BestWaytoPayOff30000StudentLoans

Thirty thousand in student loans is the line where most of your monthly minimum is interest. On a 10-year standard repayment, the first three years bleed about $1,500 in interest annually — interest paid before any principal moves. The portal updates the balance once a month and the number you see at the start is approximately the number you see at the end. It is doing its job.

Avalanche is the right method on $30,000 of student loans, especially if your portfolio mixes subsidized (~4.5%) and unsubsidized or PLUS loans (6.5-7.9%). Send every extra dollar to the highest-rate loan until it is zero, then cascade. On a typical mix the savings versus Snowball are $800-1,500 over the full payoff. Snowball is defensible only if your smallest loan is under $3,000 and finishing it would unlock psychological momentum.

On $30,000 at a blended 5.8% with a standard 10-year term, the minimum is about $329/month and total interest runs $9,500. Adding $200/month extra cuts the payoff to 79 months and $6,400 interest — over three years of post-graduation life back, and $3,100 not paid to the servicer.

Pre-loaded with a typical 3-loan student portfolio totaling $30,000. Your numbers stay on your device — no bank login, no servicer integration. The math runs locally — see the methodology. Adjust the rates and balances to match your actual federal student aid summary.

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