SoFi

College is full of decisions: what school should I go to? What will my major be? Should I live on campus? Should I go full or part-time? It is easy to get overwhelmed trying to find all the answers, but when it comes to choosing between full and part-time, your choice could change things like the amount of work you’re doing every week to how much financial aid, including federal student loans, you may be eligible for.

Whether you’re a full or part-time student depends on how many credit hours you’re taking during the semester.

In general, most schools require that you take about 120 credit hours in order to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Associate’s degrees and certificate programs require fewer credits.

This means that, typically, in order to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in four years, you’ll need to take about 15 credits per semester. But what if you’re a night student, or are balancing classes with a full-time job? In that case, you may be a part-time student, taking less than a full load each semester.

Here’s what you need to know about the part-time versus full-time distinction and how the number of credits you take each semester could impact your education.

What Is a Full-Time Student?

Each college determines the exact number of credits that constitutes a full-time course load. But at its most basic, a full-time student is someone who is taking a “full-load” of college classes, as measured by the number of credit hours.

Each class you take is worth a certain amount of credits, depending on how much work is expected in the course. Your school determines how many credits each course is worth. For example, you might take a biology course worth four credits, a chemistry lab worth four credits, an English Lit class worth four credits, and a dance class worth two credits. Together, the total number of credits in your schedule determine whether you’re a full-time or part-time student.

What Is a Part-Time Student?

A part-time student is anyone who is taking some college credit hours but who is not taking the minimum number of college credit hours designated by the school as “full-time.”

This means that you might be a part-time college student if you’re taking a single two credit art class for fun after work, or if you’re taking a 10 credit course load when your school designates full time as 12 credits or more.

Differences in Finances for Full Time and Part-Time Students

One area where being a full or part-time student can make a big difference is when it comes to finances. Full and part-time student status could potentially impact factors like tuition costs and financial aid.

Tuition Costs

One big difference when it comes to full-time or part-time student status is tuition costs. Many degree programs charge tuition based on the number of credits you’re taking. Tuition policies and rates will vary by school, so it might be worth checking the specific policies at your school to determine how your enrollment might impact your tuition. If tuition is charged per credit hour, taking additional credits could make your semester more expensive.

Some students who are paying for their degree out of pocket opt to attend school part-time in order to pay less in tuition each semester and spread out the cost of their education over a longer period of time.

On the flip side, the cost-per-credit model can mean that students looking to max out the number of credits they take each semester in order to graduate as soon as possible, might face high costs when it comes to tuition.

And that’s not to mention books, as the more classes you take, the more books you’ll likely have to buy. For students facing high costs due to taking a high number of credits, and who have maxed out the federal aid available to them, a private student loan might help cover the increased costs of attendance that come with being a full-time student.

Available Tax Credits

Student status can also make a difference when it comes to your or your parents’ taxes. Tax credits like the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) and the Lifetime Learning Credit (LLC) may offer tax benefits to students.

The AOTC can be worth a maximum annual benefit of $2,500 per eligible student, but it is only available during the first four years at an eligible college or vocational school.

The LLC offers a maximum benefit of up to $2,000 per tax return for both graduate and undergraduate students, and has a slightly broader net, as it also allows for deductions taken by professional students who want to take courses to “maintain or improve job skills.”

In order to claim either the AOTC or the LLC, you need to meet certain qualifications . These include: 1) pay for qualified education expenses and 2) you’re enrolled at an eligible educational institution.
The good news is that because these tax credits only require enrollment at an “eligible educational institution,” they are available to both full-time and part-time students.

Federal Aid

When it comes to federal student loans, it is a different story. In order to qualify for most types of federal student aid, you must be enrolled at least half- time at a qualifying institution. Like full-time enrollment, half-time enrollment is determined by your school. Generally, it is around six credits per semester, but depends entirely on which school a student attends.

If a student falls below half-time enrollment, they could lose their eligibility for federal student aid. Some schools may also adjust financial aid awards depending on student enrollment. The financial aid office at your school should be able to provide information on your school’s policies.

This means that for students who are using federal student aid, it’s likely important to make sure your schedule has enough credits, or risk losing your student aid.

If you’re paying out of pocket and not relying on federal student aid, it might not be as important to maintain a schedule that keeps your credit hours at half-time, as fewer credits could equal lower tuition bills.

