What is the average salary

[tapir]

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didn't someone post on here once upon a thread ago that you should always pick the 25 year plan because whatever is left for you to pay after 25 years is written off by the government? i mean, i haven't done the math out, but that's sounds better than trying to hustle to pay everything back 3 years before it would have been written off the by the G and lose thousands of "free" dollars in the process? does anyone know the specifics?

That was me, and here's the best source I've found for the details: http://www.finaid.org/loans/icr.phtml . It's a good deal unless/until you and/or your spouse are actually making a substantial salary, in which case the payments could get substantial in a hurry.

There's an awesome calculator linked from that page that lets you compare net present values of the income contingent repayment with various other payment scenarios. If you and your spouse can expect a combined income of 100k+, by my calculations, you could end up paying more (with inflation considered) under the income contingent plan than a 30-year extended plan.