Student Loans: How Much Do I Really Owe Each Month?

The more you borrowed, the less able you are to guess what your payments will be. Click to enlarge.(Sallie Mae/Gallup)

By Caitlin Kenney

That Sallie Mae/Gallup poll about student loans is still stirring up dust, with people arguing about whether it accurately reflects how much debt people are taking on for school. The survey found that fewer families borrowed money to send someone to college in 2008-2009 than the year before. I'm still thinking about it too and one section that particularly stands out to me is where they asked students to estimate their monthly loan payment once they graduate. The students were off -- by a lot.

Twenty-three percent of students wouldn't venture a guess at all, which I personally chalk up to fear. Can you blame them for not wanting to put a number to their future debt-filled lives?

The more debt you're staring at, the less likely you are to have a handle on the monthly load. Look at the chart above. Estimates from students who expected to borrow $10,000 or less were pretty close, but as their loans grew, the estimates all over the map. Sallie Mae says the range of estimates was $2 to $80,000 per month (those are the optimists who think they're going to pay it all back at once).

When I graduated, I remember being hounded to consolidate my loans. It was a smart move in the sense that it locked in a good interest rate. On the down side, it sent me straight into repayment with no grace period. I chose a graduated payment option, meaning I agreed to pay more as I made more. For the first three years, I paid a very minimal amount that barely covered interest. Last year, when I was making more but still feeling broke, my payment doubled. I really noticed the increase. Now, after nearly year of paying the new amount, it's starting to seem normal -- that is, until I look at my Sallie Mae statement and realize that at this rate it'll take me until 2020 to pay off my loans!

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