I have student loans

Explore common student loan repayment paths, refinancing, extra payments, and forgiveness-related research points.

Common options

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Standard repaymentLearn how it works

Income-driven repaymentLearn how it works

Student loan refinanceLearn how it works

Extra paymentsLearn how it works

These are common approaches people consider. Each has different requirements and tradeoffs.

Factors to compare

Loan type

Federal, private, subsidized, unsubsidized, or consolidated.

Payment

Scheduled payment, income-based payment, or extra payment amount.

Interest

Rate, accrual, capitalization, and payment application.

Benefits

Federal protections, forgiveness paths, deferment, or forbearance.

Term

Repayment length and payoff timing.

Tradeoffs

Monthly relief, total cost, flexibility, and borrower protections.

Educational notes

Details can vary by provider, location, eligibility, fees, taxes, and personal circumstances. Use calculators to explore different inputs and see how results change.

Common questions

Should I refinance federal student loans into a private loan?

Refinancing can lower your rate, but it replaces federal loans with a private loan, which usually means giving up federal protections like income-driven repayment and certain forgiveness programs. That tradeoff is worth weighing carefully.

Do extra payments always reduce total interest?

Extra payments applied to principal generally reduce total interest and can shorten the payoff timeline, but you may need to tell your servicer explicitly how to apply the extra amount, since some servicers apply it to future payments by default.

How do I know if I qualify for income-driven repayment?

Eligibility depends on your loan type, since only certain federal loans qualify, along with your income and family size. Federal Student Aid's website has current eligibility rules and an estimator for the different plans.

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