Does anyone know if we are still designated as "students" during residency? Would debt incurred up until that time still be deferred until residency is completed, or does debt repayment begin as soon as the 4 years of med school are over?
Here are some common situations when you could be eligible for a deferment:
When the ratio of your income to your monthly payment meets a certain threshold. (This deferment is common when fulfilling a residency requirement.)
Fin-Nor said:im no expert in this subject, but i believe that some loans offer deferments based on your income and payment requirements.
here's c&p from northstar.org:
I am not sure about your status but I do know that once you graduate medical school, you have 6 months of grace period. After those 6 months, you will have to start paying back, even though you are in residency.Xmulder said:Yes, I understand the concept and possibility of deferments...my question was more asking whether enrollment in a residency program still qualifies you for "student" status as during med school (and thus debt does not yet enter repayment) or is it considered "full time employment" (and thus debt enters repayment, but with deferment possible). Technically, residents earn $ so i would think it would disqualify "student" status, but be considered "employment" instead.
Can anyone verify or clarify this?
Most residents get the deferment which is why they end up not having to pay during residency. If they don't get a deferment, they have to start repayment. However, almost always, residents qualify for it which is the reason why you see basically no residents paying back their loans during residency. Of course, this applies only for federal loans.OSUdoc08 said:No, you are not required to pay back loans during residency.
OSUdoc08 said:No, you are not required to pay back loans during residency.
Idiopathic said:Not true...you are only 'guaranteed' 3 years of deferment during residency. Any person who enters a program that takes longer than that is subject to repayment, making future arrangements a case-specific matter.
mpp said:Qualifying for deferment on Stafford loans depends on the amount of your monthly loan payment, your household's monthly income, and the poverty level in your state. If your loan payment is too low you will be required to make payments during residency. For a typical resident salary (i.e., no spousal income) with a typical interest rate (about 5%) you will only qualify for deferment if you have more than about $85,000 in loans to repay. Less than that and you will be required to repay. And it is true that if you qualify it only lasts 3 years maximum.
There once was an automatic residency deferment (on top of the hardship deferment and forebearance) but the residency deferment is no longer available.