Borrowing a student loan to help pay for your educational expenses is a reality most students must face. With that reality comes the obvious question, "how much should I borrow?"

To help answer this question, students should follow the following guidelines:

• Borrow only what you need for your educational expenses.
  
  
• Consider how much you will need to borrow to meet you educational goals, whether it is an associates, bachelors, masters degree, or beyond.
  
  
• Consider what your monthly payments will be on the loan when it comes time to repay the loan.
  
  
• Consider what other expenses you will have after graduation? Housing, food, transportation, insurance, credit cards, etc…
  
  
• Consider what the average starting salary is for the career field you plan to enter when you complete your college education.
  
  
• Resist the temptation to use your student loans for other things beyond your educational expenses.

A useful tool to help students determine what their monthly loan payments may be is the online repayment calculator provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

More information on repaying student loans can be found on the Repaying Your Loans section of the Federal Student Aid web site.