The payment reminder arrives monthly like clockwork, demanding hundreds or thousands of dollars for an education that sometimes feels like it happened to someone else. You thought your degree would open doors to financial freedom, but instead, it opened the door to decades of debt payments. The interest compounds while your starting salary disappoints, and you wonder if you’ll ever break free from this financial anchor around your neck.
If you’re struggling with student loan debt, you’re carrying more than just a financial burden. There’s shame about the choices you made, anxiety about the future, and sometimes regret about pursuing education at all. Friends without loans seem to move freely through life while you calculate every purchase against your monthly payment obligations. The debt feels like a prison sentence with no clear release date.
But debt doesn’t define your worth or limit God’s plans for your life. Scripture speaks directly to the realities of debt, financial struggle, and the path to freedom. These verses won’t magically erase your loan balance, but they offer hope, wisdom, and perspective for the journey toward financial freedom while you work through the practical steps of repayment and restoration.
Bible Verses About Dealing with Student Loan Debt
1. Romans 13:8 – Owe No One Anything
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Proverbs 22:7 – The Borrower Is Slave to the Lender
The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Luke 14:28 – Count the Cost
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Philippians 4:19 – God Will Meet All Your Needs
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Proverbs 21:5 – The Plans of the Diligent Lead to Profit
The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit, but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Matthew 6:26 – Look at the Birds of the Air
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Ecclesiastes 5:5 – Better Not to Vow Than to Vow and Not Pay
Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Psalm 37:21 – The Wicked Borrow and Do Not Repay
The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. Proverbs 6:1-5 – Free Yourself Like a Gazelle
Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, if you’ve impulsively promised the shirt off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold, friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You’re in that man’s clutches! Go, put on a face, take hold of his coattails and don’t let go until he releases you.
The Message (MSG)
10. 2 Kings 4:7 – Go, Sell the Oil and Pay Your Debts
Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Nehemiah 5:4-5 – We Have Borrowed Money
There were others who said, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.”
New English Translation (NET)
12. Deuteronomy 15:6 – You Will Lend to Many Nations
When the Lord your God blesses you as He has promised you, then you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Proverbs 27:14 – Do Not Guarantee Another’s Debt
Don’t be quick to guarantee someone else’s loan—you might get trapped by what you say.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Luke 6:34-35 – Lend Without Expecting Back
And if you lend only to those from whom you hope to get the money back, why should you receive a blessing? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount! No! Love your enemies and do good to them; lend and expect nothing back.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. 1 Timothy 6:10 – The Love of Money Is a Root of All Evil
The love of money causes all kinds of trouble. Some people want money so much that they have given up their faith and caused themselves a lot of pain.
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Habakkuk 2:6 – Woe to Him Who Increases What Is Not His
Won’t all of these ridicule him with mocking scorn? They will say, ‘How terrible it will be for the one who accumulates what isn’t his and makes himself rich with loans! How long will this go on?’
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Matthew 18:27 – The Master Was Moved with Compassion
Then the master of that servant, moved with compassion, released him and forgave him the debt.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Proverbs 11:15 – Whoever Puts Up Security Suffers
Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. Romans 4:4 – To One Who Works, Wages Are Not a Gift
Now to him who works, the pay is not counted as grace, but as something owed.
World English Bible (WEB)
20. Psalm 112:5 – Good Comes to Those Who Lend Generously
Good cometh to him that dealeth graciously and lendeth; He shall maintain his cause in judgment.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. Matthew 5:42 – Give to One Who Asks You
Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Deuteronomy 24:10-11 – When You Make a Loan
When you make any kind of loan to your neighbor, you shall not enter the house to take the pledge. You shall wait outside, and the one to whom you make the loan shall bring the pledge out to you.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Isaiah 55:1 – Come, Buy Wine and Milk Without Money
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. Luke 7:42 – He Frankly Forgave Them Both
And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Proverbs 17:18 – Lacks Sense Who Shakes Hands in Pledge
A man lacking heart is striking hands, A surety he becometh before his friend.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. 2 Corinthians 8:12 – According to What One Has
For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Exodus 22:25 – If You Lend Money to My People
If you lend money to any of My people, to the poor among you, you must not act toward him as a creditor; you must not charge him interest.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Deuteronomy 23:19 – You Shall Not Charge Interest
Thou schalt not leene to thi brother to vsurie money, neither wheete, nethir ony other thing, but to an alien.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. Leviticus 25:35-37 – Do Not Take Interest from Him
Moreouer, if thy brother be impouerished, and fallen in decay with thee, thou shalt relieue him, and as a stranger and soiourner, so shall he liue with thee. Thou shalt take no vsurie of him, nor vantage, but thou shalt feare thy God, that thy brother may liue with thee.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. 1 Kings 4:7 – Solomon Had Twelve Officers
And Salomon had twelue officers ouer all Israel, which prouided vitailes for the kyng and his housholde: eche man his moneth in a yere made prouision.
Bishop’s Bible
31. Matthew 18:23-27 – The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Therefore is the kyngdome of heven lykened vnto a certayne kynge, which wolde take a comptes of his seruauntes. And when he had begone to recken, one was brought vnto him, which ought him ten thousande talentes.
Tyndale Bible
32. Philemon 1:18 – If He Has Wronged You or Owes You
If he has harmed you in any way or stolen anything from you, charge me for it.
The Living Bible (TLB)
33. Isaiah 61:1 – Good News to the Poor
The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
34. Luke 4:18 – He Has Sent Me to Proclaim Freedom
The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
35. 2 Corinthians 9:8 – God Is Able to Bless You Abundantly
God is able to bless you with more than enough of everything. You will always have all you need for yourselves. And you will have enough left over to give when someone else needs help.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About Student Loan Debt
Scripture takes debt seriously, consistently presenting it as a form of bondage that limits freedom and creates stress. The biblical ideal clearly leans toward debt-free living, with multiple warnings about the dangers of borrowing and the wisdom of avoiding financial obligations that can trap you. However, the Bible also acknowledges that debt sometimes happens and provides guidance for managing it responsibly.
What encourages me most about Scripture’s approach to debt is its balance of personal responsibility with divine provision. Yes, we’re called to pay what we owe and work diligently toward freedom, but we’re also reminded that God cares about our financial struggles and can provide unexpected solutions. The Bible shows examples of supernatural debt relief while also emphasizing the importance of integrity, hard work, and wise planning.
Scripture doesn’t shame people for educational investment, but it does warn against unwise borrowing and encourages careful consideration before taking on debt. The focus shifts from regret about past decisions to faithful stewardship moving forward, trusting God’s provision while taking practical steps toward financial freedom.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father, this student loan debt feels like a heavy weight that I carry everywhere I go. What started as an investment in my future now feels like a prison that limits my choices and steals my peace. I confess that I may not have counted the cost carefully enough before borrowing, and I need Your wisdom for the path forward.
Help me approach this debt with integrity and determination rather than despair or avoidance. Give me creative ideas for increasing my income and reducing my expenses so I can pay more than the minimum each month. Open doors for better employment opportunities and help me use my education wisely to build a career that can support both my needs and my obligations.
When I feel overwhelmed by the size of the debt or discouraged by slow progress, remind me that You are bigger than any financial challenge I face. Help me trust Your provision while being faithful with the resources You’ve given me. Most importantly, don’t let this debt steal my joy or distract me from the purposes You have for my life.
Guide me toward complete financial freedom in Your perfect timing.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.