Paying for College

Whether you’re a full-time student, a half-time student, or a part-time student, it can still be a struggle to pay for college. There are things you can do to lower the cost of college, but many students end up taking out some type of loan to complete their degree.

Private student loans are one option that could help, whether you’re eligible for federal student aid or not.

Private student loans can be a backup plan to cover educational costs that go beyond what you’re able to meet with federal aid—provided, in most cases, you’re enrolled at least half-time.

It is important to consider private loans carefully, because private student loans don’t have the same repayment benefits and protections of federal student loans, including flexible repayment plans and the possibility of loan forgiveness.

If you’re looking for a way to fill in the gaps, however, a private student loan could be the answer you’re looking for.

Depending on the lender, private student loans might only be an option for students attending at least half-time. For example, at SoFi, borrowers must be attending school at least half-time in a qualifying degree granting program in order to qualify for a loan.

If you do decide to borrow a private student loan to cover educational costs, consider SoFi. There are absolutely no fees and borrowers can select from up to four flexible repayment plans. And with SoFi, you can apply online in just a few minutes—even if you’re using a co-signer.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

SoFi Private Student Loans
Please borrow responsibly. SoFi Private Student Loans are not a substitute for federal loans, grants, and work-study programs. You should exhaust all your federal student aid options before you consider any private loans, including ours. Read our FAQs. SoFi Private Student Loans are subject to program terms and restrictions, and applicants must meet SoFi’s eligibility and underwriting requirements. See SoFi.com/eligibility-criteria for more information. To view payment examples, click here. SoFi reserves the right to modify eligibility criteria at any time. This information is subject to change.

SOPS19045

In the U.S., debt is a reality for many Americans. According to the Federal Reserve’s most recent report, our total national household debt is at $13.95 trillion .

That’s a lot of student loans, car loans, mortgages, and credit card debt. And for those who’ve fallen behind, it can mean a lot of headaches and heartache.

If you’ve had enough of all that stress and you’re trying to build a budget that tackles your debt, it helps to have a strategy you can stick to while you also keep current with your other monthly bills.

If you find yourself struggling to make ends meet and are unable to form a plan to get back on track on your own, many people find some assistance by exploring other options, such as a nonprofit credit counseling agency to put together a debt management plan—but there can be some downsides to that decision.

The basic concept seems simple enough: Typically, a debt settlement agency negotiates a repayment schedule with creditors for debt that can include credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans; the consumer makes one payment each month to an account set up with the agency, which includes a small fee; then the agency pays each creditor over an agreed-upon period of time, typically two to five years.

You might want to be sure that you are able to set aside that money for the full term of the plan. If you fail to make your required deposits to the debt relief savings account on time—if an unexpected home repair or medical bill breaks your budget, for example—you can be dropped from the plan and all its perks.

It’s also likely you’ll have to give up your credit cards for the length of the program—and you won’t be able to take out any new lines of credit during that time. And it’s important to note that taking actions like closing accounts may impact your credit history, so it could be a great idea to talk through the pros and cons of this method of debt repayment with a trusted, credentialed advisor.

If that lack of flexibility doesn’t work for you, there are a few other strategies you could consider instead. They, too, take discipline, but you’ll be completely in control of the plan’s structure.

The most well-known of the debt management plans are likely the snowball and avalanche methods, but there’s also the fireball method, which combines both strategies.

Which method is right for you is something only you can decide, and we aren’t advocating one or all of these methods. Here’s just a little bit on each and some of their pros and cons.

The Debt Snowball Method

Once you’ve compiled your monthly budget and have a good idea of how much money you’ll have left each month after paying all your bills, the snowball method directs any excess funds to the debt with the smallest outstanding balance. Here are the basic steps:

•   Disregard interest rates and start by listing your debts based on how much you owe, from the smallest balance to the largest.

•   Make the minimum payment on all other debts and pay as much as you can each month to eliminate the smallest one.

•   After you pay off the smallest debt, you’d turn your attention to the next-lowest balance.

•   Keep going until you are debt-free. (And, of course, avoid the temptation to use the credit cards you’ve paid off.)

Pros: This approach is all about motivation. Instead of slogging away, trying to knock down your biggest debt, you’re picking off the little guys as quickly as possible. Depending on your personality, snowballing could provide the psychological boost you need to keep going.

