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Your student loan interest rate is a percentage that represents how much you’ll pay in interest charges each year — essentially the cost of borrowing money.
The interest rates on federal student loans are set by Congress and can change each year. For the 2021-22 academic year, the interest rates on federal Direct Loans will be rising.
Here’s what you should know about student loan interest rate increases:
- New federal rates for the 2021-2022 school year
- How federal rate changes affect your student loans
- Private student loan interest rates for the 2021-2022 school year
- How interest is calculated on private student loans
- COVID-19 and student loans
- How the new federal loan rates impact existing student loans
New federal rates for the 2021-2022 school year
Federal student loan interest rates are calculated each year based on the 10-year Treasury note rate. Here are the rates for the 2021-2022 academic year:
- Direct Subsidized Loans: 3.73%
- Direct Unsubsidized Loans (for undergraduate students): 3.73%
- Direct Unsubsidized Loans (for graduate and professional students): 5.28%
- Direct PLUS Loans: 6.28%
While these rates are higher compared to last year, they’re lower than the rates from the 2019-20 academic year. Here’s how the new rates compare to the past two years:
| Academic year | Direct Subsidized Loans | Direct Unsubsidized Loans | Direct PLUS loans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 3.73% | Undergrad: 3.73% Graduate and professional: 5.28% | 6.28% |
| 2020-21 | 2.75% | Undergrad: 2.75% Graduate and professional: 4.30% | 5.30% |
| 2019-20 | 4.53% | Undergrad: 4.53% Graduate and professional: 6.08% | 7.08% |
But if you’ve exhausted your federal loan and other financial aid options — such as scholarships and grants — then private student loans could help fill any financial gaps left over.
A rise in interest rates can impact how much you’ll pay over the life of a student loan. You can find out how much you’ll owe over the life of your federal or private student loans using our student loan calculator below.
Enter your loan information to calculate how much you could pay
With a $ loan, you will pay $ monthly and a total of $ in interest over the life of your loan. You will pay a total of $ over the life of the loan, assuming you're making full payments while in school.
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Learn More: Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Student Loans: Know the Difference
How federal rate changes affect your student loans
The new federal rates will apply to Direct Loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2021, and before July 1, 2022. If you already have federal student loans, your current interest rates likely won’t be affected by this change.
The government covers the interest on Direct Subsidized Loans while you’re in school. But if you have Direct Unsubsidized Loans or Direct PLUS Loans, you’re responsible for all of the interest that accrues on them.
Check Out: Federal vs. Private Student Loans: 5 Differences
Private student loan interest rates for the 2021-2022 school year
Here are the interest rates you can expect on private student loans from Credible’s partner lenders:
- Fixed rates from (APR): 2.91%+
- Variable rates from (APR): 0.99%+
Interest rates for long-term private student loans have increased since last year while short-term rates have seen a slight drop. As of May 2021, the average student loan interest rates for borrowers who had credit scores of 720 or higher and who used Credible to take out a private loan were:
- 6.11% for a 10-year fixed-rate loan, up from 5.81% a year ago
- 4.21% for a five-year variable-rate loan, down from 4.42% last year
If you decide to take out a private student loan, be sure to consider as many lenders as possible to find the right loan for you. Credible makes this easy — you can compare your prequalified rates from our partner lenders in the table below in two minutes.
| Lender | Fixed Rates From (APR) | Variable Rates From (APR) | Loan amounts | Loan terms (years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 2.91%+ | 1.48%+ | $2,001 to $200,000 | 7 to 20 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.23%+1 | 1.03%+1 | $1,000 to $350,000 (depending on degree) | 5, 10, 15 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
|
2.94%+2,3
| 0.99%+2,3 | $1,000 up to 100% of the school-certified cost of attendance | 5, 8, 10, 15 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.75%+ | 1.08%+ | $1,000 to $99,999 annually ($180,000 aggregate limit) | 7, 10, 15 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.0%+7 | 2.17%+7 | $1,000 to $200,000 | 7, 10, 15 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.83%+8 | 1.69%+8 | $1,001 up to 100% of school certified cost of attendance | 5, 10, 15 |
|
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.75%+ | N/A | $1,500 up to school’s certified cost of attendance less aid | 15 |
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Credible Rating
Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
| 3.5% - 12.6% APR9 | 1.13% - 11.23% APR9 | Up to 100% of the school-certified cost of attendance | 15 |
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Learn More: When You Should Apply for a Student Loan
How interest is calculated on private student loans
Unlike federal loans, private student loan rates aren’t set by the government. Instead, these rates are determined by individual lenders based on current market rates.
Your credit score will also affect the kind of rates you get approved for — in general, the better your credit, the lower your rate.
If you’d like to qualify for a lower interest rate, here are a couple of options to consider:
- Build your credit: If you can wait to take out a private student loan, you could consider working to improve your credit before you apply to get a better interest rate in the future. There are several ways to potentially boost your credit, such as making on-time payments on all of your bills or becoming an authorized user on a credit card account owned by someone you trust.
- Apply with a cosigner: Having a creditworthy cosigner can improve your chances of getting approved for a private student loan if you have bad credit. Even if you don’t need a cosigner to qualify, having one could get you a lower interest rate than you’d get on your own.
Check Out: Taking Out Student Loans Without a Cosigner
COVID-19 and student loans
Here’s how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected student loans:
- Federal student loans: Due to the pandemic, federal student loan payments and interest accrual have been suspended by the CARES Act until Jan. 31, 2022. If you need to take out a new federal loan, the process has remained the same.
- Private student loans: Unfortunately, private student loans don’t qualify for CARES Act benefits. However, many private lenders are offering various forms of assistance to borrowers impacted by the pandemic, such as deferment and forbearance options — be sure to reach out to your lender to see what options might be available to you. Like with federal loans, the process for taking out a new private student loan during the COVID-19 pandemic has remained unchanged.
Learn More: Student Loan Requirements: How to Qualify for a Student Loan
How the new federal loan rates impact existing student loans
Here’s how you can expect the new federal student loan rates to affect existing loans:
- Fixed-rate loans: If you have fixed-rate federal loans, your rates will remain the same over the life of your loan. This also means your payments won’t ever change unless you sign up for a different repayment plan.
- Variable-rate loans: While new federal student loans come with fixed rates, you might have variable-rate federal loans if you borrowed before June 1, 2006. Unlike fixed rates, variable rates can fluctuate depending on market conditions — which means your rate might change in the future. If you have questions regarding your variable rate, you’ll need to contact your loan servicer for details.
If you have excellent credit, you might be able to get a lower interest rate by refinancing your federal student loans. This could save you money on interest and even help you pay off your loan faster. You also have the option to switch from a variable rate to a fixed rate — or vice versa — through refinancing.
However, while you can refinance both federal and private student loans, refinancing federal student loans will cost you your federal benefits and protections — so be sure to weigh your options carefully.
If you’re thinking about refinancing federal loans, it’s likely a good idea to wait until after Jan. 31, 2022.
Use our calculator below to see how much you can save by refinancing your student loans.
Step 1. Enter your loan balance
Step 2. Enter current loan information
Step 3. Enter your new loan information to start calculating your savings
If you refinance your student loan at % interest rate, you can save will pay an additional $ monthly and pay off your loan by . The total cost of the new loan will be $.
Does refinancing make sense for you?
Compare offers from top refinancing lenders to determine your actual savings.
Checking rates won’t affect your credit score.
Keep Reading: Independent vs. Dependent Student: Which Are You?
