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To wonder why anyone rushes to pay off their student finance?

267 replies

ChoppedChorizo · 11/02/2025 17:56

A couple of friends of mine make regular overpayments with a view to paying it off quicker. Some have used inheritance to clear it. I don’t understand the motivation? The lot gets written off if you haven’t paid by X number of years.

Mine has continued to increase - I started uni in 2012 so my fees were around £7k per year. Plus living. It sits around £23k now.

Ive earned well enough but did a post grad (self funded) two years of training on the job and then had children and so two years of mat leave.

I don’t see the motivation to pay it off sooner.

OP posts:
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Askingforafriendtoday · 24/03/2026 20:05

There's a petition about the huge interest rate on the mn petitions site, worth a sign and share widely. Expats csn sign it too.
I don't particularly like the wording on the petition but at least whoever set it up had the oooomph to do so. It's the signatures that are important

BlueSkies1981 · 14/02/2025 20:13

Icanttakethisanymore · 11/02/2025 17:58

Not everyone’s will get written off, only if you don’t earn enough. If you expect to be forced to pay it off via your salary (because of your level of earnings) then you might be better off to pay it off sooner depending on the interest rate. What rate is currently charged on your loan?

This! Some of us won’t get ours wiped because of when we took the loan out!

maddening · 14/02/2025 16:46

maddening · 14/02/2025 15:14

I put a 4 year course starting this year in and a salary of 50k with a student loan of 65k -.repayments start at £187 per month and you would repay £141k in total over 27 years which is ahead of the age of 65/30 year write off period

Also to add the plan is now 40 years so there is that to consider for today's students, given the timescale over which this has extended up to 40 years I can only see this getting worse.- along with the interest rate it seems.

maddening · 14/02/2025 15:14

lateatwork · 14/02/2025 12:09

The model builds in annual increases. You can see this if you click on the link

I put a 4 year course starting this year in and a salary of 50k with a student loan of 65k -.repayments start at £187 per month and you would repay £141k in total over 27 years which is ahead of the age of 65/30 year write off period

TieredCafe · 14/02/2025 14:11

ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 13:11

@TieredCafe absolutely, I don’t generally like finance. I own a modest car outright and will drive that to the ground, we don’t so credit cards or loans, even buy my phones secondhand so it’s all SIM only. We just have the mortgage.

I have just never viewed my SL as a hindrance or really given it much thought until recently, but do need to consider it. At a stage where I’m stressing about pensions etc (must have too much time on my hands) 🤣

I’ve used the calculator so thanks to whoever shared that.

It was a big step for me getting a credit card as it had been drilled into me to pay for things there and then. However, I read that credit cards give more protection on big purchases, and can also help with your credit score. Who knows. Anyway, I have had one for some years now and pay it off every month.

ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 13:11

@TieredCafe absolutely, I don’t generally like finance. I own a modest car outright and will drive that to the ground, we don’t so credit cards or loans, even buy my phones secondhand so it’s all SIM only. We just have the mortgage.

I have just never viewed my SL as a hindrance or really given it much thought until recently, but do need to consider it. At a stage where I’m stressing about pensions etc (must have too much time on my hands) 🤣

I’ve used the calculator so thanks to whoever shared that.

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ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 13:06

Flipflop223 · 14/02/2025 11:29

You just posted to start a fight didn’t you. You’re not interested in the slightest about other people’s views. I think we all have the measure of you

Call me Rocky.

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lateatwork · 14/02/2025 12:09

maddening · 14/02/2025 09:23

That is if their salary remains stagnant at 35k which I doubt

The model builds in annual increases. You can see this if you click on the link

LGBirmingham · 14/02/2025 12:03

rivalsbinge · 11/02/2025 19:06

You have to just view it as a tax on your degree, it's not technically a loan as it's taken off at source.

It was called a loan as Tony Blair had told the people he wasn't going to raise taxes, so he called it a loan- learnt that from Martin Lewis.

I can't wrap my head round why people who don't earn over the threshold and have no intention of paying even bothered to get degrees in the first place?

The whole point of a degree is to enable a higher ability to earn? So pay the tax (loan) and earn more?

I think the point of most degrees is to learn. Hopefully you can apply that to generating more income.

A lot of people don't earn over the threshold due to part time working to be with their kids. Is it worth working more to miss time with your children and pay for more childcare, only for 9% or whatever of the extra money to go on your loan. To me it disincentivises working more hours.

aCatCalledFawkes · 14/02/2025 11:52

I paid mine off when the payments hit over a £100 a month, in that year I also had to pay £500 out of my bonus and then rising living costs due to the cost of living crisis. It would be far more than £100 a month now so I feel much relief that I have one less thing to pay.

TieredCafe · 14/02/2025 11:45

I think there is a huge psychological element. My parents were frugal and told me never to take out debt other than mortgages.

We are lucky and saved just enough to pay our kids’ university fees outright. Only one year left. We discussed whether it would teach them more responsibility to pay their own way. But they are v hardworking and sensible anyway, so we paid the fees rather than let them start their lives with debts. I hope they will earn decently but either way, they can forget about loans. A privilege indeed.

I would never buy a car on finance etc as well. It’s not just a financial decision, but psychological too. I imagine that’s important for other people as well when they have the option to pay it off early. Even if it means paying a bit more than the mortgage. Decisions in life are not always purely ‘logical’.

And of course for many people, paying a student loan off may be more realistic than paying off a mortgage. People may just want to have one loan hanging over them, and will choose the mortgage.

Flipflop223 · 14/02/2025 11:29

ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 11:27

Have a day off.

