Half of college students believe their student loans will be forgiven after graduation, according to a recent poll.
LendEDU, “a private firm that connects students and their families with student loans and loan refinancing,” conducted a survey that found 49.8 percent of students believe the government would forgive their student loans after graduation, the New York Post reported.
Despite what these students believe, there are actually a limited number of instances where the government can forgive student loans.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, federal student loan borrowers can have their loans forgiven “if they enter public service jobs for a specified period of time, agree to teach in an underserved area, die or become permanently disabled, or if the school they attended shuts down while they are enrolled or within 120 days after they leave.”
“The biggest exemption is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and very few students go into public service,” said Nate Matherson, a co-founder of LendEDU. He also said the actual number of those who qualify for student loan forgiveness is less than 10 percent.
“Many students polled said they would rely on financial aid to make up the difference in reduced debt load,” reports the Post.
Ninety percent of students knew of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), but most of those did not know the proper filing deadline.
“The fact that many students do not understand this means that they may be significantly underestimating the cost of financing a college education,” Matherson said.
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