Needing Hope with the OBBB

[PlumPoppy]

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As a financially-disadvantaged applicant, I have already struggled with funding the cost of prerequisites and application fees, and this has greatly affected the number of schools I can apply to in previous cycles. For the past 2 years, I have been saving up to apply to as many schools I reasonably qualify for. Tuition and loans of OOS schools had never been significantly limiting factor as I had considered pursuing PSLF after graduation and/or living below my means to pay off loans quickly. Staying under $300,000 total was my goal even with PSLF.

However, with the passing of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), and its affect on student loans on 7/1/26, this has changed. As I am looking through the OOS costs for most schools, just the tuition already exceeds the $50,000 annual limit, not to mention the $200k lifetime limit. (If I am misrepresenting something, please let me know.) This has caused my original list of 10-12 schools to be cut down to only 4-6 schools simply because of this bill. Realistically, 3 if I want to do only federal loans for the full cost.

How are poor students supposed to pay for school? I see no alternatives presented by the veterinary school community at-large than to pray for scholarships and grants, or suck it up and take out $100k+ in private loans on top of the federal ones. This is outrageous! Private loans have virtually no options for forgiveness and generally have higher interest rates. This is absolutely detrimental to not only the veterinary field, but other professional fields as well. The goal in previous years was to increase diversity and access to marginalized communities, so why are they now so silent on legislation that has slammed the door in their faces? Few schools even acknowledge this bill and the changes on their websites. Why are professional schools not recognizing this issue and reducing tuition rates? Offering more scholarships or assistantships? Or even just keeping tuition rates the same. I only see but an INCREASE in tuition for future semesters for most schools. For example, for VM1 (1st-year) at Virginia-Maryland for a c/o 2029 OOS student, annual tuition was billed at $58,530. For the c/o 2030, annual tuition is $60,252! (Sources: c/o 2029, c/o 2030) Neither of these include other costs like required fees, housing, books, required materials, etc. I understand there are many factors at play that lead to increasing tuition each year, but it's an extra slap in the face during these times.

I can't help but feel as though I have missed my chance to go to vet school if I do not get accepted into my IS-school. (If you haven't seen my WAMCs, I have a less-than-stellar GPA with an IS that holds GPA in high regard.) This has been very difficult for me to come to terms with. I am torn between applying to all the schools I can in hopes that something may change, or cutting them in an acknowledgment that I can't afford those schools. If anyone has seen a ray of light on the horizon or just some advice, please let me know. The future for my veterinary careers feels bleak...

 

[CPM28]

As a parent of an incoming Vet student, I understand and feel your pain. The BBB is hurting so many people, not just vet students. however I disagree that the schools can adjust tuition. At least not enough to seriously help. Professors do not make much money. One of my other kids is a professor at a university. Their salaries are abysmal. And schools have to pay for all the equipment and keep it up-to-date. Hopefully someone will fix this problem by repealing the BBB or coming up with good scholarship programs or at the very least decreasing the interest rates on private loans AND federal loans.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

How are poor students supposed to pay for school?

As you described below. 110% it sucks but fed-+private is the only way now. It used to be like this back before 2006 and the creation of grad plus, granted things were much cheaper then.

I see no alternatives presented by the veterinary school community at-large than to pray for scholarships and grants, or suck it up and take out $100k+ in private loans on top of the federal ones. This is outrageous!

Thats because they have no alternatives/there are currently no alternativies.

Private loans have virtually no options for forgiveness and generally have higher interest rates. This is absolutely detrimental to not only the veterinary field, but other professional fields as well.

100% a detriment to all professional degrees. I will push back though in saying perhaps this ends up being a good thing at least for vet med and the rapid expansion of predatory private schools.

Talking real world though a loan taken is a loan paid even if its pennies for years. Im not saying its right or that the system isn't messed up (because it 100% is) but one shouldn't count on the government or forgiveness when taking out student loans.

The goal in previous years was to increase diversity and access to marginalized communities, so why are they now so silent on legislation that has slammed the door in their faces?

I think they dont have any options tbh. Plus theres alot of court challenges and such so its hard to even begin to sort through for alternative options.

Why are professional schools not recognizing this issue and reducing tuition rates? Offering more scholarships or assistantships? Or even just keeping tuition rates the same. I only see but an INCREASE in tuition for future semesters for most schools.

