15/05/2026
Many students today are starting their careers with ₹30–40 lakh education loans.
And in many cases, the parents never expected it would reach that stage.
Every year around admission season, I meet families who say:
“We will somehow manage when the time comes.”
And honestly, that approach worked reasonably well years ago when education costs were far more manageable.
Today, the numbers are very different.
Whether it is engineering, medicine, overseas education, specialised courses or even coaching classes, the cost of education has increased sharply over the last decade. For many families now, children’s education is becoming one of the biggest financial goals they will handle in their lifetime.
What I have noticed is that the intention is almost always there.
Parents are willing to make sacrifices for their children.
The difficulty is usually timing.
Planning often starts when the child is already in Class 10, 11 or 12. At that stage, there is very little time left for the money to grow meaningfully.
The next thought then becomes:
“We can always take an education loan.”
And education loans absolutely have a role to play when required.
But what many families don’t fully think through is what happens after the degree is completed.
A young person starts their working life with repayment obligations already in place. In some cases, this affects early financial decisions for years — changing jobs, pursuing further studies, moving abroad, starting something independently, or even building basic savings.
A course costing ₹10 lakh today may cost substantially more 10–12 years later. That is why waiting for “income to improve later” becomes difficult in long-term goals like education.
Good planning for children’s education is not about creating pressure around money.
It is about ensuring that opportunities are available when the time comes — without creating unnecessary financial strain later for either parents or children.
