Refinancing student loans is a popular option that many borrowers consider when they are ready to pay off their student loans. Refinancing can save you money, but it is not always the best choice. The best option for you will depend on the type of loans you have, and your financial situation. Refinancing might be a good choice for you if you have some loans with a lower interest rate than others, if you have a lot of debt, or if you have a good credit score.
Refinancing your student loans can save you a lot of money. The average CRNA student loan debt is $144, 447. But could you save more than that by refinancing? You just need to explore all the options available to you, as there are several different student loan refinancing services out there, so your options are not limited.
Student loan refinancing has become a popular way for young professionals to lower their monthly payment and consolidate their debt. However, one profession has been left out of this trend: CRNAs. Fortunately, the times are changing, and many companies are now offering student loan refinancing for CRNAs to help them pay off their student loans in a way that is more affordable and manageable.. Read more about student loan repayment calculator and let us know what you think.
If you are a registered nurse, the decision to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) may be a wise career choice. Nurse anesthetists are among the most respected nurses in the healthcare field. They have more autonomy in their work, they are among the best paid caregivers and their job prospects are good. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), the median annual salary for anesthesiologists is $183,580. And they are part of the advanced practice sector (which includes nurse practitioners and midwives) that is expected to grow by 45% over the next 10 years.
That’s great news. But here’s the bad part. Becoming a critical care physician requires seven to eight years of education and training. And you could end up with a lot of student loan debt. Student Loan Planner® has worked with many CRNAs and the most common student loan debts are between $150,000 and $200,000. And the most expensive private schools can put you over $300,000 in debt. If you are a clinician struggling with a pile of student debt, you may be wondering if refinancing would be a good solution.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of student loan refinancing for CRNA professionals. Remember that the COVID-19 pandemic and government relief measures affected many student loan borrowers. Read our guide to learn more about your options and whether you should consider refinancing now.
Advantages and disadvantages of refinancing student loans for CRNAs
When you refinance your student loan, the lender you choose pays off your old loan and gives you a new one with (hopefully) better terms. There are three main advantages and two disadvantages to consider when refinancing a student loan for registered nurses.
Pro No 1 : Save lots of money on student loan interest
When we talk about any kind of refinancing, whether it’s a mortgage, car loan, or anything else, the goal is usually to save money by getting lower interest rates. And student loan refinancing generally serves the same purpose. Why give free money to student loan companies when you can pay less interest by refinancing? For example, if you have $150,000 in student debt at 6.5% interest, you can save over $26,000 over the life of the loan if you refinance at 3.5%. 
That’s a lot of money. If people can save so much money by refinancing, why aren’t more of them doing it? One of the problems our Student Loan Planner® counselors face when working with some borrowers is that their debt-to-income ratio prevents them from qualifying for refinancing. If your debt is more than 1.5 times your income, refinancing becomes more difficult. However, CRNAs often have modest debts relative to their income. And that makes them ideal candidates for refinancing because they can get better interest rates.
Pro No 2: Faster repayment of student loans
Another benefit of student loan refinancing for cardiovascular professionals is that it can help you get out of your student loans faster. Remember the example above about refinancing $150,000 in student loans from 6.5% to 3.5%? In this situation, you would have to pay off 10 years of loans and almost $28,000 in interest. But keep in mind that the monthly payment will be $220 cheaper. What if you used the extra $220 to pay off the principal? In this case, you pay off the loan a year and a half early and save another $4,000 in interest. But what if you decide to increase your budget and make an extra $500 in repayments each month? In that case, you will be debt free in seven years, not ten. And you’ll save another $8,200 in interest!
Pros #3: Maintain eligibility for health-related loan repayment programs
Refinanced loans are private student loans, meaning they do not qualify for the Department of Education’s income-based repayment plans (discussed later). But it’s important to understand that there are many repayment programs designed specifically for medical professionals that CRNAs can qualify for, even after refinancing. For example, the Nursing Corps Loan Repayment Program may provide payment assistance to registered nurses (RNs), advanced registered nurses (APRNs), and nursing teachers who have worked full-time for at least two years in institutions with critical nursing shortages or in eligible nursing schools.
Nurses who meet these requirements can have up to 85% of the loan debt repaid. Another popular loan repayment program for which nurse anesthetists may qualify is the NHSC Rural Community Loan Repayment Program. This program can provide up to $100,000 in assistance to Laps who commit to work full-time for three years at a facility identified as rural on the health workforce shortage map. Part-time NRCs can earn up to $50,000. Related: Guidelines for loan programmes for nursing homes
Con 1: Loss of right to income tax credit
If you have federal student loans, you may qualify for an income-driven repayment plan (IDR). But if you refinance those federal loans into private loans, you lose that right. Is it a big problem? The beauty of paying off an income-based loan is that your monthly payment increases or decreases with your income. And if you work in an industry where the average salary is lower, that can have a significant impact on your monthly payment. But the IDR plan also gives you a repayment period of 20 or 25 years. And you’ll pay a lot more interest during that time.
If your income is close to the median CRNA wage, it is unlikely that you will receive much, if any, assistance. If you can afford to pay off your loan in 10 years or less, refinancing is usually the best financial solution. However, if you are concerned about cash flow, you may be better off with an IDR plan.
Con 2: Loss of appropriation for utilities
So that’s the main thing when we talk about student loan refinancing for nurse anesthetists. If you work for a public or non-profit hospital, you may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Advantage Program (PSLF). And that’s no small feat, because the PSLF is perhaps the best federal pardon program yet. With the PSLF, you can have your entire balance sheet amortized in just 10 years (or 120 eligible payments). Ask me about your student loans But once you refinance your student loans, you are no longer eligible for the PSLF program. And that can be an important reason to avoid refinancing. They should also consider the opportunity cost of the PSLF.
