What are some tricks that people use to not have as much student loans.

Hi Dorian,

Student loans can be stressful. I had to borrow a lot of aid when I went to school, so I understand how you feel. Unfortunately, there aren't any "tricks" to lower the amount of loans you need. The best advice I can tell you is to not take out large stipends. Only borrow what you absolutely need. Also, I recommend talking to your school's Bursar to see if they are willing to take payments. Of you are able to afford a certain amount a month in cash, then this will also help reduce your debt. Good luck!

There are some opportunities that will pay off your student loans for you. Sometimes companies will offer to student loan forgiveness or certain professions have student loan forgiveness programs as well (e.g. teacher, nurse, doctor/healthcare professionals, lawyers, military, etc.)

A lot of students use the Public Service Loan forgiveness program, which means if you work a public service job at a federal, state, or local agency for a certain period of time, your loans are 100% forgiven. Read more about it here:

https://studentloanhero.com/featured/the-complete-list-of-student-loan-forgiveness-programs/

There are some volunteer programs that will also help you pay off your loans or put the loans on pause: https://studentloanhero.com/featured/volunteer-to-pay-off-student-loan/

You can also apply for as many scholarships as you can and work part-time jobs/internships. I'd also recommend googling around for "student loan forgiveness programs" both at your university and at the local, state, and federal level.