You just posted to start a fight didn’t you. You’re not interested in the slightest about other people’s views. I think we all have the measure of you

ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 11:27

Flipflop223 · 14/02/2025 10:00

It’s not your money though is it? Do you just not pay back money you borrow generally? Wouldn’t want to be your friend or family member.

Have a day off.

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CheekyRaven · 14/02/2025 11:23

If you can get more in interest on savings than you pay on the loan then leave as is.

MrsCmumof2 · 14/02/2025 10:38

42 year old student nurse…by the time I finish (in September 🥳) I will have accrued £75k of debt in tuition fees and student loans and I’ve no intention of paying it off. That’s my honest answer. I hope to work 28/30 hours rather than full time and even full time newly qualified band 5 nurse is below the repayment threshold. I went into the career for job satisfaction (I know the nhs is crumbling, but I still believe) not to make my way up the ranks quickly.
I don’t see the point in trying to repay it. I don’t have any other debt or finance besides my mortgage and I overpay on that each month.

autumn1610 · 14/02/2025 10:15

ChoppedChorizo · 11/02/2025 18:05

I have the means to repay it I have just never considered it a priority because I understood it was such a “cheap” loan that it’s should be the last thing to clear. Ie AFTER paying off your mortgage but I am happy to be corrected if I’m mistaken.

Have you checked your loan statement recently? It’s not cheap! One point mine went maybe to 6% I have barely paid anything since the Liz truss tanking the economy. I have also been asked what my payments were and it reduced the amount I could borrow on my mortgage when they inputted it. Not that I have paid it off any quicker as I can’t afford to. I would also be about £140 better off a month without it

dizzydizzydizzy · 14/02/2025 10:14

maddening · 14/02/2025 09:23

That is if their salary remains stagnant at 35k which I doubt

It assumes a 4% growth every year. Fairly conservative but entirely possible.

Jmaho · 14/02/2025 10:05

@ChoppedChorizo I agree. My comments weren't aimed at you it was a different poster.
The balance of your student loan won't make a difference on a mortgage application but most will deduct the amount you pay each month and class as an outgoing in the same way they would a personal loan
I look at lots of cases from brokers where it isn't on the application but is on the payslip and I just add it in. 9 times out of 10 it doesn't make any difference but sometimes the payments are huge and it does really affect how much you can borrow.
I think this thread has confirmed that it really depends on your own personal circumstances as to whether it is best to repay it quicker or not. Some more recent graduates on high salaries are paying huge amounts each month and because of the now much higher interest rates the balance keeps growing. Some people are fine with this, others find it stressful and will want to pay it down as quickly as they can

Dotjones · 14/02/2025 10:00

I suppose the main reason is some people treat their debt seriously and wish to pay back what they borrowed? Just because it gets written off eventually doesn't mean you shouldn't try to pay it back. All debt gets written off in the end, if you die and your assets don't cover your debt it doesn't get passed on to someone else.

Nobody forces someone to take out a student loan. I know lots of people who don't have one. University is a choice.

Flipflop223 · 14/02/2025 10:00

ChoppedChorizo · 11/02/2025 19:39

Plus I can reinvest £23k but can’t if I’ve used it to pay off a loan.

It’s not your money though is it? Do you just not pay back money you borrow generally? Wouldn’t want to be your friend or family member.

Flipflop223 · 14/02/2025 09:57

ChoppedChorizo · 11/02/2025 17:56

A couple of friends of mine make regular overpayments with a view to paying it off quicker. Some have used inheritance to clear it. I don’t understand the motivation? The lot gets written off if you haven’t paid by X number of years.

Mine has continued to increase - I started uni in 2012 so my fees were around £7k per year. Plus living. It sits around £23k now.

Ive earned well enough but did a post grad (self funded) two years of training on the job and then had children and so two years of mat leave.

I don’t see the motivation to pay it off sooner.

Maybe because people have aspirations to earn more and more over their lifetime and they don’t want to settle.

Maybe because they have some morals and don’t have a scrounger mentality.

You borrow money, you pay it back. Why should the state pay your education and give you opportunities for you to then game the system and benefit from the education then shirk the responsibilities. Honestly.

maddening · 14/02/2025 09:23

dizzydizzydizzy · 11/02/2025 18:48

You can calculate what you will pay back here:

studentfinancecalculator.co.uk/

I put into the system a 4-year course starting in 2020 with a £100,000 loan and a salary of £35,000. This person would pay back N estimated £81,000.

That is if their salary remains stagnant at 35k which I doubt

ThePartingOfTheWays · 14/02/2025 09:22

Catza · 14/02/2025 09:07

Who is this mysterious "taxpayer" who gives out student loans and pays for public services? People throw it around as though it's a separate entity from the rest of us - public sector workers and people with student loans. I pay taxes so evidently I am the very same taxpayer who gives out loans and pays my own salary...
I didn't agree to "pay back" the loan. I agreed to make regular repayments on any income above the threshold. The difference is subtle but it's there.

I think you're being too generous there, it's not even a very subtle difference.

ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 09:15

@catza exactly.

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ChoppedChorizo · 14/02/2025 09:14

@Jmaho what’s been said about mortgages has been misconstrued over and over. I never disputed and in fact acknowledged and agreed, that the student loan repayments would be taken into account by any lender. My assertion, which still stands, was that I’ve never been asked what the BALANCE of the total loan was AND that it’s never been a prohibitive factor in me borrowing what I need. I don’t dispute it might have brought down the overall sum the lender was prepared to lend, but I’ve always been able to borrow what I wanted/needed and so it’s not been a barrier for me. My point was that I’ve not found it a hinderance when managing my finances.

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