When you borrow to get an education, you invest in a valuable asset. You do so with the hope that it will boost your career prospects, your quality of life, and your future pay packet. Putting a dollar value on your earning potential will help you determine if borrowing for your qualification is money well spent.

The loan is a contract between you and the lender, where you agree to pay it back. In most cases, choosing a loan is fairly cut-and-dried. You'll need to find a lender, complete the paperwork of application and wait for approval. There is no getting out of this, and it will not be written off if you go overseas. Only your death or bankruptcy writes off the loan, so it pays to take it seriously.

Some of the more popular types of loans are Stafford, Perkins, HEAL, and PLUS loans. Student loans are substantially subsidized by the government which carry low interest rates. As a result, you do not significantly add to the debt principal by paying it off over the term of the loan.

Be wary to borrow only what you need. The more you borrow, the more you have to pay back. To determine how much money you'll need for your education, calculate your study costs and your living costs. Study costs are the costs you incur as part of your course. This includes the course fee