Cons: It’s more about behavior modification than math. By focusing on the smallest account balance instead of the highest interest rate, you could be missing out on an opportunity to make a more significant dent in your debt. The sooner you get your debts paid, the sooner you can adjust your focus to saving and investing to reach other financial goals.

The Avalanche Method

The avalanche method puts any excess money in your budget toward the debt with the highest interest rate. Here’s how it works:

•   Disregard minimum payment amounts and balances, and instead list debts in order by interest rate.

•   Make the minimum payment on all debts and pay as much as you can each month to get rid of the bill with the highest interest rate. (So, for example, if you have three credit cards with interest rates of 21%, 18%, and 22%, and a student loan with 6% interest, you’d pay as much extra as you could toward the card with the 22% rate first and keep at it until the balance is zero.)

•   When the first balance is paid off, you’d move on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. (The 21% card, in this example, then the 18% card, then the lower-interest student loan.)

Pros: Since this method focuses on the most expensive debt first, it helps bring down the amount of interest paid while working toward debt repayment. If you need a reminder of how impactful interest can be, check your credit card bill: The minimum payment warning explains just how long it will take you to get rid of that debt if you pay only what you have to every month.

Cons: This method could take more commitment and discipline. If you’re the type who needs to experience little “wins” along the way, you might lose interest before you wrap up this plan.

The Debt Fireball Method

This strategy takes a hybrid approach to the traditional snowball and avalanche methods of paying down debt.

We call it the fireball method because it can help you blaze through costly bad debt faster so you can accomplish the things that matter to you. The steps include:

•   Categorize all debt as either “good” or “bad.” (Debts with a less than 7% interest rate are “good.” Debts with a higher than 7% interest rate that do not have the potential to increase your net worth are considered “bad” debt under this method.)

•   List “bad” debts from smallest to largest based on their outstanding balances.

•   Make the minimum monthly payment on all outstanding debts, then funnel any excess funds to the smallest of your “bad” debts.

•   When that balance is paid in full, you’d go on to the next smallest on the bad-debt list. Torch those balances until all your bad debt is repaid.

•   When that’s done, you’d keep paying off your “good” debt on the normal schedule while investing in your future. Then you could start applying the money you used to pay toward your “bad” debt to a financial goal, such as saving for a house, starting a business, saving for retirement, etc.

Pros: The math here may make more sense because you’re taking on more expensive debt before less-expensive debt. And it can also work from a psychological perspective because the payoff tends to accelerate as you approach the finish line.

Cons: If you’re more interested in dumping all your debt first before investing in the future, this approach might not satisfy your need to make even low-interest debt a payoff priority. Also, it typically isn’t as mathematically efficient as the avalanche method—though it could be more cost-effective than the snowball method.

Consolidating Your Debt With a Personal Loan

Looking for another method to help pay off your debt? A personal loan from SoFi may be the right choice for you. SoFi offers low-rate, no-fee option, unsecured personal loans to help you save money on your debt.

With a fixed monthly payment, you may qualify for a SoFi personal loan to consolidate credit cards or other high-interest debt at a more competitive interest rate.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

SOPL19071

While the stress of term papers and finals comes to an end once you graduate from college, the stress of building your post-collegiate life—and dealing with student loans—is just beginning.

Even if you’ve already got a job, you may have to move to a new city, and it will likely be a bit before a steady paycheck starts rolling in. Luckily, many student loans allow a grace period to give you a chance to put your life in order before you have to pay back your loans.

What Is a Grace Period?

The student loan grace period is typically six months after you graduate from school. However, the clock can start ticking if you leave school before you graduate or you drop below half-time enrollment.

Rules about grace periods can vary depending on the type of loan. You can expect a six-month grace period from Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans. Federal Perkins Loans, when they were offered, sometimes have a nine-month grace period (check with the school where you received your loan), while PLUS Loans offer no grace period at all, but if you have a PLUS Loan and need more time before you start to pay it off, you can usually apply for student loan deferment.

In general, private loans do not offer grace periods, but there are some that do. So be sure to check with your loan provider to understand their specific terms regarding grace periods.

The grace period is typically only available to you once during the life of your loan. However, there are two possible exceptions for federal student loans: First, if you are an active member of the military and you are called to service for more than 30 days during your grace period, the grace period will start over upon your return.