In other words: How much money do you spend per year on salary if you work at a non-profit hospital as opposed to a private hospital or nursing home? Are you going to lose more money in wages than you will get through the PSLF exemption? If so, find a better paying job, refinance your student loans and pay them off as soon as possible.
How should CRNAs address the refinancing of student loans?
Let’s take a step beyond the basic pros and cons by looking at three examples of CRNA refinancing.
Example 1: Susie must use PSLF
Many people assume that intensivists can’t use PSLF because they make too much money. But this is not always the case. For example, let’s say Susie has $150,000 in student loans. Susie is passionate about community service and takes a job at a non-profit clinic where she receives a salary of $125,000. In this situation, Susie would certainly be in the best position to benefit from the PSLF. 
For Susie, the PSLF means a savings of $100,000 or more compared to the standard 10-year plan and an IDR plan. And it saves almost $70,000 compared to refinancing at 3.5%. In Susie’s case, the PSLF is clearly the best choice.
Example 2: Jim, who must remain at IDRfor the time being.
In the second example, we assume that Jim has a student loan of $250,000 and a starting salary of $150,000 and that he does not work for an employer that qualifies for the PSPA. In that case, Jim should probably stick to the principle of income-based repayment. Why? Because the debt-to-revenue ratio is higher than 1.5. In Jim’s situation, he will likely have trouble finding a lender who will offer him a favorable interest rate. Even if he manages to refinance the loan at 3.5%, which is unlikely, his monthly payment will still be $2,472. 
With a salary of $150,000, this means that over 26% of Jim’s income each month is spent paying off student loans. This will hit his budget hard. In Jim’s case, it’s probably best that he switches to PAYE or REPAYE to lower his monthly payments. And Jim can always refinance in the future if his income increases.
Example 3: Amanda has to refinance her student loans
For our last example, let’s say Amanda has $150,000 in student loans and found a great job with an annual salary of $200,000. In this case, refinancing would be almost unnecessary. 
Not only is refinancing generally cheaper than PSLF, but Amanda doesn’t have to work for a non-profit employer for 10 years. And if Amanda had made additional payments on the principal, she could have been relieved of her debts even sooner. In part, the refinancing in this case is a win-win situation because Amanda only receives $33,000 from the PSLF. But what if Amanda could make a maximum of $160,000 at a nonprofit hospital? In this case, she will receive more PSLF benefits – $78,925. 
But don’t forget that she’ll have to give up an extra $40,000 a year in income for 10 years. This represents a loss of $400,000 in pre-tax income for $79,000 in student loan forgiveness. This is not a good compromise. If Amanda is not passionate about working in the public sector, she should take a better paying job and refinance her student loans.
Why student loan refinancing is often the best choice for CRNAs
The good news for the coreligious is that there are many Amands among them. As noted above, many CRNAs have modest debt-to-income ratios, unlike other health care providers. And in this situation, you can afford to be more aggressive and try to get rid of the debt as soon as possible, rather than resorting to a 20-year forgiveness plan. And one more thing: If you want to refinance your student loan, look for lenders that don’t charge processing fees and offer deferred payment programs for difficult circumstances.
And you want to make sure you get the cash bonus. Because Student Loan Planner® receives lower payments for referrals than its competitors, it has negotiated great cash bonuses for its readers. Currently, CRNAs who refinance through one of our partners can receive up to $1,275 in cash back. A plan for a student loan Refinance your student loan and receive a bonus in 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will I save if I refinance my student loans?
Paying back your student loans is an awful way to start out your career, but one of the few ways to repay a student loan is to refinance your existing loans. This process, which involves consolidating different student loans into one new loan, allows you to lower your monthly payment or shorten your loan term. That means your total interest is lower than it would be if you just kept paying your existing loans by themselves.
If you’re a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) who is responsible for paying off student loans, you’re likely a little frustrated with how much you still owe on your student loans. If you’re looking for a way to lower your monthly payments, refinancing your student loans may be the answer that you’re looking for. Student loan refinancing companies buy your loans from the original lender and allow you to consolidate your loans into one new loan with a lower interest rate and a new term.
How much can you save by consolidating student loans?
If you have multiple student loans, you may be able to consolidate your student loans into one loan with a lower interest rate. This can help you save money over the long term. However, there are a few advantages to keeping some of your loans separate. Consolidation may not be the best option for everyone, so consider the following questions to help you decide if this is the right option for you.
Student loans are a fact of life for most college graduates, and if you’re anything like most new CRNAs, you probably have both federal and private loans to pay off. If you’re concerned about the total amount you owe, you should consider refinancing your student loans. Refinancing means you can choose a new lender based on the size of your loan and the interest rate on offer, and you might be able to get a new, lower rate. (A lower rate could mean saving hundreds of dollars a month, and hundreds of dollars in interest over the life of the loan.)
Do nurses qualify for student loan forgiveness?
The student loan forgiveness program for nurses is one of the few ways that nurses can qualify for student loan forgiveness, but is it right for you? That depends on a variety of factors. As you may know, the program was created to encourage students to become nurses, and it is funded by the government and private organizations in order to help nurses pay off their student loans. The most important thing to know about the student loan forgiveness program for nurses is that it is incredibly complex, and you need to take time to understand all of the details.
The Student Loan Forgiveness Program offered by the government has been a blessing for many, but it’s not available to everyone. If you’re a nurse with a student loan, you may be able to qualify for the program – but there are specific requirements you must meet. To be eligible for the program, you must meet one or more of the following criteria:
