How I Paid Off My PA School Debt (8 Real Tips)
How I Paid Off My PA School Debt (8 Real Tips)
By: Savanna Perry, PA-C
PA school is expensive, but aggressive, intentional repayment can clear your debt faster than you think. The core strategy is to borrow as little as possible, start making payments as early as you can (even during the grace period), commit a fixed share of your income each month, and make frugal choices while you pay it down.
Last Updated: June 12, 2026
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How can you minimize PA school debt before it grows?
PA school is expensive, and that might be an understatement. Estimated costs range from five figures all the way into the hundreds of thousands once you add tuition, fees, books, tools, travel for clinicals, housing, and food. A few choices early on make a big difference.
Tip 1 is to take the minimum amount of loans possible. I went to a public program, which cut costs significantly, and my second choice school would have cost about four times as much. I also lived with my parents the first year, so I only had to borrow for tuition. Tip 2 is do not take out extra money to put into savings. The return you earn on savings is far less than the interest you are charged on loans, so it is simply not a smart financial move.
When should you start paying your loans?
The sooner the better. Tip 3 is that if there is any way to make payments during PA school, do it, even small ones. If you get extra income, have a working spouse, or have some savings, putting a little toward your loans makes a big difference over time because of interest.
After graduation there is a grace period when payments are not required, but your interest is still compounding. Tip 4 is to start paying during the grace period if you can. From the first paycheck, dedicating money to loans means you never miss it. When I pulled up my balance at the end of school, I owed about $75,000, with roughly $55,000 in principal and $20,000 in interest, at an average rate around 6% [VERIFY]. Seeing the number was shocking, but it also motivated me to attack it.
In our experience, the new grads who knock out their loans fastest are not the highest earners, they are the most consistent. I always tell people that committing a fixed percentage of every paycheck from day one, before lifestyle creep sets in, is the single most powerful habit for getting debt free quickly.
What repayment strategy actually works?
Tip 5 is to decide how much you will put toward loans each month and stick to it. I committed to at least half my salary. There is debate over which loans to tackle first. Dave Ramsey's snowball method pays the smallest balance first regardless of interest, while I paid the highest interest loan first and worked down. Automatic payments can also lower your interest rate slightly.
Tip 6 is to put any extra funds toward your loans, because every bit shortens the timeline. Tip 7 is to make frugal choices, not extravagant ones, while you are paying down debt. Tip 8 is to do what works for you, since everyone is different. I started working in August 2014 and made my last payment in January 2016. It drained my bank account, but the freedom afterward was absolutely worth it.
Every Pre-PA Should Know...
Paying loans during the grace period, before payments are even required, saves you real money because interest keeps compounding the whole time.
Free Application Timeline → https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/free-application-timeline/
Listen: Money Talk for Future PAs with Dave Duquette
You spend years focused on getting in, and then one day you have a real paycheck and student loans and no idea what to do with either.
You spend years focused on getting in, and then one day you have a real paycheck and student loans and no idea what to do with either.
Dave Duquette is a financial advisor who works with PAs, and he came on to talk about what tends to happen after graduation. The pattern he sees most: new grads get their first salary and their spending rises to meet it immediately, which makes the loans stick around a lot longer than they need to.
He also makes a point I hadn't thought about much - your biggest asset early on isn't savings, it's your ability to work. Protecting that matters.
This is his perspective, not mine, and everybody's situation is different. But it's worth hearing early instead of figuring it out at 27.
What we talk about
Getting organized financially before graduation
Student loans and how new grads approach them
Lifestyle inflation after the first real paycheck
Why your ability to work is your biggest asset
Mistakes he sees new grads make repeatedly
Questions to ask before making big decisions
Resources
Follow The Pre-PA Club: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · All episodes
Listen: Paying Off $161,000 in Student Loans in 16 Months: An Interview with Kristen
$161,000 of student debt. Gone in 16 months.
$161,000 of student debt. Gone in 16 months.
Kristen is a critical care and pulmonology PA, and that's what she did. I asked her to walk through it because nobody teaches us this stuff, and most of us graduate with a big number and no plan beyond making the minimum payment forever.
She talks about how she budgeted, how she prioritized the debt, and how she stayed motivated when it meant living well below what her paycheck would have allowed. A lot of it comes down to being willing to look at the number instead of avoiding it.
To be clear, this is Kristen's story and what worked for her situation. I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice. Take what's useful and get real guidance for your own numbers.
What we cover
How Kristen paid off $161,000 in 16 months
Building a budget she could actually stick to
Prioritizing debt repayment as a new grad
Staying motivated through an aggressive payoff
Why financial literacy gets ignored in medical training
Her work in critical care and pulmonology
Resources
Follow The Pre-PA Club: Apple Podcasts · Spotify · All episodes
Need to Know:
Borrow the minimum possible, and consider public programs to cut costs
Do not take out extra loans to put into savings
Make payments during school and the grace period if you can
Commit a fixed share of your income to loans each month
Choose a payoff order, highest interest first or smallest balance first
Stay frugal while paying down debt, and the freedom afterward is worth it
FAQ
Costs vary widely, from five figures to several hundred thousand dollars once you include tuition, fees, books, tools, clinical travel, housing, and living expenses.
If you can, yes. Even small payments during school and the grace period help, because interest compounds whether or not payments are required.
Many people commit a fixed share, such as half of their monthly salary. The key is choosing an amount and sticking to it consistently.
Approaches vary. The snowball method targets the smallest balance first for momentum, while others pay the highest interest loan first to save the most money overall.
Generally, paying down high interest loans beats keeping the same money in low interest savings, since the interest you owe usually outpaces what savings earn.
It depends on your balance and income, but with aggressive, consistent payments, some PAs clear their debt in under two years, as the author did.
CLOSING
Paying off PA school debt takes discipline and a few smart early choices, but it is absolutely doable, and the freedom on the other side is incredible. Borrow less, start early, commit a set amount, and stay consistent. If you want help thinking through the financial side of becoming a PA, we are happy to talk it through with you.
Pre-PA Counseling → https://www.thepaplatform.com/services/pre-pa-counseling/
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