Second, if you go back to school before the loan’s grace period ends. One word of caution: If you consolidate a federal student loan during its grace period, you will forfeit the remainder of that grace period.

Grace periods also come with another hitch—though you don’t have to make payments during the grace period, some loans, such as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, will still accrue interest. These interest charges are added to your principal balance, and will have to be paid when the grace period is over.

Making the Most of Your Grace Period

The main advantage of grace periods is that it gives you time to settle in to your new post-graduate life before you have to start paying off your student debt. It gives you time to do things like find a job, move to a new city, and figure out the other bills you may be paying for the first time. Ideally, this period gives you some time to build your income to the point where you can then start paying back your loans.

If you find yourself a little bit ahead of the game, you don’t have to wait for the grace period to end before you start paying back student loans. You may decide that the cost of accruing interest over the period isn’t worth the benefits of waiting. The choice you make will depend on your personal situation and income.

While the grace period may seem like a vacation from your loans, it actually might be a good time to put your financial house in order so you’re better positioned to handle them. Here are a few steps you might consider taking that can help you stay on track:

Getting Reacquainted With Your Loan Terms

First things first—gather information about all of your loans. It may be four years since you last looked at any of your loan information, so get yourself reacquainted.

You can look up your federal loans on the National Student Loan Data System , and you can request information about private loans from your private lender(s). Pay attention to what types of loans you have, whether they offer a grace period, how long the period is, and all interest charges.

Once you understand what types of loans you carry and their terms, you can determine the best options for paying them back. This will help prioritize which loans you want to tackle first.

Federal loans may offer hardship options like forbearance (temporarily halt payments) and income-driven repayment plans (longer-term payment reduction). Though private loans are less likely to offer programs like this, some do, so it’s worth checking.

Building a Budget

This may be a good opportunity to take a long hard look at your finances. While you may be just getting on your feet financially, this is a perfect time to get into the habit of budgeting. Take a look at all of your monthly income and subtract any necessary living expenses like bills, rent, and food.

What you’ve got left is the money you can devote to paying down debt and for discretionary expenses. This amount can give you an idea of how large a student loan payment you can make each month.

Figuring Out Your Monthly Payment

Federal loans often offer flexible repayment options and loan terms. For example, extending the term of your loan can help you lower your monthly payment.

Be aware that extending your term also extends the amount of time you pay interest on your loan, which can cost you more money in the long run. Weigh this consideration carefully as you decide how much to devote to monthly payments.

Considering Student Loan Refinancing

Getting reacquainted with your loans gives you a refresher on their terms and interest rates as well as the repayment options available to you. Yet, if these options don’t work for you, the good news is you’re not necessarily stuck with them.

You could consider refinancing your federal and private loans for terms that work better for your situation.

When you refinance a student loan, you are essentially taking out a new loan that pays off your old loans. Now, you only have one loan to manage, and hopefully a lower interest rate or a term that works better for you.

Typically, to qualify for student loan refinancing, it helps to have a strong credit history. For example, if you had a credit card that you paid off regularly, your credit score may be sufficient to meet lender eligibility requirements. They’ll likely consider other personal financial factors, like your income, too.

Also, before refinancing a federal loan, make sure that there are no federal benefits that you want to take advantage of, such as loan forgiveness, income-driven repayment, and other programs that are only available if you hold on to your federal loans.

These benefits don’t transfer when you refinance with a private lender. That said, other benefits may be available, depending on the lender. For example, if you refinance before your grace period ends, some lenders will honor the remainder of the period.

Make sure your grace period is time well spent, and take the opportunity to understand all your options for paying back student loans.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan 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 Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.

SOSL19068

If you’ve been thinking about canceling one of your credit cards, you may have heard that you should keep it open.

If so, you might be wondering, “Why? Is it bad to cancel a credit card?”

The answer, as with most finance-related matters, is that it depends on your specific situation, including the reasons you’re thinking about closing that card.

Perhaps, for example, your credit card company has changed its terms in a way that’s not acceptable to you, or you just want to simplify your finances by having fewer credit cards in your name.

“Can I cancel a credit card?” is, of course, different from “Should I cancel a credit card?” Keep reading to find out the difference between the two, some pros and cons, and other considerations.

Note that this is just an overview of common tips, questions, and hypotheticals. Only you can decide for yourself what makes the most sense for your unique financial situation.