Not saying ppl within the system dont care, but professional schools until there is a lack of qualified applicants arent going to make huge changes to things. They recognize it may become an issue but many people are willing to take the private loans for better or worse.

Offering more scholarships/assistance that money has to come from somewhere...

tuition rates will only ever stay flat or increase. Its nothing personal. The cost to run a program is high and academics get paid terrible compared to industry. The vet field is having a hard time retaining academics so definitely dont expect tuition to decrease. Not to include the outside economic influences of inflation means decreasing tuition is not going to happen and many schools, at least the state ones, are operating on a tight budget as is

I am torn between applying to all the schools I can in hopes that something may change, or cutting them in an acknowledgment that I can't afford those schools. If anyone has seen a ray of light on the horizon The future for my veterinary careers feels bleak...

There's a good chance if you wait 4 years things may change again. On the flip side I know it feels devastating. Run the numbers and see if it make sense. If it does great. If it doesn't then it doesnt. Vetmed is just a job. I limited myself to 200k when I applied or I was going to a different job. I got lucky. One step at a time and decide if its truly worth it or not. Yes you should be concerned about it and evaluate it fully before applying but also there is still the barrier of actually achieving admission. For me, my advice, if it doesnt fit your budget there is 0 shame in moving on.

 

[JaynaAli]

It really, really sucks. The way to change it is to vote. It’s not a quick solution.

Like others have said, schools aren’t going to cut tuition until a very last resort. It’s expensive to run a school and government support is down as well, which means tuition rates and increasing class sizes as the main way to fund programs. Scholarships sound great but require donors, and times are hard for everyone.

I really feel for current applicants and students. I do think more people should probably pivot and find a plan B rather than taking out private loans, but most applicants have a “vet med or bust” attitude and don’t look long term. You’re smart to be thinking about these things ahead of time. But it just flat out sucks.

 

[PlumPoppy]

however I disagree that the schools can adjust tuition. At least not enough to seriously help. Professors do not make much money. One of my other kids is a professor at a university. Their salaries are abysmal. And schools have to pay for all the equipment and keep it up-to-date. Hopefully someone will fix this problem by repealing the BBB or coming up with good scholarship programs or at the very least decreasing the interest rates on private loans AND federal loans.

I used to be employed at a vet school, so I totally understand that. I know that a LOT more goes into tuition increases than a simple committee decision to increase them. Professors don't get paid enough, and that's why many leave for better opportunities. I was just throwing out examples. But those saying "vet school's expensive, deal with it or don't," isn't productive in fixing the issue.

For students who feel overwhelmed and disheartened that their future career may now be out-of-reach, some schools have said nothing about what they're doing to alleviate the issue much less even addressing the change. As if the predicament just doesn't merit any acknowledgement, which feels tone-deaf.

 

[PlumPoppy]

I really feel for current applicants and students. I do think more people should probably pivot and find a plan B rather than taking out private loans, but most applicants have a “vet med or bust” attitude and don’t look long term. You’re smart to be thinking about these things ahead of time. But it just flat out sucks.

The sad thing is that one of the reasons I've taken my time with applying was considering alternatives to vet med. I just always found myself coming back to it. Now I feel as if I missed my chance.

 

[PlumPoppy]

100% a detriment to all professional degrees.

I initially had some ill-placed hope that the human med side of things would be in an uproar and get this fixed for everyone (as the general public seems to care more about them ofc.) Alas.

I've spoken with veterinarians I work with about my concerns with the OBBB and its effects on borrowing, and all but one of them were completely surprised that this is going on. Do I just so happen to work with oblivious vets (I know they're probably just worried about their own debt lol), or is this issue not being spoken about enough?

I will push back though in saying perhaps this ends up being a good thing at least for vet med and the rapid expansion of predatory private schools.

Hopefully so. The predatory private schools seem to be the most outspoken against it all because they will definitely be the most affected.

I think they dont have any options tbh. Plus theres alot of court challenges and such so its hard to even begin to sort through for alternative options.

That's fair. But even a simple "we recognize this new federal loan policy may present a challenge to many applicants, and we are working toward finding alternative solutions blahblahblah" feels more like at least something is being done than just ignoring it entirely.

Not saying ppl within the system dont care, but professional schools until there is a lack of qualified applicants arent going to make huge changes to things. They recognize it may become an issue but many people are willing to take the private loans for better or worse.

Absolutely. I see some discussion online from other pre-professional school students, but the conversation always amounts to "I'll just take out the loans I guess!" which is scary.

