"Create a plan to pay off your student loan balance as soon as possible. You can start out small. Commit to paying $25 more than the minimum payment in one year and gradually increase that amount by $25 the following year. Another option would be to apply any tax refunds or job bonuses directly to your principal."

"I'm a professional freelance musician. I sing and teach. Earning a doctorate in music at Eastman (and other degrees at Yale and SUNY Purchase) helped develop my skill set and the network of people with whom I work. The loans that supported me throughout school were worth it."

Kate's tips:
"Be frugal, chip away at your debt, resist material purchases you don't need, find ways to save money on food and entertainment. It can be done with willpower and being debt-free feels better than any short-term purchase I could have made over the past five years as I focused on paying off my debt"

"It’s easy to manage student loan payments with Navient. Their website and mobile app kept me constantly updated with due dates and minimum payments. I strategically budgeted my income and always paid more than the minimum. I also took advantage of any and all available loan deferments relevant to my career field. Paying off student loans with Navient is simple and convenient. All you need to have is dedication, a persistent and serious repayment plan for yourself and the true understanding that you can do it!"

"It's never too early or too late to start a budget. When you know where your money is going, it feels like you received a raise. Then make extra payments on your debts. Have garage sales, work overtime or work a side hustle. It will pay off in the long run. Live like no one else so later you can live and give like no one else."

"Keep Navient informed of your current situation. They are very good at working with you to accommodate your financial situation to fit your budget."

"I made sure my federal student loans were paid every month on time. I also made sure my loan was paid before any other bills. The only time I deferred was when I went to graduate school for two years. When I got my tax refund or had extra cash, I would overpay on my loans."

Jennifer's tips:
"Review your budget often, consider a reasonable repayment plan and pay what you can on time. Focus on building good credit and try to avoid purchasing the newest car or more expensive apartment. If you can live at home with family or friends to save money then do it!"

"I am very thankful for the support I obtained from my student loan servicer. Since I come from a large and humble family, I needed to complement my financial resources to achieve my educational goals. When I graduated, I had already planned to pay back my loans using the efficient debit payment service. The service allowed for payments to be made on time and without interruption while I grew as a professional."

Angel's tips:
"Good advice for new college grads is to keep their finances in order and to take advantage of the tools offered by their student loan servicer. Personally, I think that debit payment is the way to go. However, if the person feels that some support or additional time is needed, tools like loan deferment can be of help."

"I am a global brand manager who has overcome language, financial, and educational barriers to become a successful business executive in the home appliance industry."

Renjie's tips:
"A few things I did to save include, paying extra on my highest interest rate loan first, renting a room in a shared home where I paid $500 in rent which included utilities, buying used electronic devices such as TVs and purchasing a used car. I also rarely dined out and cooked for myself, I used coupons for groceries and bought discounted foods and drinks. When I used my credit card to earn miles, I always paid it off in full."

"Do what you can as soon as you can. I followed the snowball method for attacking my loans. Each month, I paid the minimum payments on all my loans then took whatever extra I could scrape together and put it towards the loan with the lowest balance until it was paid off. Afterwards, I focused on the next small loan. Chipping away at the smaller loans made me feel like I was making progress. Picture that balance getting smaller and it will."

“My advice is to stay in contact with Navient! [Student loan repayment] is an overwhelming process and we tend to avoid figuring out how to navigate paying loans back. Navient will work with you and offer you guidance in choosing the most effective repayment option that best suits your needs. For me, it was helpful to do an Income-Based Repayment plan.”

"I always check my loan balances and notify my servicer if there are changes to my financial situation. I chose a plan that was right for me. I set aside money every month that I know will go towards rent, loans and savings. Whatever I have left is discretionary income."

"Always put together a budget. Monitor all of your accounts. This helps you easily see where money is coming and going. Set up auto pay and auto drafts and direct deposit. The more automated you can get the better. Check monthly to make sure you have enough in all of your accounts and are not in danger of overdraft. Also, if your bank allows, tell them to turn off overdraft capability. Instead of paying a huge fee, I'd much rather them just not withdraw the money. Good luck!"

"Being debt free is very liberating. Knowing that you can live on less cash means you can actually do more, because you don't have loans to service."

"If you buy into this principle, get focused and "crazy militant" about having no loans. Working part-time through undergrad and graduate school allowed me to finish with even less loans. During the summers I had a co-op for a large tech firm and I worked retail for an office supply store so that I could limit the amount of loans I would need to take. But the most important factor is to focus your education on something YOU love."