Times When You Might Consider Canceling

If a credit card is costing you money, maybe because of annual fees, then you might be thinking about closing that card, especially if you don’t really use it. Before you do, it’s possible to the credit card company to see if the fees can be waived. There is no guarantee that the answer will be yes, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Maybe you find yourself putting impulse purchases on this card and you can’t pay the balance off in full at the end of the month. Then you may decide to cancel the card to get your debt under control.

Or you may learn about a card that offers great rewards you could benefit from, whether that’s cash back, loyalty points, frequent flyer miles, or something else.

So you might decide that a reward credit card would be better suited for your needs and you’re thinking about closing your current card and using this one instead.

That may be the right choice for you. Note, though, that reward cards typically have a high annual percentage rate (APR), so if you don’t pay your balance off in full each month, this may not be the best fit.

Here’s another scenario. Let’s say that your credit card has a high interest rate. Does it make sense to shop around for a better one and transfer the balances? What about applying for a zero interest credit card?

More About Zero Interest Credit Cards

You’ve probably seen offers for no interest credit cards and may think that you should apply for one and transfer your balance from a high interest credit card to this one. And, in certain circumstances, that may make sense for you.

If, for example, the new credit card would give you a six-month introductory window to pay off your balance or at least significantly pay it down at zero interest, you might end up saving a nice amount of money on interest.

On the other hand, the interest rate will go up after the introductory period—and it’s possible that it would be higher than your current credit card. So be mindful about this process and investigate the specifics before transferring your balances.

There are other potential problems. Sometimes, if you don’t pay the entire balance off during the introductory period, the company collects interest on the entire principal, even if your remaining balance is close to zero. So, in this case, nothing was really free about this credit card, and it may end up costing you more money in interest.

In addition, sometimes there are fees attached to the transfer. When that’s the case, typical fees might be about 3% of the balances you’re transferring, with some as high as 5%—and, if the zero interest credit card you’re considering has fees of 5%, that’s $500 on a $10,000 balance!

Circling back to the main issue, if you decide to transfer your balances to a no interest credit card, should you cancel your old one?

If you keep both the old card and the new one, and end up using both of them, you may end up in more debt than if you hadn’t done the transfer in the first place. There is no one right strategy to take, so it’s important to create a plan that works for you.

So, can you cancel a credit card? Of course you can. But, the more important question may be whether you should—and to help you make your decision, here are some common reasons you might not want to cancel that card.

Before You Cancel

Having debt and managing it responsibility—including credit card debt—can be seen as a plus by creditors. And if you cancel a credit card, under certain circumstances, it can have a negative impact on your credit.

Is your credit utilization rate under 30%? That can show lenders you can use credit responsibly. A credit utilization rate is the percentage of available credit you’re currently using—so if you cancel a credit card, the amount of credit you have available to you will go down by the amount of the unused credit on that card.

For example, a credit card with a credit limit of $10,000 and a $2,000 balance on it, then there’s $8,000 of available credit on that card. Cancel that card and that $8,000 available credit vanishes, which causes overall credit utilization rate to go up.

Another factor in your overall credit score is the average age of accounts. If you cancel an older card in your name, this can lower the average age of your accounts, though even closed accounts remain on your credit report for seven to 10 years.

•   If you do decide to cancel a card, good rules of thumb include:

•   Before canceling a card, continue to make payments on time until the balance is paid in full.

•   Check credit scores afterward to make sure no errors occurred.

•   Avoid closing several of them at once, because this could look suspicious to creditors.

Contact the company to find out exactly what needs to be done to close the account. Simply cutting up your card isn’t actually closing it. If there is an annual fee associated with the card, you could still be charged that amount.

Using the Credit Cards You Keep Open

If you decide to keep all or some of your credit cards open, these ideas could provide guidance on their use.

Once your credit-worthiness is established, you might start receiving credit card offers. Maybe a whole lot of them. And when you go into a store, you might be asked if you’d like to apply for one of their credit cards—and they might offer you discounts and other perks to say yes.

Each time you apply for a credit card, however, it can trigger a credit inquiry that’s called a “hard pull” or “hard credit inquiry.” If this happens too often in a short amount of time, it could affect your credit score.

