compensated for sending you their way. This helps pay for our amazing staff of writers (many of which are paying back student loans of their own!).

Bottom line: We’re here for you. So please learn all you can, email us with any questions, and feel free to visit or not visit any of the loan providers on our site. Read less

Misinformation can be dangerous, especially when it comes to paying off student loan debt. To help you weed out the bad advice from the good, here are five common student loan myths to watch out for.

By recognizing these misconceptions, you’ll be able to avoid making mistakes with your loans and manage your finances the right way.

6 student loan myths that mislead borrowers

1. You should borrow as much as you can
2. You don’t need to worry about paying student loans in school
3. Income-driven repayment plans will lower your student loan costs
4. Refinancing your student loans is always a good idea
5. You need to pay for student loan counseling
6. You’ll never pay off your student debt

Plus: Pinpointing common student loan myths and bad advice

1. Myth: You should borrow as much as you can

A big mistake a lot of borrowers make is blindly taking out student loans without considering the impact this debt will have on their future finances or career choices. Even if you can take out a lot of student loans, that doesn’t mean you should.

When you receive your financial aid award letter, for instance, you’ll see how much you’re eligible to borrow in federal student loans. But you’re not obligated to accept the full amount, especially if you can lower costs by applying for scholarships or choosing a school with a lower price tag.

What’s more, most private lenders will let you borrow up to the cost of attendance of your school, minus any other financial aid already received. But again, you shouldn’t necessarily borrow the maximum amount if it’s going to be burdensome in the future.

Before signing any paperwork, use student loan calculators to estimate your future monthly payments, as well as the amount you’ll spend on interest. And consider what job you’ll pursue after graduation that will enable you to make payments on your debt.

If the payments seem extremely high, consider ways to reduce your student loan borrowing. And if you find you borrowed more than you need for the semester, consider returning the unused loan money so you don’t have to pay interest on it in the future.

2. Myth: You don’t need to worry about paying student loans in school

This isn’t technically a student loan myth, since you don’t need to make payments on your student loans while you’re enrolled in school or for six months after you graduate. This period of deferred payments is called a grace period.

But even though payments aren’t required, it’s smart to consider making in-school payments. You don’t necessarily need to pay your full student loan bills, but you could make small payments of $25 per month or interest-only payments as a student.

This way, you’ll cut down on accrued interest, making your student loan balance more manageable after you graduate. If you can afford in-school payments, perhaps by working a part-time job, you’ll make student loan repayment easier in the years to come.

3. Myth: Income-driven repayment plans will lower your student loan costs

Income-driven repayment plans, such as income-based repayment and Pay As You Earn, adjust your monthly payments based on your income while extending your loan terms to 20 or 25 years. They can be a big help if you’re struggling to keep up with payments and need to lower them so you don’t fall behind.

But while income-driven repayment plans typically make your loans more affordable from month to month, they actually increase your costs of borrowing over the long run. That’s because they extend your loan terms to 20 or 25 years.

Since you’re in debt longer, your loans have a lot more time for interest to accrue. Let’s say, for instance, you’re paying off a $30,000 loan at a 5.05% interest rate. Over 10 years, you’d pay $8,272 in interest. But over 20 years, your interest costs would be $17,716. And after 25 years, you’d pay $22,876 in total interest.

Even though income-driven repayment plans give you some breathing room here and now, they can make your loan more expensive overall. That said, you will get your loans forgiven if you have a remaining balance at the end of your 20- or 25-year term.

4. Myth: Refinancing your student loans is always a good idea

Another one of the student loan myths to be aware of is the idea that refinancing student loans is a good idea in every situation. Student loan refinancing can be a great way to negotiate a lower interest rate, change your payment schedule or make your loans easier to manage.

But while refinancing private student loans is usually beneficial, you’ll want to be careful about refinancing federal student loans. When federal student loans go through the refinancing process, they’re converted into private student loans and are no longer eligible for federal repayment plans, such as income-driven repayment, or programs, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

If you’re relying on federal protections now or think you’ll need them in the future, it’s probably not a good idea to refinance your federal student loans with a private lender. Think through the pros and cons of refinancing to make the best decision for your student debt.

5. Myth: You need to pay for student loan counseling

Another student loan myth is the idea that you need to pay a counselor to get your student loans under control. While there are some reputable student loan counseling services that cost money, you can figure out how to manage your student loans on your own for free.

