Will my debt follow me to the grave? Maybe.

Happy back-to-school season!

I hope you are taking advantage of all the back-to-school sales; I know I am, and I don’t even have kids. Seeing everyone prepare for school brings back memories of college at North Carolina A&T State University – all the good and bad times.

Being a broke college student = the bad times.

My friends and I joked about our then-brokeness and would say things like, “I’m eating sleep for dinner tonight” or “I’m gonna make my own fun this weekend, because I can’t afford y’alls’ fun.”

Working two jobs, skipping meals and avoiding socializing shouldn’t be the norm for college students, but it is – they should be able to learn in an environment free of financial strain or stress. While I can’t and don’t know how to provide all of the solutions, I will say if you know a college student who might be in a financial pickle and are having a hard time feeding themselves, please advise them to check out their on-campus food pantry. Many institutions have them, but plenty of students aren’t aware of all of the free food and resources their on-campus pantry can provide them.

Keep reading as I dive into what happens with your student loan debt when you die and how you can use the bathroom in big cities without having to purchase something first.

We are getting morbid this week but stick with me, because knowing what happens with your debt when you die is important. But thankfully, student loans won’t follow you to the grave unlike a lot of other debt.

Here’s what you should know about your student loan debt after your death.

Federal student loans

If you have federal student loans, the U.S. Department of Education will cancel your debt when you die, but your loved ones will have to submit your death certificate to your loan servicer in order to get the debt canceled.

This discharge applies to any federal direct subsidized, unsubsidized, parent PLUS and Perkins loans.

Private student loans

Private student loans do not have the same…