Assistance with Student loan / Opintolaina that never seems to go away

[AndreyKR]

Hello guys!

As I'm pretty sure many of you here, I came to Finland to study, back in the days.

2015-2019 I was studying International Business (BBA, AMK, did not graduate).

2020-2022 Business IT (BBA, AMK, graduated with 210 cr).

Unfortunately during that time and having poor financial skills, I have managed to accumulate 14 000+ in student loans.

Since 2022 I've been working, and I can proudly say that I've paid ~4 000 out of my own salary. So the debt is closer to 10k now.

However, it feels like month after month the debt just keeps hanging over my head. So I wanted to ask if there is any assistance or partial compensation program to make it easier.

I've applied to the 40% off debt program, arguing that the degree where I graduated (BITE), I graduated in 2 years only. However they say that total time was 6 years so no luck.

Any advice?

Thank you,

[Mariza]

I can totally relate to the stress of student loans, especially when they feel like they're constantly hanging over you. I had a similar situation after finishing my studies and dealing with loans for a while. One thing that really helped me was getting in touch with my loan provider to see if they could offer lower payments or more flexible terms, especially since I had a bit of financial hardship too. I also used a budgeting tool to get a clearer picture of where my money was going each month, which made it feel less overwhelming. It’s also worth checking if there are any government programs or relief options for your situation—it’s not always advertised, but sometimes they have new initiatives that can help.