Should I »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â off my student ÂßÉÕ¶â before I buy my first home?

I would like some advice regarding my student ÂßÉÕ¶â. I only went to university for one year, so don't have as much ÉéºÄ as if I had ´°Á´¤Ë¤¹¤ëd the ½½Ê¬¤Ê course.

I went to university between 2017 and 2018 which means that I am on the student ÊÖºÑ ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë type 2. The Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ is ¸½ºß¡¿°ìÈÌ¤Ë 7.7 per cent.

I borrowed ¡ò9,000 for tuition and my °Ý»ý¡¿À°È÷ ÂßÉÕ¶â was around ¡ò3,000, but after Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ my balance is now ¡ò17,792.89. Last year, ¡ò1108.02 Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ was Äɲ乤ëd.

I started my first ¿¦¶È with a ¹Ô¤¦ over the ÊÖºÑ threshold in July 2023 and have been »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing off ¡ò9 per month, the automatically deducted ÎÌ, since then.

I've also been saving for many years and have finally got enough for a deposit on my first home. However, now I am ¿³µÄing whether this is the best use of my money.

> Read: Why ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ÀìÌç²Ès say you should NOT »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â off a big student ÂßÉÕ¶â

Our reader's dilemma: Should they clear their student debt or buy a house?

Our reader's µçÃÏ: Should they ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ their student ÉéºÄ or buy a house?

I have come up with four ÁªÂòs. Which is the best??

1) Put off buying a house for now and use my Ãù¶â to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â off my student ÂßÉÕ¶â in ½½Ê¬¤Ê

2) Put off buying a house and »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â a lump sum ÎÌ into my student ÂßÉÕ¶â

3) Continue to just »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶⠡ò9 per month and buy a home

4) Overpay where I can, as ¡Ä¤ËÈ¿ÂФ¹¤ëd to saving the money

> Read: How long will it take you to ÊÖ¤¹ your student ÂßÉÕ¶â on your ¸½ºß¤Î salary?

Ed Magnus of This is Money replies:?Student ÂßÉÕ¶â ÊÖºÑs are a problem ³ôd by many young people these days.

The problem was?°­²½¤µ¤»¤ëd in 2012 when ÎÁ¶âs jumped from ³µÎ¬¤Ç ¡ò3,000 to ¡ò9,000 per academic year.?

How much you ÊÖ¤¹ depends on your income before ÀǶâ and what ÂßÉն⠷ײè¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë you're on. You'll then ÊÖ¤¹ a ɴʬΨ of your income over a »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë income 'threshold.'?

Those on ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë 2 like you, who went to university between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023, start to ÊÖ¤¹ their ÂßÉÕ¶â once their income is more than ¡ò27,295 a year.

All undergraduates, ´Ø¤ï¤ê¤Ê¤¯ the ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë they're on, »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â 9 per cent of their income over the threshold.

The level of Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£?has been based on the ¾®Çä Price º÷°ú Ψ of ¥¤¥ó¥Õ¥ì¡¼¥·¥ç¥ó (RPI) rather than the ¾ÃÈñ¼Ô Price º÷°ú (¾ÃÈñ¼Ôʪ²Á»Ø¿ô), which is more °ìÈÌŪ¤Ë used.

Fortunately, when RPI jumped to 13.5 per cent in March 2023, the À¯ÉÜ introduced a cap of 7.6 per cent for all ÂßÉÕ¶âs. However, that's a very ¹â¶âÍø - and?certainly more than you can ¸½ºß¡¿°ìÈÌ¤Ë earn from a Ãù¶â account.

It is Íý²ò¤Ç¤­¤ë that to Èò¤±¤ë ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ ÃßÀѤ¹¤ëing you would ideally want to »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â it off sooner.

But if that means ±ä´ü¤¹¤ëing buying your first home, it rather Ê£»¨¤Ë¤¹¤ës »öÊÁs.?

While the Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ may ÃßÀѤ¹¤ë on the student ÂßÉÕ¶â, house prices also tend to rise over the long ¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍѸì, which means that ±ä´ü¤¹¤ëing your home buying ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës could also ·ë¶ÉºÇ¸å¤Ë¤Ï¡¼¤Ê¤ë costing you more in the long run.