For example, you don’t need to pay anyone to consolidate your loans or apply for an income-driven repayment plan. And you should never pay a fee in exchange for loan forgiveness, as legitimate student loan forgiveness programs are free.

If you’re feeling totally overwhelmed by your debt, a counselor may be able to help you get it under control. But they don’t know any secret information you can’t find on your own, so make sure it’s truly useful before paying anyone for advice on your student loans.

6. Myth: You’ll never pay off your student debt

Student loans can be extremely stressful, and it might feel like you’ll never pay off your debt. But don’t despair.

That mountain of debt you have after graduating college might seem insurmountable, but you have options. Some of these options include income-driven plans, refinancing and direct loan consolidation.

Some borrowers also find ways to decrease their spending or increase their income to pay off debt ahead of schedule. For example, this couple in their early 30s paid off over $80,000 in student loans by teaming up together and working hard at it for three years. And this nurse practitioner was able to clear $70,000 worth of school debt in a single year.

Although you might need to make some sacrifices now, your hard work could be worth it when you make that final student loan payment.

Pinpointing common student loan myths and bad advice

One of the best ways to bust student loan myths is to inform yourself with reliable information. Make sure to rely on trusted resources, such as StudentAid.gov or Student Loan Hero.

If you’re applying to refinance student debt, stick with legitimate lenders that have a good reputation for customer service. If you’re still in school, reach out to your financial aid office to connect with trained experts.

In this age of technology, there are a lot of accessible tools to manage your student loan debt. So don’t fall prey to these common student loan myths. Instead, kick them to the curb and take control of your student loan situation by utilizing the best advice available to you.

Rebecca Safier contributed to this report.

Interested in refinancing student loans?

Here are the top 9 lenders of 2021!