Does a credit card offer cash advances? If so, you might want to check the APR you’d pay if you’re considering a cash advance. It’s likely to be several points higher than paying for a specific purchase with the card. If you use your credit card at an ATM, you may also need to pay a fee, so it’s often better to use a debit card or write a check when you need cash.

Another option is to contact your credit card company and ask for a better interest rate/APR. A 2018 poll for CreditCards.com showed that 56% of the people who asked got a thumbs up to their request. And 70% of those who asked to have their annual fee waived or lowered got a positive response.

Managing Credit Card Debt

Perhaps you’re trying to determine how much credit card debt is too much for you. If so, then having the ability to make the minimum payment each month typically isn’t the best benchmark, because paying only the minimum can cause your debt to grow because of compounding interest.

It can make sense to use the concept of credit card utilization to determine if you’re being smart with your credit card management.

As another check, you could calculate your debt-to-income ratio, especially if most of your debt is credit card debt. If it’s higher than you’d like, this may mean it’s time to take action on your credit card debt.

Your debt-to-income ratio shows how much of your pretax income goes toward paying monthly debt—and when it’s high, some lenders might be reluctant to lend to you or may charge a higher interest rate. They might decline to lend you any money at all.

If you decide that it’s time to pay off your credit card debt, there are many methods and strategies out there, including the snowball method. Steps include the following:

•   Choose the account with the smallest outstanding balance to pay off first.
•   On other accounts, pay the minimum amount due to avoid late fees.
•   With your targeted account, pay as much as possible with the goal being to pay it off as soon as you can.

Once that account is paid off, select the next account with the lowest balance and repeat the process, but add the amount you were paying on the initial balance (thus, the snowball).

This can be an effective method of paying off credit card debt because it builds momentum and creates incremental financial victories, but it doesn’t address interest rates. So it’s important to factor in higher-interest debts before embarking on a strategy like this one.

Whether you choose to use the snowball method or another strategy to manage and pay down debt, at the heart of it all is effective budget tracking.

Tracking what you spend could help you decipher where you’re overspending—and, with today’s virtually frictionless spending, that’s easy to do. Sometimes, people who start to track their spending for the first time discover they’re actually spending hundreds of dollars more in certain categories than they realized.

Until you have financial benchmarks to monitor, it can be hard to make meaningful changes in your spending and saving habits. With accurate tracking, though, you may find yourself feeling inspired to eliminate some expenses (perhaps unused online subscriptions) and reduce others (maybe your cell phone bill).

Although this might initially feel tedious, it could give you the freedom to spend your money on what really matters to you.

Taking Out a Personal Loan

Another option to help crush your credit card debt could be an unsecured personal loan. Taking out a credit card consolidation loan could help consolidate your debt and get it back under control.

Disclaimer: Many factors affect your credit scores and the interest rates you may receive. SoFi is not a Credit Repair Organization as defined under federal or state law, including the Credit Repair Organizations Act. SoFi does not provide “credit repair” services or advice or assistance regarding “rebuilding” or “improving” your credit record, credit history, or credit rating. For details, see the FTC’s website .

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

SOPL19075

Most military spouses understand going in that their married life will come with a distinct set of challenges.

When a husband or wife who serves is deployed, many of the duties married couples expect to share—from caring for children to running the household and making ends meet—fall to the one who stays behind. And the frequent moves military couples typically experience can be disruptive to careers, families, and friendships.

The federal government provides many forms of financial assistance and other benefits to personnel and their partners to make military life easier, including help with moving, job hunting, child care, and health care.

There are some educational benefits for military spouses as well. The Department of Defense’s My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship Program currently provides up to $4,000 in tuition assistance to eligible military spouses who wish to pursue certain associate degrees, certifications, or licenses for in-demand portable careers.

And the transferability option of the Post-9/11 GI Bill allows service members to assign all or some of their unused benefits to a spouse or dependent children.

Those benefits don’t cover past college debt, however. There isn’t a designated military spouse student loan forgiveness program or a military spouse school loan repayment plan.

There are options, though, for those who are struggling with student loan debt. Here are just a few options you may consider looking into:

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

Military spouses who share their loved one’s passion for helping others and want to have a career in public service—at a nonprofit organization, in public health, education, law enforcement, or government, for example—may want to check out the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

This program forgives the remaining balance on some federal loans after the borrower has made 120 on-time monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full time for a qualifying employer.

