Can I buy a house if I still have student loan debt?

Yes — millions of buyers carry student loans and still qualify. What matters is your debt-to-income ratio, not whether you have student debt at all. Lenders include your monthly student loan payment in your back-end DTI, so the size of that payment is key. For loans in deferment or on income-driven repayment showing $0, different loan types handle it differently: FHA and conventional guidelines may require lenders to count a percentage of the balance (often around 0.5%–1%) as a hypothetical payment, which can hurt your ratios. To strengthen your application, lower other monthly debts, document your actual payment, or consider a repayment plan with a manageable monthly amount. A bigger down payment also reduces your housing payment and DTI. See how your debts affect your budget at wealthserene.com/tools/home-affordability.