Lender	Variable APR	Eligible Degrees
	1.88% – 6.15%¹	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Splash
	1.88% – 5.64%²	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Earnest
	1.88% – 5.64%³	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit NaviRefi
	2.50% – 6.85%⁴	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit CommonBond
	2.25% – 6.39%⁵	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit SoFi
	1.90% – 5.25%⁶	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Lendkey
	1.89% – 5.90%⁷	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Laurel Road
	2.39% – 6.01%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Elfi
	2.13% – 5.25%⁸	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit PenFed
Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! ¹ Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial Disclosures Terms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Rates and terms are also subject to change at any time without notice. Offers are subject to credit approval. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. If approved, your actual rate will be within a range of rates and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, a responsible financial history, income and other factors. Refinancing or consolidating private and federal student loans may not be the right decision for everyone. Federal loans carry special benefits not available for loans made through Splash Financial, for example, public service loan forgiveness and economic hardship programs, fee waivers and rebates on the principal, which may not be accessible to you after you refinance. The rates displayed may include a 0.25% autopay discount The information you provide to us is an inquiry to determine whether we or our lenders can make a loan offer that meets your needs. If we or any of our lending partners has an available loan offer for you, you will be invited to submit a loan application to the lender for its review. We do not guarantee that you will receive any loan offers or that your loan application will be approved. Offers are subject to credit approval and are available only to U.S. citizens or permanent residents who meet applicable underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers will receive the lowest rates, which are available to the most qualified borrowers. Participating lenders, rates and terms are subject to change at any time without notice. To check the rates and terms you qualify for, Splash Financial conducts a soft credit pull that will not affect your credit score. However, if you choose a product and continue your application, the lender will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit pull and may affect your credit. Splash Financial and our lending partners reserve the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen and meet our lending partner’s underwriting requirements. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers. This information is current as of June 1, 2021. ² Rate range above includes optional 0.25% Auto Pay discount. Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest Disclosures Interest Rate Disclosure Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 2.59% APR to 5.79% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 1.88% APR to 5.64% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 36% (the maximum allowable for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate student loan refinance loans are based on a publicly available index, the one month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Your rate will be calculated each month by adding a margin between 2.04% and 5.8% to the one month LIBOR. Earnest rate ranges are current as of 6/8/2021, and are subject to change based on market conditions. Auto Pay Discount Disclosure You can take advantage of the Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in Auto Pay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. For multi-party loans, only one party may enroll in Auto Pay. Student Loan Refinancing Loan Cost Examples These examples provide estimates based on payments beginning immediately upon loan disbursement. Variable APR: A $10,000 loan with a 20-year term (240 monthly payments of $72) and a 5.89% APR would result in a total estimated payment amount of $17,042.39. For a variable loan, after your starting rate is set, your rate will then vary with the market. Fixed APR: A $10,000 loan with a 20-year term (240 monthly payments of $72) and a 6.04% APR would result in a total estimated payment amount of $17,249.77. Your actual repayment terms may vary.Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest. com/terms-of-service, e-mail us at [email protected], or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. Earnest Loans are made by Earnest Operations LLC or One American Bank, Member FDIC. Earnest Operations LLC, NMLS #1204917. 535 Mission St., Suite 1663, San Francisco, CA 94105. California Financing Law License 6054788. Visit earnest.com/licenses for a full list of licensed states. For California residents (Student Loan Refinance Only): Loans will be arranged or made pursuant to a California Financing Law License. One American Bank, 515 S. Minnesota Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57104. Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC with support from Navient Solutions LLC (NMLS #212430). One American Bank and Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. © 2021 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. ³ Important Disclosures for Navient. Navient Disclosures 1. NaviRefi loans are made by Earnest Operations LLC, a member of the Navient family of companies, subject to individual approval and underwriting criteria. California residents only: Loans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license. Additional terms and conditions apply. – To qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or non-citizen permanent resident of the United States, reside in a state we lend in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.navirefi.com/help-and-questions. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Loan terms are subject to eligibility. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Loan approval is subject to confirmation that your debt-to-income, free cash flow, credit history and application information meet the minimum requirements. You must have a minimum FICO score to be considered. – You can choose between fixed and variable rates. Fixed interest rates are 2.75% – 6.04% APR (2.50% – 5.79% APR with Auto Pay discount). Starting variable interest rates are 2.13% – 5.89% APR (1.88% – 5.64% APR with Auto Pay discount). Variable rates are based on an index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) plus a margin. Variable rates are reset monthly based on the fluctuation of the index. We do not currently offer variable rate loans in AK, CO, CT, HI, IL, KY, MA, MN, MS, NH, OH, OK, SC, TN, TX, and VA. – You can take advantage of the 0.25% Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in Auto Pay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. NaviRefi rate ranges are current as of June 1, 2021 and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. – The information provided on this page is updated as of 06/1/2021. Earnest Operations LLC reserves the right to modify or discontinue (in whole or in part) this loan program and its associated services and benefits at any time without notice. Check www.navirefi.com for the most up-to-date information. Terms and Conditions apply. Call 855-284-4893 for more information on our student loan refinance product. – Earnest Operations LLC – NMLS #1204917, CA CFL #6054788 – 535 Mission St., Suite 1663, San Francisco, CA 94105. Navient Solutions, LLC – NMLS #212430 – 123 Justison St., Wilmington, DE 19801. Visit https://navirefi.com/lending-licenses for a full list of licensed states. ⁴ Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond Disclosures Offered terms are subject to change and state law restriction. