Impacts of student debt on the professional and personal lives of genetic counselors: A 10-year perspective

The financial landscape for those entering the genetic counseling profession has shifted significantly regarding salaries and educational costs since the 2014 study by Kuhl et al. Limited information is available regarding whether and how educational costs and student debt impacts have changed over time for genetic counselors. An updated web-based survey of 317 recent genetic counseling program graduates was conducted to address this gap. Overall, educational costs, total debt, and salaries showed increases from the prior study, and many factors measuring the impact of genetic counseling graduate student debt showed little to no change. Ninety-six percent (n = 222/232) of respondents still reported feeling burdened by their student debt, and 45% (n = 105/232) reported experiencing more hardship than anticipated, though most respondents were once again satisfied with their genetic counseling education. Student debt influenced many lifestyle choices to a strikingly similar degree, and a large majority still said that this debt did not change their career path post-graduation. Several factors did not significantly impact reported hardship, including having received financial help from family members or financial counseling before starting a genetic counseling program. Total debt and starting salaries had medians of $50,000 to $75,000 and $70,000 to $75,000, respectively, again exceeding expert recommendations that student debt payments do not surpass 10% of the borrower's projected gross monthly income. These results suggest ongoing burden and hardship caused by student debt and similar impacts on professional and personal life choices compared to a decade ago. In response to these ongoing issues, we suggest ways to alleviate this burden and increase financial transparency and access to the profession for future cohorts.