Bengaluru woman, an ISB graduate, explains why it took her 8 years to pay her Rs 43 lakh education loan: ‘I started earning in 22…’

Paying off education loans is very difficult. For one Bengaluru woman, it took her eight years to pay off a loan. Arpitha Rao had to bypass several financial hurdles, personal financial difficulties, and the challenges of motherhood to finally be free of debt and pay off her loan. After clearing her Rs 43 lakh education loan, Arpitha took her three and a half year old son to the bank to witness her personal milestone. She wanted to inculcate the value of financial independence from childhood.

Taking to LinkedIn, Rao shared her journey. She explained why it took her so long to pay off her loans. She revealed that her father stopped supporting her financially when she was just 18. Her sister gave her pocket money in college. She started earning at 22.

Over her career, she accumulated experience in various fields, such as education, gender equality, climate action, energy transition, circular economy, and the broader social impact arena. Her duties included guiding funding organizations and leaders of institutions.


Rao also explored entrepreneurship, but her experience involved a failed business, difficult professional connections, and important lessons learned from collaborating with an ill-suited founding team. Despite these challenges, she kept experimenting, reconstructing her career, exploring various paths, taking measured risks, and sustaining her earnings.

She ultimately succeeded in becoming entirely free of debt. After achieving this financial milestone, Rao is now launching an independent coaching and consulting practice, signifying a new era of professional independence and personal freedom.

She said she hoped her son would grow up valuing financial independence and the importance of earning and being financially solvent.

As per her LinkedIn profile, Arpitha is a consulting director at Sagana, a financial services firm.