For ÀìÌç²È ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î advice, we spoke to Holly Tomlinson, ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î planner at the wealth ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í, Quilter and?Jack Munday, partner and ¼Ú¤êÀڤ롿·û¾Ïd ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î planner at the wealth ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í, Saltus.?

What the ÀìÌç²Ès say...

Holly Tomlinson replies:?Although this query is ÆÃ¤Ë about a student ÂßÉÕ¶â, it Âåɽ¤¹¤ës one of the most frequently asked ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î questions: should you ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ a ÉéºÄ or buy a house??

Many people ľÌ̤¹¤ë the predicament of not ¸ºß able to save for a home, without throwing in the Äɲ乤ëd ½Å²Ù¡Ê¤òÉé¤ï¤»¤ë¡Ë of Áý²Ã¤¹¤ëing student ÂßÉÕ¶â costs.

As a general »ÙÇÛ¤¹¤ë of thumb, we are taught as ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ½õ¸À¼Ôs to look at a ¡ÊÊÛ¸î»Î¤Î¡Ë°ÍÍê¿Ís' needs in an order of Í¥Àès, with ÉéºÄs ¸ºß the first need to ±éÀâ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë¡¿½»½ê in an ideal world.?

Expert: Holly T
omlinson , financial planner at the wealth manager, Quilter

ÀìÌç²È: Holly Tomlinson , ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î planner at the wealth ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í, Quilter

In reality many people see a ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º as their most important ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î ´ê˾¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë. Not only does it get you on the ÁýÂ礹¤ëing ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º ladder, but also ½üµî¤¹¤ës the prospect of »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing rent, which many see as money É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë the drain.?

It is important to remember that a student ÂßÉÕ¶â it is not like other types of ÉéºÄ.?

For example, a student ÂßÉÕ¶â does not appear on your credit ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£° - though it can ¾×·â mortgage affordability.?

Îà»÷¤·¤Æ, depending on what ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë you are on the ÉéºÄ will be written off after between 25 and 40 years.

When deciding which way to turn, looking ÆÃ¤Ë at the ÁªÂòs you have ¸½ºß¤Îd I would consider the ¤Ë°ú¤­Â³¤¤¤Æ:

1) Put off buying a house and »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â off the student ÂßÉÕ¶â in ½½Ê¬¤Ê: This is a fantastic ÁªÂò to stop »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ on a ÉéºÄ that isn't ¸º¾¯¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing.?

ÆÃ¤Ë as the Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ Ψ on the ÂßÉÕ¶â is higher than the ¸½ºß¤Î ÉáÄ̤Ρ¿Ê¿¶Ñ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë ɴʬΨ growth of general cash Ãù¶â accounts and the ɴʬΨ growth on ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º in the last 12 months.

2)?Put off buying a house and »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â off a lump sum of the ÂßÉÕ¶â: If you have the ´ð¶âs to ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ this student ÂßÉÕ¶â in ½½Ê¬¤Ê then this is a sensib le ÁªÂò as any money sat in a cash Ãù¶â account is ¤¢¤ê¤½¤¦¤â¤Ê¤¤ to make enough Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ to Êä½þ¤¹¤ë for the 7 per cent Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ ¸ºß ŬÍѤ¹¤ëd to the ÂßÉÕ¶â.?

However, if a ÉôʬŪ¤Ê¡¿ÉÔÊ¿Åù¤Ê »Ùʧ¤¤¡Ê³Û¡Ë can only be made this would still be sensible considering the same theory.

3) Continue to just »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶⠡ò9 per month - or overpay where you can - and buy a home: ŬÍѤ¹¤ëing the same theory as discussed before, ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ing the student ÂßÉÕ¶â as soon as possible would Íø±× you more in the long run, even though this might mean putting dreams of buying a house on ice for the time ¸ºß.

A caveat which is sensible to ÂѤ¨¤ë in mind is whether you would be »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing rent instead of a mortgage if you didn't buy a ½êͭʪ¡¿»ñ»º¡¿ºâ»º and ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹d the ÂßÉÕ¶â.?