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900), NMLS Consumer Access. If you are approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your credit profile, your application, the loan term selected and will be within the ranges of rates shown. ‍All Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed assume borrowers enroll in auto pay and account for the 0.25% reduction in interest rate. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 0.15% effective Jan 1, 2021 and may increase after consummation. ⁵ Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures Fixed rates from 2.74% APR to 6.74% APR (with autopay). Variable rates from 2.25% APR to 6.39% APR (with autopay). All variable rates are based on the 1-month LIBOR and may increase after consummation if LIBOR increases; see more at SoFi.com/legal/#1. If approved for a loan your rate will depend on a variety of factors such as your credit profile, your application and your selected loan terms. Your rate will be within the ranges of rates listed above. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp. or an affiliate (dba SoFi), a lender licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Financing Law, license #6054612; NMLS #1121636 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Additional terms and conditions apply; see SoFi.com/eligibility for details. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. ⁶ Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey Disclosures Refinancing via LendKey.com is only available for applicants with qualified private education loans from an eligible institution. Loans that were used for exam preparation classes, including, but not limited to, loans for LSAT, MCAT, GMAT, and GRE preparation, are not eligible for refinancing with a lender via LendKey.com. If you currently have any of these exam preparation loans, you should not include them in an application to refinance your student loans on this website. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or Permanent Residents in an eligible state to qualify for a loan. Certain membership requirements (including the opening of a share account and any applicable association fees in connection with membership) may apply in the event that an applicant wishes to accept a loan offer from a credit union lender. Lenders participating on LendKey.com reserve the right to modify or discontinue the products, terms, and benefits offered on this website at any time without notice. LendKey Technologies, Inc. is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse, any educational institution. Subject to floor rate and may require the automatic payments be made from a checking or savings account with the lender. The rate reduction will be removed and the rate will be increased by 0.25% upon any cancellation or failed collection attempt of the automatic payment and will be suspended during any period of deferment or forbearance. As a result, during the forbearance or suspension period, and/or if the automatic payment is canceled, any increase will take the form of higher payments. The lowest advertised variable APR is only available for loan terms of 5 years and is reserved for applicants with FICO scores of at least 810. As of 04/07/2021 student loan refinancing rates range from 1.90% APR – 5.25% Variable APR with AutoPay and 2.95% APR – 7.63% Fixed APR with AutoPay. ⁷ Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road Disclosures All credit products are subject to credit approval. Laurel Road began originating student loans in 2013 and has since helped thousands of professionals with undergraduate and postgraduate degrees consolidate and refinance more than $4 billion in federal and private school loans. Laurel Road also offers a suite of online graduate school loan products and personal loans that help simplify lending through customized technology and personalized service. In April 2019, Laurel Road was acquired by KeyBank, one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies. Laurel Road is a brand of KeyBank National Association offering online lending products in all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. All loans are provided by KeyBank National Association, a nationally chartered bank. Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.laurelroad.com. As used throughout these Terms & Conditions, the term “Lender” refers to KeyBank National Association and its affiliates, agents, guaranty insurers, investors, assigns, and successors in interest. Checking your rate with Laurel Road only requires a soft credit pull, which will not affect your credit score. To proceed with an application, a hard credit pull will be required, which may affect your credit score. Savings vary based on rate and term of your existing and refinanced loan(s). Refinancing to a longer term may lower your monthly payments, but may also increase the total interest paid over the life of the loan. Refinancing to a shorter term may increase your monthly payments, but may lower the total interest paid over the life of the loan. Review your loan documentation for total cost of your refinanced loan. After loan disbursement, if a borrower documents a qualifying economic hardship, we may agree in our discretion to allow for full or partial forbearance of payments for one or more 3-month time periods (not to exceed 12 months in the aggregate during the term of your loan), provided that we receive acceptable documentation (including updating documentation) of the nature and expected duration of the borrower’s economic hardship. During any period of forbearance interest will continue to accrue. At the end of the forbearance period, any unpaid accrued interest will be capitalized and be added to the remaining principle amount of the loan. Automatic Payment (“AutoPay”) Discount: if the borrower chooses to make monthly payments automatically from a bank account, the interest rate will decrease by 0.25% and will increase back if the borrower stops making (or we stop accepting) monthly payments automatically from the borrower’s bank account. The 0.25% AutoPay discount will not reduce the monthly payment; instead, the discount is applied to the principal to help pay the loan down faster. Assumptions: Repayment examples above assume a loan amount of $10,000 with repayment beginning immediately following disbursement. Repayment examples do not include the 0.25% AutoPay Discount. Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): This term represents the actual cost of financing to the borrower over the life of the loan expressed as a yearly rate. Interest Rate: A simple annual rate that is applied to an unpaid balance. Variable Rates: The current index for variable rate loans is derived from the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and changes in the LIBOR index may cause your monthly payment to increase. Borrowers who take out a term of 5, 7, or 10 years will have a maximum interest rate of 9%, those who take out a 15 or 20-year variable loan will have a maximum interest rate of 10%. KEYBANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. This information is current as of April 29, 2021. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. ⁸ Important Disclosures for PenFed. PenFed Disclosures Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Fixed Rates range from 2.89%-4.78% APR and Variable Rates range from 2.13%-5.25% APR. Both Fixed and Variable Rates will vary based on application terms, level of degree and presence of a co-signer. These rates are subject to additional terms and conditions and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. For Variable Rate student loans, the rate will never exceed 9.00% for 5 year and 8 year loans and 10.00% for 12 and 15 years loans (the maximum allowable for this loan). Minimum variable rate will be 2.00%. These rates are subject to additional terms and conditions, and rates are subject to change at any time without notice. Such changes will only apply to applications taken after the effective date of change.