How to Save for Your Kids’ College While Paying Personal Student Loans

Based on current college tuition rates, CNN estimates that students who are in-state residents at a public four-year school will spend about $57,000 to obtain an undergraduate degree (assuming that they graduate in four years). Students who attend a private non-profit college will spend nearly $105,000 to obtain a four-year degree.

As if those price tags weren’t daunting enough for parents who will send their kids off to school one day, a recent NBC News/GenForward survey reveals that 36% of millennials have lingering student loan debt of their own to pay off. While tackling existing student loan debt and saving money to help your children avoid taking on too much college debt of their own can seem a bit daunting, parents can strategically work towards both of these goals in tandem.

Here are tips on how to begin lowering and paying student loans, while saving for your kids' college.

Calculate Your Student Loan Balance and Interest

The first step to eliminating any kind of debt is knowing how much you owe, to whom, and how much it costs to carry the balance. If you have Federal student loans (like Stafford, PLUS, and Perkins), you can find your account information for them, including the balance and interest rates, in the National Student Loan Data System. If you have private student loans, pull a copy of your free annual credit report to see private loan creditor information, and balance details. Create a list or master document to track each of your student loans, including how much you owe on each, the monthly minimum payment amount, loan terms, interest rate, and whether the rate is fixed or variable.

Explore Repayment Options

If you have Federal student loans, research whether you may qualify for any types of modified repayment or debt forgiveness options. If you have private student loans, good credit, and steady income, you may qualify to refinance the loans for a lower interest rate. That could mean more of the money you pay towards your debt goes to the balance, rather than the interest rate charges.

Pay Your Highest-Interest Student Loans First

It’s smart to be concerned about saving for your child’s future education, but the interest you’re currently paying on high-interest students loans costs you money each month and may be higher than any returns you may realize from a tool like a 529 savings plan. Make paying your student loan balances a financial priority, and take advantage of tools like Fifth Third Momentum^® free checking account, which automatically rounds up your debit card purchases to the nearest dollar or by a full dollar, and applies the difference to your student loan balance to make a dent in your debt, little by little.

Identify a Student Loan Balance You’d Like to Reach

Whether your goal is to reduce your debt to a specific dollar amount or to minimize the number of student loan balances you have, identifying a debt-reduction goal helps you stay focused on your mission, and signals a tangible point at which you can feel financially comfortable setting money aside for your child’s college (even if you still have some of your own debt to pay off).

Choose Your Savings Plan

It’s always wise to diversify your assets when you’re saving for a big financial goal like your child’s college. Our calculators can help you determine how to save for college using a variety of tools, including a section 529 plan, a Coverdell ESA, a UGMA/UTMA account and/or a taxable account.

Fifth Third Bank is also here to help you save through our accounts and solutions. Explore our Savings Account Options from and learn how our accounts and financial advisors can assist you with your goal of saving for your kids’ college tuition. 

Determine How Much You Can Afford to Save

Calculate how much you’ll need to save for your child’s college using one of our calculators. Establish automatic transfers either monthly or from each paycheck to the savings or investments accounts you'll use to build your child's savings to encourage consistent contributions. As you pay down student loans, you may find that you can gradually put more money into your child’s account.

Managing Student Loans with Fifth Third Bank

Fifth Third provides support for those who are looking to manage their current or future student loans. For more advice on how to pay off your own student debt or saving for your child’s future, explore our Student Loans page or contact a Fifth Third banker near you today.