If so, it's important to consider how much the rent would be and the 'wasted' money that would ŬÍѤ¹¤ë in this instance.?

It is then possible to work out what would look better on a ·îËè¤Î basis - renting or owning - and if ¹ØÆþ¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing the house as a Í¥Àè and ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹ing the student ÂßÉÕ¶â second would work out better from a ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î viewpoint.

?

Jack Munday replies:?The most Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ing thing about this ¥·¥Ê¥ê¥ª is that it ºÇ¹âĬ¤Î¾ìÌÌs the importance of behaviours and emotion when it comes to identifying your own µÒ´ÑŪ¤Ês and drivers.?

In this ¾õ¶·¡¿¾ðÀª, there is a ½½»úÏ©¡¿´ôÏ© of »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶âing off student ÉéºÄ or taking on mortgage ÉéºÄ.?

Expert:?Jack Munday , partner and chartered financial planner at the wealth manager, Saltus

ÀìÌç²È:?Jack Munday , partner and ¼Ú¤êÀڤ롿·û¾Ïd ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î planner at the wealth ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í, Saltus

Both are forms of ÉéºÄ, but the ·èÄêŪ¤Ê difference is what is perceived as 'good ÉéºÄ' versus what is seen as 'bad ÉéºÄ.'

The ³µÇ° of student ÂßÉÕ¶âs ¸ºß a 'good ÉéºÄ' is typically because they are designed to µö¤¹ a ÃÅ¡¦¹ËÎΡ¦¸øÌó to ²þÁ±¤¹¤ë ¿¦¶È prospects and ¼ýÆþs.?

There is also a ¤¢¤ê¤Õ¤ì¤¿ belief that student ÂßÉÕ¶âs do not ±Æ¶Á¤¹¤ë¡¿´¶¾ð your borrowing ability, however, this is a bit of a red herring.?

It is true that student ÂßÉÕ¶âs do not show on a credit ÆÀÅÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë¡¿£²£°, unless you have ¹ÔÊýÉÔÌÀ¤Ë¤Ê¤ëd »Ùʧ¤¤¡Ê³Û¡Ës, and this is one of the biggest factors with a mortgage.?

However, the ÊÖºÑs will be factored into a mortgage Âߤ¹¿Í's affordability ·×»»¡¿¸«ÀѤês, and at the end of the day, almost all ºâÀ¯¾å¤Î µÒ´ÑŪ¤Ês and ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ës boil É餫¤¹¡¿·âÄƤ¹¤ë to affordability.

We do not yet know enough about the ¾õ¶·¡¿¾ðÀª to consider the best ·ë²Ì, but it's important to consider:

The ¿äÏÀ¤¹¤ë¡¿Íýͳ these factors are important is that mortgage ÉéºÄ is static, while student ÉéºÄ is on a »Ï¤á¤ë¡¤·è¤á¤ë »Ùʧ¤¤¡Ê³Û¡Ë schedule.?

ÊÖºÑ ·×²è¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë 2 means you do not »Ùʧ¤¦¡¿Ä¶â until you earn over ¡ ò27,295 per ǯ. After that, 9 per cent of your ¹Ô¤¦ above this level will be deducted - ¤¤¤Ä¤«s referred to as the 'uni ÀǶâ'.

Another thing to consider is whether the individual might take a career break in ̤Íè. If they did, the student ÂßÉÕ¶â ÊÖºÑs would stop but the mortgage ÊÖºÑs would continue.

ÊÖ¤¹ing the Íø±×¡¿¶½Ì£ on any ÂßÉÕ¶â will always ³Î¼Â¤Ë¤¹¤ë the final balance is ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹d faster. However, the mortgage versus student ÂßÉն⠿³µÄ will always be based on the longer ¾Î¤¹¤ë¡¤¸Æ¤Ö¡¿´ü´Ö¡¿ÍÑ¸ì µÒ´ÑŪ¤Ês of the individual and how they feel about ÉéºÄ.?

They should speak to a professional to discuss this and get ÌÀ³Î¤Ê¡¿ºÙÉô advice for their circumstances.