There's a good chance if you wait 4 years things may change again. On the flip side I know it feels devastating.

If I wait 4 years, basically all of my credits will be expired as I've already been graduated 6 years and already have many that expire after this cycle. Just feels as if it's now or never. But I also don't want to be put into a position where I have to consider dropping out of school because the private loan debt became too much. So I'm probably just applying to my IS, and a few other schools where the debt wouldn't be too bad for various reasons (i.e., lower tuition, could live with family/friends, lower COL, etc.)

 

[JaynaAli]

Do I just so happen to work with oblivious vets (I know they're probably just worried about their own debt lol), or is this issue not being spoken about enough?

People often don’t think about or pay attention to things that don’t directly affect them.

That's fair. But even a simple "we recognize this new federal loan policy may present a challenge to many applicants, and we are working toward finding alternative solutions blahblahblah" feels more like at least something is being done than just ignoring it entirely.

You want them to lie? Because most aren’t doing anything crazy right now. They’re gonna wait and see how it plays out and then in several years they might pivot if the applicant pool drops off or their graduation stats tank. Nothing in academia is fast.

 

[vampyrica]

Why are professional schools not recognizing this issue and reducing tuition rates? Offering more scholarships or assistantships? Or even just keeping tuition rates the same.

I can only speak to my own experience thus far. At my school, I asked the Associate Dean during accepted students day if more scholarships would be available to students, how they will get them, if there is tuition assistance etc. For my school specifically, starting with the class of 2029, they began offering first-year and recruitment scholarships for incoming students. With the OBBB passing, they mentioned they had more scholarships being created as donors were interested in assisting students given the new limitations. While this is only the experience of my school, I can imagine something similar is happening accross the other 30-something schools in the US.

Unfortunately, the current options are: take out both private + public, work for places that offer tuition reimbursement/cover 4th year of vet school, apply for programs that provide tuition assistance, apply for scholarships. Everything is about to get a hell of alot more competitive though…

 

[apoptosis09]

It really is unfortunate that this is the situation many incoming students are facing.

You are putting a lot of thought into this, which is good. The amount of "I'll just take out the loans no matter what" I've seen on other forums from '30 students and '31 applicants makes me very worried for what the loan situation is going to look like in 4 years when the realities of hundreds of thousands in loans plus private rate interest hits. I suspect we'll see a lot of defaulting and/or new grads signing onto predatory contracts for the tuition reimbursement/signing bonuses. It's especially worrying when considering that debt load is already a strong contributing factor to mental health struggles in the field.

I do recall a meeting at my school last year where the dean discussed trying to coordinate with a lending organization for a school-specific agreement for loans for students that would have better terms than a typical private loan. I am unsure what direction this has taken since then as our class hasn't been a continued target of this discussion, but it's possible other schools have taken things like this into consideration as well. Hopefully this means that schools are working on solutions behind the scenes if not making public statements.

Best of luck, and I agree with you on targeting your applications for now, and keeping your ear to the ground for changes at the government level and/or solutions at the school level.

 

[_rae_]

Do I just so happen to work with oblivious vets (I know they're probably just worried about their own debt lol), or is this issue not being spoken about enough?

I don’t think they’re necessary oblivious, I think things have just changed a ton. I work with a veterinarian who is less than 10 years out of school who was shocked and disgusted when I shared what I’m paying for tuition. So I think two things are true: people aren’t keeping up because it doesn’t affect them and things have changed drastically.

 

[PlumPoppy]

You want them to lie? Because most aren’t doing anything crazy right now. They’re gonna wait and see how it plays out and then in several years they might pivot if the applicant pool drops off or their graduation stats tank. Nothing in academia is fast.

Well, no, I'd like for them to do something But if they're having these conversations, even if not producing immediate solutions, letting us know that at least it's being talked about is something. At least to me.

I know the first group of students affected are only just about to start their first semesters, so maybe there hasn't been enough time for things to marinate. But I thought by now there would be more discourse about how this is affecting these incoming students.

You are putting a lot of thought into this, which is good. The amount of "I'll just take out the loans no matter what" I've seen on other forums from '30 students and '31 applicants makes me very worried for what the loan situation is going to look like in 4 years when the realities of hundreds of thousands in loans plus private rate interest hits.

