This is one of our most complicated but important calculators. The calculator includes detailed aspects such as combining federal and private loans and includes the maximum federal loans students are permitted to borrow. It also includes real (albeit estimated) interest rates for federal and private loans, approximate terms/maturity of the loans as well as an estimate of funding provided by parents/or the students.
The output looks at total loans, and an estimate of debt to income ratio and a traffic light system that flags to prospective students and their parents when debt may be too high.","The goal of our calculator is to enable students to be aware that they may be taking on too much debt relative to the income they expect to return. The calculator includes as input the income the student expects to earn. This will be a function of the school attended, grades achieved, the field of study and the geography as well as many other factors. Students and their parents should check for incomes reported by their schools
It combines federal and private student loans into one view, using realistic estimated interest rates and terms, and includes the maximum amounts students are typically permitted to borrow under federal loan limits.
It flags to students and parents when projected student debt may be too high relative to the income the student expects to earn after graduating — green, yellow, or red depending on how the debt load compares to that expected income.
You enter the income you expect to earn after graduating, which depends on factors like the school, field of study, and geography — the calculator uses this to estimate your future debt-to-income ratio, so it's worth checking income data reported by your specific school rather than a generic average.
Yes — it models federal and private loans separately, since they typically carry different interest rates, borrowing limits, and terms, then combines them for a total picture of your student debt.
The Debt Calculator can track your student loans alongside any other debt you take on, and the Budget Calculator can help you plan how loan payments fit into your post-graduation budget.