Private student loans are not included in the program, and only federal loans received under the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program are eligible for PSLF.

Those who have loans under other federal student loan programs, such as a Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) or a Federal Perkins Loan, may become eligible if they consolidate them into a Direct Consolidation Loan.

However, only qualifying payments made on the new Direct Consolidation Loan can be counted toward the 120 payments required for PSLF.

The program has its pros and cons, and it certainly isn’t a quick fix. Applicants must be vigilant about tracking their employment through the years, and getting certified can be complicated.

According to the June 2019 PSLF Report Other Sources of Assistance

Those who don’t qualify for PSLF may be able to find career-based repayment assistance from other sources.

Under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, for example, someone who teaches full time for five complete and consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency—and meets certain other qualifications—may be eligible for forgiveness of up to $17,500 on Direct/Federal Stafford Loans.

Nurses also may be eligible for help with their student loans through federal programs like the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program or the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

The amount of repayment in those programs can vary depending on the nurse or nurse practitioner’s length of service at a qualifying facility, but they could knock thousands of dollars off an eligible person’s debt.

Many industries and professional associations also offer student loan repayment assistance, with programs for lawyers, doctors, medical researchers, and others. And there may be opportunities to apply for student loan help through state and local programs as well.

Federal Repayment Plans

For borrowers who don’t necessarily qualify for those career-related forgiveness and repayment programs, there are other options out there for those who apply and meet certain criteria.

The government offers four income-driven repayment plans that could lower a military spouse’s payments: the Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (REPAYE), the Pay As You Earn Repayment Plan (PAYE), the Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR), and the Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR).

Under all four plans, after making qualifying monthly payments, borrowers will be eligible for forgiveness on remaining loan balances. Keep in mind that lowering your monthly payment will likely mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.

Military spouses can get an idea of what their payment will look like by logging in and using the Repayment Estimator at StudentLoans.gov. This tool can compare payments under different federal repayment plans to help find which one is right for you and your situation.

One thing to remember is that under an income-driven plan, the amount that’s forgiven is sometimes treated as taxable income—so a borrower may end up with a tax bill in the year the debt is forgiven.

Refinancing to a More Manageable Payment

You may have noticed that most of the options listed above are limited to borrowers with certain types of federal student loans and who are willing to do a bit of legwork.

But those who don’t have qualifying loans—or those who think they can find a workable repayment plan elsewhere with a more competitive interest rate—may want to check into refinancing student loans through a private lender.

Refinancing offers borrowers a chance to adjust their monthly payments and choose new repayment terms. And military spouses with multiple loans may find they like the idea of combining them into one manageable payment.

Lenders may offer both fixed and variable interest rates, varying loan lengths, and autopay options so borrowers can tailor a loan to suit their specific needs. Finding rates and applying online for a refinancing loan usually only takes a few minutes.

Before shopping for offers, however, it’s important to note that refinancing federal student loans turns them into private loans, which means losing access to all federal forgiveness programs, repayment plans, and other federal benefits and protections.

Once a borrower refinances with a private lender, there’s no going back to a federal loan or the advantages it may offer.

But borrowers who have good credit and solid employment (among other factors) may find they can qualify for a lower interest rate and/or a shorter repayment period—or to lower their monthly payments via extending their repayment terms—as well as other perks by refinancing with a private lender.

For example, SoFi offers member benefits that include career counseling, networking events and a referral program. And some private lenders, including SoFi, will combine and refinance both federal and private loans so there’s just one student loan bill to pay every month.

Dealing with life as a military spouse can be difficult enough without also having to grapple with the stress of student debt. Though there currently aren’t any student loan forgiveness or repayment programs designed specifically with military spouses in mind, there are ways to help get rid of that extra burden.

External Websites: The information and analysis provided through hyperlinks to third-party websites, while believed to be accurate, cannot be guaranteed by SoFi. Links are provided for informational purposes and should not be viewed as an endorsement.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SoFi Loan Products
SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A., NMLS #696891 (Member FDIC). For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal. Equal Housing Lender.

SoFi Student Loan Refinance
SoFi Student Loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). SoFi Student Loan 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 Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Income-Based Repayment, Income-Contingent Repayment, PAYE or SAVE. Additional terms and conditions apply. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. For additional product-specific legal and licensing information, see SoFi.com/legal.

SOSL19079