I've been seeing a lot of this as well, and it has me thinking "Maybe I just don't want it enough," given the fact that I'm unwilling to take out $100k+ in private loans to achieve my dream. Vet school already felt barely feasible at times for me BEFORE the changes. So this OBBB has made it even more daunting.

I suspect we'll see a lot of defaulting and/or new grads signing onto predatory contracts for the tuition reimbursement/signing bonuses. It's especially worrying when considering that debt load is already a strong contributing factor to mental health struggles in the field.

I'm sincerely hoping for major reform, but also worry that we're going to see many people in crisis before/if that happens.

I do recall a meeting at my school last year where the dean discussed trying to coordinate with a lending organization for a school-specific agreement for loans for students that would have better terms than a typical private loan. I am unsure what direction this has taken since then as our class hasn't been a continued target of this discussion, but it's possible other schools have taken things like this into consideration as well. Hopefully this means that schools are working on solutions behind the scenes if not making public statements.

I hope so!

 

[genny]

I suspect we'll see a lot of defaulting and/or new grads signing onto predatory contracts for the tuition reimbursement/signing bonuses.

I think all of us veterinarians need to be paying attention to this, because it's going to affect the job market. If new grads have so much debt that the corporate part of vet med can dictate predatory contracts, it makes it harder for all veterinarians to fight for fair compensation and a healthy work-life balance.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I've been seeing a lot of this as well, and it has me thinking "Maybe I just don't want it enough," given the fact that I'm unwilling to take out $100k+ in private loans to achieve my dream. Vet school already felt barely feasible at times for me BEFORE the changes. So this OBBB has made it even more daunting.

I think this makes you smart and a realist. It definately isn't that you dont want it enough. Those people are, may I say for lack of a better term, ignorant to the later in life ramifications of their school debt or just dont care. Theres such things as retirement and living life you should consider. My colleague is buried in student loans meanwhile mine are paid off. They wanted to become a vet so bad they didnt care how much it cost because they had something to prove. I was willing to walk away. As a consequence I lead a vastly different life with different worries these days compared to them.

 

[MixedAnimals77]

I've spoken with veterinarians I work with about my concerns with the OBBB and its effects on borrowing, and all but one of them were completely surprised that this is going on. Do I just so happen to work with oblivious vets (I know they're probably just worried about their own debt lol), or is this issue not being spoken about enough?

Part of it is them just literally not paying attention. Part of it is them not caring because it doesnt affect them. Part of it is everything in the last year has changed so frequently and drastically they cant even keep up with their own stuff that has been affected.

It has changed how I've discussed pursuing vet school with applicants. Some care others have the head in the sand approach/literally have never looked at what it is actually going to cost/what that type of money means. Americans in general have a pretty poor financial literacy standard so all I can do is counsel 🤷‍♀️

 

[mintydaisy13!]

Hi there-- I totally get it. School financing is so much harder now with the passing of the BBB. What once was payable via federal loans and PSLF and other forgiveness plans is more or less dead in the water for us poorer folks.

For my grad program I was really overwhelmed by the amount of research I had to do and I'm not the most financially literate. After using Admit and seeing good reviews, I ended up using a company called Juno that works with medical students. They negotiate with private loan lenders as a group instead of you going alone so that you get better rates and more eligibility. If you are comfortable with the premise of private loans then it might be a good resource for you to look into further. It's free too which is nice.

Lmk if you have any questions or want a referral link.

 

[thenontraveler]

I don’t think they’re necessary oblivious, I think things have just changed a ton. I work with a veterinarian who is less than 10 years out of school who was shocked and disgusted when I shared what I’m paying for tuition. So I think two things are true: people aren’t keeping up because it doesn’t affect them and things have changed drastically.

This same thing happened to me. I said I would be coming out with about 240K in loans from vet school (pretty much just tuition as an out of state student) and the vet I told that to was so shocked she was like, how can it be that much? (she said she took out 110k and still can't pay it back 15 years out)

 

[thenontraveler]

Hi there-- I totally get it. School financing is so much harder now with the passing of the BBB. What once was payable via federal loans and PSLF and other forgiveness plans is more or less dead in the water for us poorer folks.

For my grad program I was really overwhelmed by the amount of research I had to do and I'm not the most financially literate. After using Admit and seeing good reviews, I ended up using a company called Juno that works with medical students. They negotiate with private loan lenders as a group instead of you going alone so that you get better rates and more eligibility. If you are comfortable with the premise of private loans then it might be a good resource for you to look into further. It's free too which is nice.

