What career has the most student debt?

Careers in medicine (dentistry, oral surgery, pharmacy, physician) and law consistently have the highest student debt due to lengthy, expensive advanced degrees, with some oral surgeons and pharmacists facing averages well over $200,000 or even $500,000, though these fields often offer high earning potential to offset the debt.

What profession has the highest student loan debt?

Future medical professionals—a category that includes doctors, dentists, and pharmacists—can expect to take on the most debt to finance their degrees—over $190,000 in student loans. Future lawyers take on six-figure debt amounts to finance their degrees, too—over $139,000 in student loans.

What profession has the highest debt?

The typical student in the U.S. borrows more than $35,000 in student loans to earn a bachelor's degree. However, graduates of certain professions owe significantly more. Oral surgeons, orthodontists, and radiologists face some of the highest average student loan debts.

What major has the most student debt?

According to the Education Data Initiative, doctoral degrees see the highest amounts of debt. Professional law degrees, known as juris doctorates, account for the most debt among all graduate programs. According to the Brookings Institution, the median debt was more than $119,000 in 2020.

How long would it take to pay off $100,000 in a student loan?

Paying off $100k in student loans typically takes 10 to 25 years, depending heavily on your repayment plan, interest rate, and extra payments, with the standard federal plan taking 10 years, but income-driven plans or aggressive extra payments can shorten or lengthen the timeline significantly. For example, a 10-year standard plan means around $1,187/month, while a 25-year plan could be around $739/month, but you'll pay much more in total interest over time. 

What Everyone's Getting Wrong About Student Loans

What is the 7 year rule for student loans?

The "7-year rule" for student loans usually refers to when negative marks like late payments or defaults are removed from your credit report, typically 7 years after the first missed payment, but the debt itself doesn't disappear and must still be paid; for bankruptcy in Canada, it's a rule determining if student loans can be discharged after being out of school for 7 years, while in the U.S., federal student loans are notoriously difficult to discharge in bankruptcy, requiring proof of "undue hardship". 

How many Americans have $20,000 in credit card debt?

While exact real-time figures vary, recent data from early 2025 suggests around 23% of Americans who have maxed out their credit cards owe over $20,000, indicating a significant portion of cardholders are in high debt, though the broader population figure is lower, with about 6% of all credit card holders holding balances above $20,000 as of late 2023. Overall, total U.S. credit card debt is over $1.2 trillion, with the average household carrying substantial debt, driven by inflation and everyday expenses. 

What percent of Americans are 100% debt free?

About 23% of Americans are 100% debt-free, according to recent Federal Reserve data, meaning they have zero debt across all categories like mortgages, student loans, and credit cards, though figures can vary slightly by source and definition, with younger adults (Gen Z) showing higher rates of debt freedom and older adults often carrying more, notes WalletHub, National Debt Relief, and the Urban Institute. 

Which billionaire pays off student debt?

Robert F. Smith is a billionaire who did something that changed lives forever. In 2019, he surprised 396 graduates from Morehouse College by paying off all their student loans. The total gift was $34 million but that's not all.

What careers have the best debt to income ratio?

Costly law and medical degrees hold debt-to-income ratios near 1 for lawyers and doctors, as well. Professionals with degrees in business, science, or engineering fare comparatively better, making comfortably more than the cost of their degree in one midcareer year.

What job pays $400,000 a year without a degree?

The most prominent "$400,000 job without a college degree" discussed in recent news is a Walmart Supercenter Store Manager, where compensation can reach that level through a combination of increased base pay (around $128k average), significant bonuses (up to 200% of base), and annual stock grants (up to $20k) for top performers, making the role lucrative for those rising from hourly work. Other paths to high income without a degree include skilled trades, tech sales, and specialized roles like power plant operators, often achieved through skills-based training, certificates, or apprenticeships rather than a traditional four-year degree.
 

Which actor wiped out debt for 900 families?

Actor Michael Sheen wiped out £1 million (about $1.3 million) in debt for roughly 900 families in his native South Wales by setting up a company to buy and forgive the debts, a project highlighted in his Channel 4 documentary Michael Sheen's Secret Million Pound Giveaway, inspired by struggling steelworkers in his hometown of Port Talbot. He used £100,000 of his own money to purchase the debt, which included credit cards and car loans, and then cleared it to help vulnerable people facing financial hardship.
 