"I happened to really LOVE marketing and technology, meaning college isn't to find a job, but to learn and enrich your understanding of who you want to be as a person. The byproduct is that I have zero regrets about the courses and my time in undergrad and graduate school. In short, a quality employer needs people who know how to think and reason. If you learn to do this via concentrating in Ancient Greek poetry or Computer Science, it doesn't matter in the long run."

"A budget is simply giving your dollars an assignment. Keep expenses low and pay extra on your student loan. The more money you pay towards the principal balance, the less interest that accrues daily, and the less money you are paying over the life of the loan."

"The first thing I would do is dedicate a percentage of your income to yourself. Always pay yourself first so you have some kind of pleasure for your work in whatever field you're in. For me it has been 10% and never touching it. The compounded growth after doing this for a long time will astound you. Then dedicate a percentage you will dedicate to your debt. For me it was 20% because I wanted my debt paid off sooner than later."

"If you have multiple loans or payments, take a sheet of paper and split it into columns. Put your most expensive monthly payment on the left side of the paper followed by the next expensive and followed by the next all the way until you get to the debt that is the least amount. Knock out the least expensive payment first by paying double or an extra chunk to knock it out. As you see the debt amount going down, you'll get excited and secure in knowing you have a system to pay it off while still resting well knowing you have at least 10% of your income growing for you."

"Don't get extra loan money to cover your cost of living — get a part time job and learn to budget. Don't drop out of school, just reduce your course load. Stay on top of exactly how many loans you have accumulated."

"Remember, your loan [servicer] will work with you and your circumstances. Finally, remember to always pay something, even if it's just $20, because a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing."

"I paid on time. If I felt that I was going to run into financial difficulties, I reached out to my loan service provider for options. I didn't feel alone. I was even able to merge two of my student loans into one payment, which made it easy and convenient. In addition, I was able to keep my low interest rate and also opt for automatic deductions."

“Having multiple student loans can be overwhelming. For me I was focused on paying them off as early as possible, so I made extra payments on my loans. I set a budget and allocated the same amount each month to student loan payments. I chose the loans with the highest interest rates and paid them off first. When I paid off a loan, I never decreased my monthly payment. I just put more to the next loan to pay it off. I felt accomplished each time I paid one in full.”

"My education has helped me understand a better view of the world. In turn, my education has provided me with a higher self-esteem and confidence to take on new challenges in life. My college experience was nothing short of greatness due to financing that was made available to me!"

"My education has helped me to make good decisions in making money, saving, and spending. I've been able to purchase two properties, pay off all debt (with the exception of my current mortgage, of course) and enjoy many material possessions, activities, and travels."

"Explore your repayment options! It's also very important to budget and have a financial game plan. My loan was originally $6,000, but with interest it was closer to $7,000. I started repaying my loan before I graduated from undergrad. While in school, each month, I paid about $130. If I was able to pay extra, I would. Eventually, when my balance got down to around $3,000, I decided to take the leap and pay the rest off with money I had in my savings account. I'm ecstatic that I have one less monthly bill to commit to."

"Know your options when it comes to repayments plans. When I first graduated, I enrolled in an Income-Based Repayment plan to make adjusting to living on my own easier and more affordable. Take advantage of resources that your college provides! I used a program called Salt that my college offered free of charge to alumnae. The program helped me keep track of loans using a dashboard and gave me access to advice from financial counselors. Paying back your loan in full may take some time, but keeping to a well-organized budget will help you feel in charge and on track."

"By the time I'd finished my education, I had two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. Although I work as a military chaplain, I've used my education to publish professionally, and that education has impacted every aspect of my work in the civilian and military sectors. Education is more than just data — it's the ability to think and reason, to adapt and change course, to research independently and to know when your own work needs to be tweaked or rebuilt."

"I achieved success in paying off my student loans, which has proved to be a high credit rating. I also saved up my dollars and kept them invested in a bank account and made numerous payments with my...online account.  I urge other students to use their online access...to make life less hectic and simpler."

"After I graduated university, I sat down and thought about what mattered the most to me. I wanted to get out from under the debt I had accrued. I worked two to three jobs through college to pay for most of my school up front, but still had around $10,000 in loans after graduation. I dedicated a large chunk of each paycheck to my loans. I paid for rent, groceries, gas, gave myself a little spending money, and then put the rest towards my loans. By using this method, I was able to have my loans paid off before my grace period ended. It's amazing because now I feel like I have larger paychecks and the opportunity to start saving for a home or to go on a dream vacation."

"Key tips are: Budget your money wisely. Do not spend your money on everything and anything you want. Prioritize on how much you want to use for yourself and how much you will send off to your lender. Be patient and good things come to those who wait."

"Everyone feels like their loans have to be a lifelong payment. They don't have to be. Pay as much as you can as soon as you can. I paid my loans off early, saving me thousands of dollars."