Speech-Language Pathology Student Loan 2023 Forgiveness Repayment

Are you worried about how well you can pay off your speech-language pathology student loan? Not to worry, this post will help you with other options and jobs that should aid in paying off your student loan. Let’s dive in!

Overview of Speech-Language Pathology

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average speech pathologist’s salary in 2017 was $76,610. However, getting your degree in speech-language pathology could be costly.

The average cost of a speech pathology degree can vary depending on where you live if you’re in-state or out-of-state, and if you go to a public or private school.

A Bachelor’s degree from an out-of-state college can set you back $36,065 per year or $144,260 for a four-year degree, according to site CollegeCalc.org.

Speech Language Pathology Student Loan Repayment Plan 2023

As a speech-language pathologist, there are many repayment plans and options. These are set by the federal government to help with your student loan debt. Below are some of the listed options.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

If you work at a qualified nonprofit or government organization, you could get all of your student loans forgiven under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).

On one hand, you will likely have a lower salary working in the public sector, but then after 10 years of service along with 120 payments, you could be eligible to get the remainder of your student loan balance forgiven.

So if you’re gunning for speech pathology loan forgiveness — meaning all of your debt completely gone — this is probably your best bet. Heads up though, there are some key eligibility requirements that you must meet.

You must work full-time at a qualified organization or nonprofit, with emphasis on the qualified. You don’t make that determination, so it’s best to contact your loan servicer and regularly submit the Employment Certification for Public Service Loan Forgiveness form to make sure you’re on track.

But if you stay on top of your employment certification and play by the rules, this could be a good bet.

Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program

Do you work at a low-income school or educational organization as an SLP? You could be eligible to get up to $17,500 in speech pathology loan forgiveness under the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.

To qualify for this program, you must teach full-time at a qualifying school or organization for five consecutive years.

If you’re new to this profession and teaching, this speech pathology loan forgiveness program option requires even more from teachers, depending on what grade you are teaching.

If you have some years under your belt, there are other subject-specific requirements and knowledge you must obtain to be eligible for this program.

Qualification

In addition to working at an eligible low-income school, you must be what is considered a “highly qualified teacher” who has completed five years of service. So what does that even mean?

According to the Federal Student Aid website, a highly qualified teacher is someone who:

Has a Bachelor’s degree
Has a state-specific certification for teaching
Is in good standing with certification

After five years of service, you can submit your Teacher Loan Forgiveness Application to obtain speech pathology loan forgiveness.

Income-driven Repayment

Income-driven repayment plans allow borrowers to pay only a small portion of their discretionary income each month to their student loans. If you still have a balance after a long repayment period — 20 or 25 years — the rest of your loans will be forgiven.

While that can seem like your get-out-of-jail-free card, it’s not. If you save up for the additional taxes and play it smart it may still be a lucrative move. Depending on your eligibility, and what is considered best by your loan servicer you could choose to be on:

Income-based repayment plan (IBR)
Income-Contingent Repayment Plan (ICR)
Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE)

Refinancing as a Repayment Option

If you’re not necessarily looking for speech pathology loan forgiveness but want to ditch your loans fast, refinancing can help you pay off debt faster.

How? By cutting your interest rate down you end up paying less in interest. And you can put those extra funds toward your principal balance.

There are many student loan refinancing companies out there, each with different eligibility requirements. Working with one of these companies, you end up getting a refinancing loan that pays off your current student loans.

After that, your debt is gone. But of course, you still have your refinancing loan. But hopefully at a better rate and a better repayment term that works for you.

The downside of refinancing is that you end up giving up lucrative repayment options like student loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment. That’s a lot to give up so you want to make sure it makes sense.

Employer-Sponsored Student Loan Repayment

One option to pursue is letting your employer help foot the bill for your education. I mean, you’re using your degree right, so why not?

A Glassdoor job search shows that there are speech-language pathology jobs out there that offer student loan repayment programs. This perk can help lessen the burden of debt and be a good employee benefit.

Speech-Language Pathology Jobs

Speech and Language Pathologist – Private School

Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health – Mount Kisco, NY

Being a Speech and Language Pathologist has its advantages. Tuition assistance and loan forgiveness eligibility. NYS Certification in Speech and Language for an estimated: $58,000 – $84,000 a year

Speech-Language Pathologist – Pediatric Services

Heartspring – Wichita, KS

Working at Heartspring could make you eligible for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness. Must possess a current Kansas Speech-Language Pathology license or estimated: $55,000 – $71,000 a year.

19-20 Sy – Ancillary – Speech & Language Pathologist-Edc

Gallup-McKinley County Schools – Gallup, NM

Speech-language pathologist, pre k-12. Speech and language pathologist (5 positions). Develop and apply speech and language intervention strategies for an estimated: $52,000 – $69,000 a year.

On Call Speech Language Pathologist

Presbyterian Homes & Services – Cambridge, MN

Competence in Speech-Language and swallowing evaluation and treatment. Presbyterian Homes & Services (PHS) is seeking an on-call Speech Language Pathologist for an estimated: $56,000 – $83,000 a year.

Speech Language Pathologist PRN

Greenview Regional Hospital – Bowling Green, KY

TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital is currently looking for a Speech-Language Pathologist. The Speech-Language Pathologist is responsible for planning an estimated: $60,000 – $84,000 a year.

Speech Therapist – Early Intervention

Barber National Institute – Erie, PA

Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Eligible for Federal Student Loan Forgiveness. Help children from birth to age five learn and grow during an estimated: $56,000 – $73,000 a year.

Speech Therapist IRF PRN

Summit Medical Center – Hermitage, TN

Masters in Speech and Language Pathology. Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Forgiveness Programs. Our Mission- Above all else, we’re committed to the care estimated: $63,000 – $87,000 a year.

The Takeaway

Though speech pathology is a highly-skilled profession and useful in communities, it doesn’t come with the same perks that other people in the medical or health industries get.

Unlike doctors or nurses, who can take advantage of a lot of programs by state to help with their loan repayment, there aren’t really state-based options for speech pathology loan forgiveness.

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Speech-Language Pathology Student Loan 2023 Forgiveness Repayment

Overview of Speech-Language Pathology