Floridians on average hold 3% less in federal and private student debt ($35,496) than the average borrower in the U.S. ($36,689).
The coronavirus pandemic has provided some relief, with certain federal student loans payments temporarily suspended through Sept. 30, 2021. But the 2.6 million borrowers in Florida are generally in a worse position than their peers when it comes to student debt.
Here’s what else you should know about student loans in Florida.
Student loans in Florida: Borrowers owe average of $35,496 in federal, private debt — and more facts
Florida’s public university system has an enrollment of more than 300,000 students, spread out among 12 institutions.
Florida graduates have about $1,200 less, on average, in student debt than the average borrower nationwide. The state offers a wide range of grants and scholarships, including:
- Access to Better Learning and Education Grant Program
- Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program
- Benacquisto Scholarship Program
- First Generation Matching Grant Program
- Florida Farmworker Student Scholarship Program
- Florida Student Assistance Grant Program
- Florida Work Experience Program
- Honorably Discharged Graduate Assistance Program
- José Martí Scholarship Challenge Grant
- Mary McLeod Bethune Scholarship
- Minority Teacher Education Scholarship
- Rosewood Family Scholarship
- Scholarships for Children and Spouses of Deceased or Disabled Veterans
- William L. Boyd IV Effective Access to Student Education
Check out more information on these grants and scholarships |
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A standout from the list is the merit-based Florida Bright Futures Scholarship, which covers 75% to 100% of tuition and fees, depending on the award level.
The Florida Legislature was considering an income-dependent Sunshine Scholarship that would have given community college students free tuition, provided they stayed and worked in the state. The bill, though, was withdrawn from consideration as the coronavirus crisis began.
Student loan debt in Florida’s largest counties, from Brevard to Volusia
Student loan debt by ZIP code in Florida’s 3 largest cities: Jacksonville, Miami and Tampa
Student loan repayment programs for Florida residents
Aside from federal options, there are only two Florida-specific loan repayment programs that can lead to forgiveness, which are aimed at specific occupations — attorneys and nurses.
Income-driven repayment
The federal government offers four income-driven repayment options:
- Income-Based Repayment
- Income-Contingent Repayment
- Pay As You Earn
- Revised Pay As You Earn
Loan terms range from 20 to 25 years, with borrowers generally owing 10% to 20% of their discretionary income. After this period, any remaining balance is forgiven. Borrowers must recertify income and family size information each year, which can alter payment amounts.
Loan Repayment Assistance Program
This Florida-specific repayment assistance program provides yearly $5,000 loans — which are forgiven annually by the Florida Bar Foundation — to part- or full-time civil legal aid organization employees. Contract attorneys aren’t eligible. The program, which has forgiven more than $10 million in loans since it was founded in 1992, aims to strengthen legal assistance for low-income individuals.
Nursing Student Loan Forgiveness Program (NSLFP)
Full-time licensed practical nurses, registered nurses or advanced registered nurse practitioners may be able to qualify for up to $4,000 a year — for four years — through this Florida program. NSLFP applicants must work at designated employment sites, such as public schools and teaching hospitals, to qualify.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Federal direct loan borrowers who work full time for federal, state, local or American Indian tribal governments or nonprofit organizations may qualify for PSLF after 120 qualifying monthly payments. Borrowers must be using one of the income-driven repayment plans. Federal Student Aid offers a PSLF Tool for interested borrowers.
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program
Full-time teachers who work for five consecutive years at qualifying schools or educational service agencies can earn up to $17,500 through the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program. The maximum forgiveness amount is reserved for those who teach math, science or special education. Those not teaching in these fields can earn a maximum of $5,000.
Florida federal student loan borrowers younger than 25 owe less than national average — and more comparisons
How to refinance student loans in Florida
More than 8% of borrowers in Florida owe $100,000 or more in federal student loans, so refinancing could be a useful financial tool.
Refinancing student loans can help borrowers lower their interest rates and save money long term. Plus, they’d only have to keep track of repaying one loan. But refinancing would mean giving up federal protections, including income-driven repayment and possible forgiveness options.
Start by rate-shopping to find your best options, but be sure to use prequalification to avoid dings to your credit score through hard inquiries. Complete an application once you’ve decided the best option for you. If approved, the lender would replace any existing federal and private student loans with a new one.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education data as of June 30, 2020
- Anonymized My LendingTree June 2020 credit reports
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York Consumer Credit Panel/Equifax as of June 2020
- mappingstudentdebt.org
Because the latter data is from 2015, researchers estimated the increase in student loan debt per borrower in the state using statewide data from anonymized credit reports.
Interested in refinancing student loans?
Here are the top 6 lenders of 2021!Lender | Variable APR | Eligible Degrees | |
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1.89% – 5.99%1 | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
1.99% – 5.64%2 | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
1.91% – 5.25%3 | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
2.25% – 6.88%4 | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
1.89% – 5.90%5 | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
2.39% – 6.01% | Undergrad & Graduate | ||
Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Splash Financial. Splash Financial DisclosuresTerms 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 Feburary 1, 2021. 2 Important Disclosures for Earnest. Earnest DisclosuresTo qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or possess a 10-year (non-conditional) Permanent Resident Card, reside in a state Earnest lends in, and satisfy our minimum eligibility criteria. You may find more information on loan eligibility here: https://www.earnest.com/eligibility. Not all applicants will be approved for a loan, and not all applicants will qualify for the lowest rate. Approval and interest rate depend on the review of a complete application. Earnest fixed rate loan rates range from 2.98% APR (with Auto Pay) to 5.49% APR (with Auto Pay). Variable rate loan rates range from 1.99% APR (with Auto Pay) to 5.34% APR (with Auto Pay). For variable rate loans, although the interest rate will vary after you are approved, the interest rate will never exceed 8.95% for loan terms 10 years or less. For loan terms of 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95% (the maximum rates for these loans). Earnest variable interest rate 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 1.82% and 5.50% to the one month LIBOR. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Earnest rate ranges are current as of October 26, 2020, and are subject to change based on market conditions and borrower eligibility. Auto Pay discount: If you make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic, monthly deduction from a savings or checking account, your rate will be reduced by one quarter of one percent (0.25%) for so long as you continue to make automatic, electronic monthly payments. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. The information provided on this page is updated as of 10/26/2020. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 302 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, email us at [email protected], or call 888-601-2801 for more information on our student loan refinance product. © 2020 Earnest LLC. All rights reserved. Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. 3 Important Disclosures for LendKey. LendKey DisclosuresRefinancing 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 02/17/2021 student loan refinancing rates range from 1.91% APR – 5.25% Variable APR with AutoPay and 2.95% APR – 7.63% Fixed APR with AutoPay. 4 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures
5 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road DisclosuresAll 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.
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 January 4, 2021. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. |