Are Student Loans Good or Bad Debt? Here’s What You Need to Know

Some personal finance oxymorons seem to make no sense whatsoever, such as “bankrupt millionaire” or “negative income.” Yet none of them sound as baffling as one of the most contradictory paradoxes of all: “Good debt.”

Is a college education and student loan debt a good thing? Or does it all add up to one big, bad investment? Knowing the difference can prepare you for the financial impact that debt brings.

Good debt vs bad debt

The bad

What makes bad debt so bad? In a nutshell, bad debt is borrowing money to pay for something that diminishes or drops in value over time.

An auto loan is a perfect example of bad debt. Not only does potentially high interest add to the total amount of principal borrowed, but the car you bought is a depreciating asset. That’s not including the maintenance, insurance, and gas costs that can add to the total cost of the car.

Credit cards can be a good form of revolving debt, but can become one very bad type of debt if you let your balance build up, since penalty interest can become unmanageable.

If you’re paying off another form of long-term debt, a credit card may only add to the problem. Yours may earn rewards — a nice perk — but they may not be worth the risk of a large balance.

Other forms of debt, like payday and cash advance loans, come with insanely high interest rates that can eat your budget up alive. Big-ticket purchases that need to be financed, like luxury items you don’t need, can be considered bad debt since they don’t appreciate in value.

The good

What is good debt, exactly? It’s about borrowing money for something that will appreciate or increase in value and make your loan worth the investment, time, and money.

Mortgage loans are usually considered a good type of debt. Unlike a car, a house is hoped to increase in market value over time. If you sell it years down the line, you’ll ideally net enough of a profit to offset some of the principal and interest you’ve paid on the loan.

Home loans also tend to carry lower interest rates and the interest you pay is tax deductible, adding to your overall savings. Investing in a rental property is another way to offset a mortgage or real estate loan.

Entrepreneurs who take out a small business loan may also be staying on the good side of debt, since the money they put into paying for overhead, office space, equipment, employee training, and salaries should pay off over time if their venture is a success.

Are student loans good or bad?

In the good debt vs bad debt debate, student loans fall into a gray area. Student loans can be considered good debt because the money you’re borrowing to attend school is your ticket to earning a degree and getting hired at a well-paying job. That debt should pay itself off over time with a lucrative career in place.

On the other hand, that degree does not guarantee employment. Student loan debt currently exceeds the $1.2 trillion mark, with more than 43 million borrowers struggling to pay off their loans.

As of last month, 8.1 percent of Americans aged 20 to 24 years old remain unemployed — a bad sign for undergraduate and graduate degree holders unable to find work and pay down their debt.

Student loans may be the hardest type of debt to narrow down to simply “good” or “bad,” since everyone’s financial and lending needs may differ. Examining some of the basic pros and cons can help you decide if it’s the type of debt for you.

Student loan pros

• Student loans allow you to pursue a college education without having to pay for your entire tuition in full. With a college degree, you improve your chances of finding well-paying, stable employment.
• Some federal loans are subsidized. If you qualify, you’ll have your interest paid off during select periods of time.
• Interest rates on federal loans are lower than most other lending products; fixed, regardless of your credit standing; and tax deductible.
• Student loans come with a variety of repayment plans (standard, graduated, extended, income-based, etc.) that can make your loan payments easier to align with your budget.
• You have opportunities to refinance, consolidate, defer, or forbear your student loans if you’re struggling with debt.
• With timely, disciplined payments, student loans can add positively to your credit history and score.

Student loan cons

• Even though a college education can improve your chances at gainful employment, there are no guarantees.
• Entry-level workers fresh out of college also may not earn enough to comfortably afford their loan repayments. The high amount of debt compared to a lower salary can produce a skewed debt-to-income ratio, which can hurt your credit.
• Student loan debt can lead to delinquency and default, each of which can ruin your credit score and inhibit your chances at being approved for other types of credit.
• Student loans can’t be discharged in bankruptcy.
• Consolidating federal loans means relinquishing some built-in privileges.

There’s no such thing as good debt

When you weigh the pros and cons, there’s really no such thing as good debt.

That is, unless you’ve got enough money on hand to pay down the majority of your interest before it accrues — but if that was the case, there wouldn’t be much of a reason to take out a loan in the first place.

You might perceive student loans as a type of “better” debt than most, since the value of a college education is like an appreciating asset unto itself. The higher your degree, the more attractive you likely become to future employers.

