Start With Your Expected Salary
Enter the starting salary you realistically expect in your field after graduating.
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Safe Maximum Total Borrowing
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Keeping total debt at or below one year's salary keeps payments manageable (~10% of income).
Monthly Payment at That Level
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Share of Monthly Income
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Check Your Plan
Thinking of borrowing a specific amount? Enter it to see if it's within a safe range.
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Borrowing Wisely
The one-year-salary rule. If your total student debt at graduation is under your expected first-year salary, you can typically repay it on the standard 10-year plan with payments around 8–12% of your income — a manageable share. Borrow much more, and payments can crowd out rent, savings, and living costs.
Keep payments under ~10–15% of income. That's the widely-cited affordability ceiling. Above it, student loans start to strain your budget and delay other goals (a car, a home, retirement savings).
This is a ceiling, not a target. Borrowing less is always better. Exhaust free money first — grants, scholarships, work, and savings — and treat loans as the last and smallest piece. See our Net Price, Award Letter, and College Savings tools.
A rule-of-thumb estimate assuming a standard 10-year repayment. Individual circumstances, fields, and salaries vary; income-driven repayment plans work differently. See the K12 Academics Paying for College and Post–High School Paths toolkits.