While there are certainly many advantages associated with
refinancing medical school debt, there are also some possible disadvantages to refinancing that should be considered.
For students who find it necessary to take out student loans to complete their undergraduate work and medical school, it's important to develop a plan for
repaying medical school debt.
Although every medical student is different, the average amount
of medical school debt for graduates in 2015 was $ 183,000, according to data released by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Under the Ohio Physician Loan Repayment Program, doctors who practice in high - need areas may earn up to $ 25,000 annually
in medical school debt repayment assistance for making a two - year commitment.
Vonderheide is concerned that, as
medical school debt reduces the number of M.D.s in the pool of physician - scientists, MSTP and other M.D. - Ph.
«When you are a junior faculty [member] and you have a family and children and
large medical school debts, even if you want to be a physician - scientist, the thought of private practice or industry definitely crosses your mind,» says Vonderheide, who is now an associate professor of medicine and an investigator at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania.
We travel back to the beginning of her professional career, when she accepted a scholarship from the Air Force to pay off
hera medical school debt.
For instance, refinancing $ 190,000 — the
average medical school debt — from a 7 % APR to a 5 % APR would save about $ 190 a month and almost $ 23,000 total, assuming a 10 - year loan term, according to NerdWallet's student loan refinance calculator.
If your
total medical school debt is $ 240,000 and you are being charged an interest rate of 6.8 percent, that means $ 17,000 of interest is being added to your debt per year.
Additionally, professions where you'll have accrued a lot of debt — again, like doctors
with medical school debt — can benefit from from long benefit periods so you can still pay off your debt even if you can't continue in your expected career (with the associated salary to pay off that debt).
While it's relatively common for many graduates of medical school to simply place their student loans into forbearance while completing their residencies, doing so can result in interest increasing rapidly, which can cause an already massive amount
of medical school debt to increase even more.
But just as his goal seemed within sight, he was tempted by the siren song of industry, which offered a lucrative career — and a quick end to the burden of tens of thousands of dollars
in medical school debt.
If you can avoid forbearance or start repaying a portion of
your medical school debt, it can help keep interest charges under control.
But by doing so, you can quickly rack up interest and add even more to
your medical school debt.
Medical school debt, which has been increasing at a rate of 6 % to 7 % per year since 2000, now stands at an average of $ 155,000 among American medical school graduates, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Current loan - repayment options are insufficient to meet the needs of all physician - scientists carrying significant debt, but with persistence, the majority of clinicians bound for research careers can expect to see
their medical school debt substantially reduced by these programs.
These programs will help you pay off
your medical school debt if your work is focused on, for example, clinical research, pediatric research, fertility and contraception research, or health disparities research.
I do have
some medical school debt...
Let's take a closer look at refinancing for
medical school debt.
Refinancing is often the best choice for
medical school debt that carries a high interest rate.
Doctors can continue renewing their contract to receive additional benefits until all of
their medical school debts are completely repaid.
National Health Service Corps: Provides up to $ 50,000 towards
your medical school debt for those serving in Health Professional Shortage Areas.
The Pennsylvania Primary Care Loan Repayment Program provides an opportunity for those primary care physicians in the state who have
medical school debt the opportunity to earn up to one - hundred thousand dollars.
Financial Assistance Program: You may be eligible to receive grants up to $ 45,000 per year towards
your medical school debts plus a monthly stipend of $ 2,276 while you are in residency training.
If you are like the average medical school student, you leave with $ 192,000 in
medical school debt.
A two - year commitment to a National Health Service Corps high - need site could yield you $ 50,000 towards
your medical school debt.
High incomes,
medical school debt and hospitals without group disability plans mean it's important for nurses to shop for their own long - term disability insurance.
Two programs that work hand - in - hand with community health centers were funded for two years: The National Health Service Corp, which sends recently graduated doctors to underserved areas in exchange for paying off
their medical school debts, and the Teaching Health Centers program, which places medical residents in community health centers with the agreement that they'll become a primary care physician there once their residency is complete.
The corp sends doctors to medically underserved areas and in exchange, pays off
their medical school debt.