What is the "New Grad Student Loan Playbook" webinar about?
The “New Grad Student Loan Playbook” is an annual webinar by VIN and VIN Foundation aimed at providing information and guidance to graduating veterinarians regarding their student loans and repayment options.
With the rapidly changing student loan landscape, each graduating class faces new and different challenges. Some of the most consequential mistakes happen during the initial phase of student loan repayment.
The most recent webinar, held on May 7th, 2025, covered topics such as whether to file a 2024 tax return, the implications of consolidating loans, choosing the right repayment plan, and whether using a signing bonus to pay down loans during the grace period is a good idea.
During the recent 2025 New Grad Student Loan Playbook webinar, there were many questions asked and covered during live session.
Here is a summary of the FAQs and hot topics covered. Due to the number of questions asked during the webinar, each topic has a dedicated page of FAQs:
Additional topics and their FAQs coming soon:
Income-driven repayment plans (IDR)
Parent PLUS loans
Grad PLUS loans
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
Tax considerations
Dr. Tony Bartels graduated in 2012 from the Colorado State University combined MBA/DVM program and is an employee of the Veterinary Information Network (VIN) and a VIN Foundation Board member. He and his wife have more than $400,000 in veterinary-school debt that they manage using federal income-driven repayment plans. By necessity (and now obsession), his professional activities include researching and speaking on veterinary-student debt, providing guidance to colleagues on loan-repayment strategies and contributing to VIN Foundation initiatives.
