Financial GPS

Financial GPS · for students and parents together

Can we, as a family, afford it?

Two parts. First, can the family cover four years of cost under the new loan limits? Then, can everyone carry the payments afterward, including if the parents can’t pay?

Our answer

Start over

Step 1 · Paying for school

Step 1: paying for school

Azusa Pacific University reports no net price by family income, so this tool can’t build a plan for paying for school. Step 2 uses the debt that’s typical at this school.

Step 2 · Paying it back

Step 2: paying it back

Azusa Pacific University’s median student debt and median Parent PLUS balance. Private loans aren’t in federal data.

Student
$23,219 federal: $264 a month over 10 years.
Parents
$26,000 Parent PLUS: $330 a month on the 10-year yardstick, billed $265 a month over 15 years.

All fields at Azusa Pacific University: typical pay of $71,925 four years after graduating. Basic expenses: $23,940 a year (150% of the 2026 poverty line, one person).

AEach pays their own

Student

10-year payment
$264/mo
Share of pay above basic expenses
6.6%Excellent
Each month, before tax
$3,735 left

Parents

10-year payment
$330/mo
Share of income above basic expenses
14.0%High pressure
Each month, before tax
$2,033 left

BWe pool it

Both incomes and both payments in one family budget: $264 + $330 a month together.

Share of both incomes above basic expenses
9.3%
Each month, before tax
$5,768 left

Pooled, the family covers both with $5,768 a month left.

CThe student pays everything

If the parents can’t pay, the student takes on both: $264 + $330 a month.

Student

Share of pay above basic expenses
14.9%Concerning
Each month, before tax
$3,405 left

Parents

Each month, before tax
$2,363 left
0%

Student pays 0% of the Parent PLUS payment: the student pays $264 a month ($3,735 left), and the parents pay $330 ($2,033 left). At 0%, the parents pay all of their Parent PLUS.

The loan stays in the parent’s name whoever pays it.

Change an answer

For a household of three: two adults and one child at home.

$0
Parents can take Parent PLUS
Student’s earnings four years out

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How these loans work now

New Parent PLUS has no income-based plan and no Public Service Loan Forgiveness: the standard plan’s payment is the payment.

Its length depends on what you owe when repayment starts, including deferred interest: 10 years under $25,000, 15 under $50,000, 20 under $100,000, 25 above.

Already repaying Parent PLUS for an older child? A new loan moves those onto the new standard plan too.

Loans made from July 2027 can’t be paused for unemployment or hardship.

The student’s federal loans can use RAP, which is based on income. Private loans have no income-based plan.

10-year payment at 2026-2027 federal rates (6.52% undergraduate, 1.057% fee): a yardstick, not a repayment plan. Federal loans treated as unsubsidized, with interest from each disbursement until repayment starts six months after graduating. Private loans deferred in school at the chosen rate, repaid over 10 years. Earnings: College Scorecard median four years after graduating; half earn less. Basic expenses: 150% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for one person, a national figure that doesn’t reflect local costs. Sources: College Scorecard via Azimuth; Federal Student Aid; HHS. Parent PLUS at 9.07% with a 4.228% fee, deferred while the student is enrolled. Parents’ basic expenses: 200% of the 2026 guideline for a household of three. Net price: the school’s reported averages by family income, estimated between bands.