From a financial standpoint, it’s often a necessary evil for students who don’t have the luxury of grants, scholarships, or other aid to cover the bulk of their tuition costs.

Borrowing money for student loans may be unavoidable, but by managing your debt carefully, you can shift it from bad to good.

Interested in refinancing student loans?

Here are the top 6 lenders of 2018!

Lender	Variable APR	Eligible Degrees
Get real rates from up to 4 Lenders at once Check out the testimonials and our in-depth reviews! 1 Important Disclosures for Laurel Road. Laurel Road Disclosures VARIABLE APR – APR is subject to increase after consummation. The variable interest rates are based on a Current Index, which is the 1-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) (currency in US dollars), as published on The Wall Street Journal’s website. The variable interest rates and Annual Percentage Rate (APR) will increase or decrease when the 1-month LIBOR index changes. 2 Important Disclosures for SoFi. SoFi Disclosures Student Loan Refinance: Fixed rates from 3.999% APR to 7.804% APR (with AutoPay). Variable rates from 2.480% APR to 7.524% APR (with AutoPay). Interest rates on variable rate loans are capped at either 8.95% or 9.95% depending on term of loan. See APR examples and terms. Lowest variable rate of 2.480% APR assumes current 1 month LIBOR rate of 2.07% plus 0.91% margin minus 0.25% ACH discount. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. If approved for a loan, the fixed or variable interest rate offered will depend on your creditworthiness, and the term of the loan and other factors, and will be within the ranges of rates listed above. For the SoFi variable rate loan, the 1-month LIBOR index will adjust monthly and the loan payment will be re-amortized and may change monthly. APRs for variable rate loans may increase after origination if the LIBOR index increases. The SoFi 0.25% AutoPay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. *To check the rates and terms you qualify for, SoFi conducts a soft credit inquiry. Unlike hard credit inquiries, soft credit inquiries (or soft credit pulls) do not impact your credit score. Soft credit inquiries allow SoFi to show you what rates and terms SoFi can offer you up front. After seeing your rates, if you choose a product and continue your application, we will request your full credit report from one or more consumer reporting agencies, which is considered a hard credit inquiry. Hard credit inquiries (or hard credit pulls) are required for SoFi to be able to issue you a loan. In addition to requiring your explicit permission, these credit pulls may impact your credit score Terms and Conditions Apply: SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in an eligible state and meet SoFi’s underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. To qualify for the lowest rate, you must have a responsible financial history and meet other conditions. If approved, your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, a responsible financial history, years of experience, income and other factors. Rates and Terms are subject to change at anytime without notice and are subject to state restrictions. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Financing Law License No. 6054612. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS # 1121636. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) 3 Important Disclosures for CommonBond. CommonBond Disclosures Offered terms are subject to change. Loans are offered by CommonBond Lending, LLC (NMLS # 1175900). The following table displays the estimated monthly payment, total interest, and Annual Percentage Rates (APR) for a $10,000 loan. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) shown for each in-school loan product reflects the accruing interest, the effect of one-time capitalization of interest at the end of a deferment period, a 2% origination fee, and the applicable Repayment Plan. All loans are eligible for a 0.25% reduction in interest rate by agreeing to automatic payment withdrawals once in repayment, which is reflected in the interest rates and APRs displayed. Variable rates may increase after consummation. All variable rates are based on a 1-month LIBOR assumption of 2.08% effective July 25, 2018. 4 Important Disclosures for Citizens Bank. Citizens Bank Disclosures Education Refinance Loan Rate Disclosure: Variable rate, based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) published in The Wall Street Journal on the twenty-fifth day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month. As of August 1, 2018, the one-month LIBOR rate is 2.07%. Variable interest rates range from 2.72%-8.17% (2.72%-8.17% APR) and will fluctuate over the term of the borrower’s loan with changes in the LIBOR rate, and will vary based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a cosigner. Fixed interest rates range from 3.50%-8.69% (3.50% – 8.69% APR) based on applicable terms, level of degree earned and presence of a cosigner. Lowest rates shown require application with a cosigner, are for eligible, creditworthy applicants with a graduate level degree, require a 5-year repayment term and include our Loyalty discount and Automatic Payment discounts of 0.25 percentage points each, as outlined in the Loyalty and Automatic Payment Discount disclosures. The maximum variable rate on the Education Refinance Loan is the greater of 21.00% or Prime Rate plus 9.00%. 