Lmk if you have any questions or want a referral link.

I also know my school is presenting Juno to students as an option outside of federal aid.

 

[battie]

VIN had their 40 in 60 breakdown of what all the schools are doing because of this. You can find it one their website. Tony and Rebecca have put in an amazing amount of work to make students aware of what's happening. @VIN-Foundation may have some insight.

In regards to schools making statements, all businesses learned in the last 10-15 years that if they make any sort of statement that has any sort of actionable vibe to them, they're nailed to that cross. Some schools have released statements with plans. But I don't blame the ones who haven't or ultimately won't. They aren't ignoring it. They're not making promises they can't keep.

I've spoken with veterinarians I work with about my concerns with the OBBB and its effects on borrowing, and all but one of them were completely surprised that this is going on

The vast majority of the vet industry doesn't know what's going on until students like you tell them. There's only so much time in the day and the average American has never been very politically engaged. This is no different

I have to consider dropping out of school because the private loan debt became too much.

There is also the risk that, as market changes happen, private loan distributors will simply not authorize new loans farther along in the program. Just because they give you loans first year doesn't mean they will fourth year. This was a discussion over in the dental forum some time ago

coordinate with a lending organization for a school-specific agreement for loans for students that would have better terms than a typical private loan

Several schools are doing this according to VIN

"Maybe I just don't want it enough,"

I would argue they want it too much. This career isnt worth that kind of money

If new grads have so much debt that the corporate part of vet med can dictate predatory contracts, it makes it harder for all veterinarians to fight for fair compensation and a healthy work-life balance.

Those golden handcuffs will look very shiny soon for so many people 🙁 Likewise, it might be a redux of 2008 where wage depression became such a concern because everyone just needed the job, regardless of how bad the pay is. Granted, private equity is starting to panic in vet med too. So maybe they'll divest a bit more before we have to deal with OBBB students

 

[pp9]

I've spoken with veterinarians I work with about my concerns with the OBBB and its effects on borrowing, and all but one of them were completely surprised that this is going on. Do I just so happen to work with oblivious vets (I know they're probably just worried about their own debt lol), or is this issue not being spoken about enough?

Like has been said, a lot of people don't realize what's going on because they don't need to worry about it. I mean, some people applying this past cycle did not realize what was going on until they were accepted, made a deposit, and were finally then working on taking out loans and stuff. Literally there have been multiple posts in the APVMA FB group basically asking 'I've been accepted/took a seat, but how am I supposed to pay for vet school when I hit 200k?' in the past few months. we may very well see some third years hit their federal loan cap and potentially have to drop out because they can't qualify for a private loan. Sometimes you could have predicted that before you started school...other times, life circumstances change and someone who initially would have qualified won't by the time they need the private loan.

How are poor students supposed to pay for school? I see no alternatives presented by the veterinary school community at-large than to pray for scholarships and grants, or suck it up and take out $100k+ in private loans on top of the federal ones.

Why are professional schools not recognizing this issue and reducing tuition rates? Offering more scholarships or assistantships? Or even just keeping tuition rates the same.

honestly it's never been the school's responsibility to make sure students can pay their tuition. Education is an optional pursuit at the end of the day, and this country barely subsidizes it for citizens.

As a massive oversimplification using numbers I'm most familiar with: I think a lot of schools are nearing 50/50 for IS:OOS these days....as a conservative estimate, let's say 85% of OOSers need the entirety of their tuition covered by loans. UofI has 80 OOS students in every class right now. 85% = 68 students. OOS tuition was 58k last year. So ignoring the living costs that many rely on loans for, each student is going to need 8k every year (assuming flat rate for simplicity) covered somehow to get them right to 200k. That's $544,000. Per class. Per year. There are not enough scholarships, grants, etc. to make that happen even for one class at one school one time. Schools can't cut out 2.2 million in yearly tuition revenue every year (across four classes). 2.2 million sounds like a lot, but it's really only enough to pay somewhere around 10-20 faculty. I don't know how many faculty are at a school, but it's many more than 20. As has been pointed out, schools are desperate for faculty and cannot have a sustainable program if more and more continue to leave for PP.

Also, I'm not sure if you mean 'poor' students economically, or in a pity way. But if you mean it economically, the hard part about that is most vet students are not paying cash for school and technically are all on a pretty even playing field in that regard, regardless of economic background. But that's opening a can of worms that isn't entirely relevant here. It gets really hard to use words/phrases like 'poor' and 'financial need' in these contexts.