What profession makes $300,000 a year?

Jobs paying $300k/year are typically senior-level roles in medicine, law, finance, and tech, requiring extensive experience, specialized skills, or entrepreneurship, including surgeons, investment bankers, senior software architects, big law partners, and successful business owners. High-commission sales and specialized trades (like powerline workers) can also reach this level, sometimes without a traditional degree, but demand proven performance and significant expertise. 

Is $100,000 in student debt a lot?

Yes, $100k in student loans is a significant amount, representing a large debt burden for many, though it's common for advanced degrees and manageable with a strong income and careful planning, especially by keeping total debt below your expected starting salary, ideally making payments under 10% of your gross income. Whether it's "too much" depends heavily on your career field, expected income, and repayment strategy, with high-earning careers potentially justifying it as an investment. 

Who owns over 70% of the US debt?

No single entity owns over 70% of U.S. debt, but roughly 70-80% is held domestically by U.S. investors and institutions like the Federal Reserve, Social Security, mutual funds, and banks, with the rest held by foreign investors, mainly Japan, China, and the U.K. It's a mix of internal (government-to-government) and public (investors) holdings, with domestic investors holding the largest share of the public debt.
 

What degree is worth the debt?

The Brookings Institution analysis found that “more education generally leads to a bigger paycheck.” While graduates with master's degrees spent more of their extra earnings servicing their debts, those degrees also provided “the highest average earnings and gross earnings premium, followed by bachelor's degrees and ...

Is it true that student loans are forgiven after 20 years?

Yes, federal student loans can be forgiven after 20 years under Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) plans, specifically after 20 years for undergraduate debt or 25 years for graduate debt (or Parent PLUS loans), with the new SAVE plan offering potential early forgiveness for smaller balances. Forgiveness isn't automatic and happens at the end of the IDR term, though a one-time adjustment is making some borrowers eligible sooner, and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) offers forgiveness after 10 years. 

What percent of people actually pay off their student loans?

Student Loan Borrower Statistics

20% of all American adults with undergraduate degrees have outstanding student debt; 24% postgraduate degree holders report outstanding student loans. 20% of U.S. adults report having paid off student loan debt. The 5-year annual average student loan debt growth rate is 1.66%.

What is Rob Smith's net worth?

Robert F. Smith, founder of Vista Equity Partners and a prominent billionaire, has an estimated net worth of around $10 billion as of 2025, making him one of the wealthiest African Americans, known for his tech investments and significant philanthropy like paying off Morehouse College graduates' loans.
 

What is the credit card limit for $70,000 salary?

With a $70,000 salary, you could expect a total credit limit between $14,000 and $21,000 across all cards, potentially much higher for a single premium card if you have excellent credit and low debt, but it depends heavily on your credit score, debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, and the issuer's specific policies. A good score, stable income, and low existing debt are key to getting higher limits, with some with excellent profiles reaching $30,000-$50,000 on single cards. 

How many Americans have $20,000 in credit card debt?

While exact real-time figures vary, recent data from early 2025 suggests around 23% of Americans who have maxed out their credit cards owe over $20,000, indicating a significant portion of cardholders are in high debt, though the broader population figure is lower, with about 6% of all credit card holders holding balances above $20,000 as of late 2023. Overall, total U.S. credit card debt is over $1.2 trillion, with the average household carrying substantial debt, driven by inflation and everyday expenses. 

Which gender has more debt?

Men have 2 percent more credit card debt than women. Men have 9.7 percent more mortgage debt than women. Men have 20 percent more personal loan debt than women. Women have 2.7 percent more student loan debt than men.

What is the 2/3/4 rule for credit cards?

The 2/3/4 rule for credit cards is a guideline, primarily associated with Bank of America, that limits how many new credit cards you can be approved for within specific timeframes to prevent excessive applications, specifically: no more than two new cards in 30 days, three in 12 months, and four in 24 months, on a rolling basis. While not a universal law, it helps manage hard inquiries and lender risk, with other issuers having similar, though sometimes different, policies (like Chase's 5/24 rule). 

Should I close paid-off cards?

If you plan to apply for a car loan or mortgage in the next six months, keep the paid-off accounts open. If you don't plan to seek new credit, want to avoid a high annual fee or fear a card with zero balance will tempt you to overspend, go ahead and close the account.