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. Please note: Due to federal regulations, Citizens Bank is required to provide every potential borrower with disclosure information before they apply for a private student loan. The borrower will be presented with an Application Disclosure and an Approval Disclosure within the application process before they accept the terms and conditions of their loan. Federal Loan vs. Private Loan Benefits: Some federal student loans include unique benefits that the borrower may not receive with a private student loan, some of which we do not offer with the Education Refinance Loan. Borrowers should carefully review their current benefits, especially if they work in public service, are in the military, are currently on or considering income based repayment options or are concerned about a steady source of future income and would want to lower their payments at some time in the future. When the borrower refinances, they waive any current and potential future benefits of their federal loans and replace those with the benefits of the Education Refinance Loan. For more information about federal student loan benefits and federal loan consolidation, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/. We also have several resources available to help the borrower make a decision at http://www.citizensbank.com/EdRefinance, including Should I Refinance My Student Loans? and our FAQs. Should I Refinance My Student Loans? includes a comparison of federal and private student loan benefits that we encourage the borrower to review. Citizens Bank Education Refinance Loan Eligibility: Eligible applicants may not be currently enrolled, must be in repayment of their existing student loan(s) and must make the minimum number of payments after leaving school. Primary borrowers must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident or resident alien with a valid U.S. Social Security Number residing in the United States. Resident aliens must apply with a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The co-signer (if applicable) must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid U.S. Social Security Number residing in the United States. For applicants who have not attained the age of majority in their state of residence, a co-signer will be required. Citizens Bank reserves the right to modify eligibility criteria at anytime. Interest rate ranges subject to change. Education Refinance Loans are subject to credit qualification, completion of a loan application/consumer credit agreement, verification of application information, certification of borrower’s student loan amount(s) and highest degree earned. Loyalty Discount Disclosure: The borrower will be eligible for a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction on their loan if the borrower or their co-signer (if applicable) has a qualifying account in existence with us at the time the borrower and their co-signer (if applicable) have submitted a completed application authorizing us to review their credit request for the loan. The following are qualifying accounts: any checking account, savings account, money market account, certificate of deposit, automobile loan, home equity loan, home equity line of credit, mortgage, credit card account, or other student loans owned by Citizens Bank, N.A. Please note, our checking and savings account options are only available in the following states: CT, DE, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, and VT and some products may have an associated cost. This discount will be reflected in the interest rate disclosed in the Loan Approval Disclosure that will be provided to the borrower once the loan is approved. Limit of one Loyalty Discount per loan and discount will not be applied to prior loans. The Loyalty Discount will remain in effect for the life of the loan. Automatic Payment Discount Disclosure: Borrowers will be eligible to receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction on their student loans owned by Citizens Bank, N.A. during such time as payments are required to be made and our loan servicer is authorized to automatically deduct payments each month from any bank account the borrower designates. Discount is not available when payments are not due, such as during forbearance. If our loan servicer is unable to successfully withdraw the automatic deductions from the designated account three or more times within any 12-month period, the borrower will no longer be eligible for this discount. Co-signer Release: Borrowers may apply for co-signer release after making 36 consecutive on-time payments of principal and interest. For the purpose of the application for co-signer release, on-time payments are defined as payments received within 15 days of the due date. Interest only payments do not qualify. The borrower must meet certain credit and eligibility guidelines when applying for the co-signer release. Borrowers must complete an application for release and provide income verification documents as part of the review. Borrowers who use deferment or forbearance will need to make 36 consecutive on-time payments after reentering repayment to qualify for release. The borrower applying for co-signer release must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. If an application for co-signer release is denied, the borrower may not reapply for co-signer release until at least one year from the date the application for co-signer release was received. Terms and conditions apply. Average savings based on 18,113 actual customers who refinanced their federal and private student loans through our Education Refinance Loan between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017. The calculation is derived by averaging the monthly savings of Education Refinance Loan customers whose payments decreased after refinancing, which is calculated by taking the monthly student loan payments prior to refinancing minus the monthly student loan payments after refinancing. The borrower’s savings might vary based on the interest rates, balances and remaining repayment term of the loans they are seeking to refinance. The borrower’s overall repayment amount may be higher than the loans they are refinancing even if their monthly payments are lower.
	2.57% – 5.87%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Earnest
	2.80% – 6.38%1	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Laurel Road
	2.48% – 7.52%2	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit SoFi
	2.47% – 7.99%	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Lendkey
	2.57% – 6.65%3	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit CommonBond
	2.72% – 8.17%4	Undergrad & Graduate	Visit Citizens