 

[battie]

The dean of Illinois was making 200k while we were there. There are vets out in ER practice making more than that. With everything he dealt with, 200k is decent but not enough.

As I've said before, this entire situation will be a double edged sword or a blessing and a curse (pick your metaphor of your liking). This is going to suck for a lot of people for a while. I'm thinking a decent 8-10 years. Hopefully the educational reforms will be worthwhile....

 

[pp9]

The dean of Illinois was making 200k while we were there. There are vets out in ER practice making more than that. With everything he dealt with, 200k is decent but not enough.

As I've said before, this entire situation will be a double edged sword or a blessing and a curse (pick your metaphor of your liking). This is going to suck for a lot of people for a while. I'm thinking a decent 8-10 years. Hopefully the educational reforms will be worthwhile....

Actually the Daily Illini coming through - 2025 salary budget for the college was 44 million! The Daily Illini Salary Guide

As a side topic...UofI has made substantial salary improvements across the board since we've graduated. Like, very substantial. Some of the OG techs that are still there are making probably 1.5-2x what a PP tech might make now, they were notttttt making nearly this much 8 years ago. I can't remember the name of who I'm thinking of, but one of the shelter med vets who did our jr sx course was making like $65k when I was a third year I think. Looks like most clinicians that I'm familiar with have gotten at least 50% increases since I graduated, though I think some have continued to climb up the academic ladder so it's not straightforward

 

[battie]

Some of the OG techs that are still there are making probably 1.5-2x what a PP tech might make now

Bless. Cause 15/hr for those techs is why we were called in to do laundry at 2 am up until class of 2018 or 2019 (maybe you guys?) threw a fit

 

[pp9]

Bless. Cause 15/hr for those techs is why we were called in to do laundry at 2 am up until class of 2018 or 2019 (maybe you guys?) threw a fit

Yeah both classes. You can only take being called in at 2am to fold clothes (sometimes while the techs sit) so many times before you snap...I was one of the lucky ones that only had to do it once or twice

 

[PlumPoppy]

Playing around with the "Student Loan Debt Calculator" on here has been eye-opening. (Not sure if it's new or not? I only noticed it when I saw the website formatting changed earlier this week). It has a bunch of different variables on it, but on these I assumed no scholarships or aid outside of loans with the same expected post-grad salary and standard 10-yr repayment. COL is determined by the algorithm for each school based on "national living-cost estimate." When you switch to a different school, it defaults to in-state, so it's crazy to see that even some in-state students will still have to take out personal loans to cover the cost. 🙁

Texas A&M (my IS) vs. Michigan (OOS) vs. LMU (private)

 

[garlick]

I don't think I can offer hope, exactly, but I want to share my perspective in case it helps you think through this.

I'm 31 and applied to vet school for the first time this year. Like you, I grew up in difficult financial circumstances, and for a long time I thought there was no way I could make vet school work. I was either doubtful of the cost or doubtful of my own ability to get in and be successful. Either way, I ultimately decided to apply this year despite the changes to federal student loans. It absolutely impacted where I applied, and I hope, as others have said, that if anything good comes from these changes, it's the shuttering of some of the for-profit schools. I originally intended to apply to Midwestern and Tufts, but the costs were just too high for me, whether or not the loan rules had changed.

I think everyone considering vet school could benefit from really thinking about what they want their life to look like. As I weighed the pros and cons of applying, I thought seriously about what becoming a veterinarian would mean for my lifestyle. I feel very financially comfortable at the moment and earn more money than my parents ever did. But I also have friends who make double or triple my salary and, of course, can afford a very different lifestyle. If my priority were simply getting the most bang for my buck, I'd become a dentist or something. But that's not my priority.

I also have friends with professional degrees who have significant student debt and see it as just another bill they have to pay. The veterinarians I know take home more than I do, even factoring in their student loan payments. So, from that perspective, I don't expect to be in a worse financial position than I am now. That said, there is also a psychological component to carrying a large amount of debt, and that's worth thinking about too.

I really think this is so dependent on individual circumstances that there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer. For me, the question ultimately became less "Is vet school financially optimal?" and more "Can I build a life as a veterinarian that I would be happy with, including the financial tradeoffs?" For me, the answer was yes.