"This Isn’t a New Secret" — Guy Shares Hack for Not Paying Back Student Loans

If you’re one of the 42.7 million student loan borrowers who still owes money (yes, that stat comes straight from the U.S. Department of Education), then you're technically responsible for a chunk of the $1.6 trillion student debt pile (don’t worry, I’m guilty too). And if that’s the case, you’ve probably been looking for a way to avoid repaying those beastly loans (guilty again!).

Sure, there’s always deferment, though that usually means interest keeps piling up, or you could let the debt fall into the hands of a collections agency, but then you’re sacrificing your credit score. But there’s also this hack that TikTok user @thenormaljeane5, who goes by NormaJeane, has shared, which he thinks will ensure he never has to pay back his student loans. Here’s a breakdown of his plan, the pitfalls he might run into, and, surprisingly, why it just might work.

So, NormaJeane on TikTok thinks he’s found the solution to never paying back his student loans. Here’s the plan, and then I’ll get into why it might not work, plus a few success stories from people who say their family members have actually pulled it off.

NormaJeane says he’s currently working on his doctorate and plans to "be milking those student loan refund checks throughout the process," while "of course doing the work authentically."

Once he graduates in about two and a half years, he says, "I’m going to continue going to college for the rest of my life." His plan is to pay out of pocket for two classes per semester, essentially six credits, at least two semesters a year.

He estimates he’ll spend about $2,000 max annually, including books, but plans to take advantage of the Lifetime Learning Credit on his tax return to get $1,000 back. That means he’d only be paying around $1,000 a year, while continuing to earn associate degrees indefinitely.

Basically, he’ll just keep going and going, racking up both debt and degrees, but never technically having to pay the loans back because he’ll stay enrolled in school. So, it seems NormaJeane is planning to use student loans to get him through med school, and then, rather than start paying the money back, he’ll just stay in school.

Presumably, he won’t take on any more debt, but he’ll maintain his ability to defer repayment, since, generally, federal student loans are deferred as long as you’re enrolled at least half-time.

Not a bad idea, but what happens if he doesn’t qualify for the Lifetime Learning Credit, or if it eventually gets phased out? And then there’s the question of commitment.

What if he gets burned out from enrolling year after year just to dodge repayment? Maybe he can avoid all of that if the doctorate he’s working toward lands him a job that actually helps cover the loans.

Now, NormaJeane isn’t the first to suggest this and certainly not the first to try it. One person shared that their professor took the same route and ended up owing over $800,000. He still hadn’t paid a cent and was somehow still enrolled. But not everyone gets that lucky. Another commenter pointed out a potential pitfall — earning a doctorate can disqualify you from deferring loans altogether.

Still, there are stories of people pulling it off. One user said their dad managed to finesse the system and never paid a dime. He passed away at 56 with multiple degrees under his belt, including a doctorate. So, it seems like NormaJeane might be onto something, but whether it's worth considering is a whole other question.