How To Pay Off Student Loans in 10 Years (2025 Guide)

If you owe part of the nation's collective $1.6 trillion federal student debt or are repaying private loans, you may be eager to pay them off in 10 years or less. A 10-year repayment plan is the standard plan for federal student loans and is used by nearly 14.5 million borrowers, according to Federal Student Aid data.

Beyond using the Standard Repayment Plan, you can achieve this goal by refinancing to a 10-year term, making extra payments, or using debt repayment strategies like the debt avalanche. Here's how to pay off student loans in 10 years without sacrificing your other financial goals.

Current student loan refinance rates

Is it possible to pay off student loans in 10 years?

It's not just possible to pay off student loans in 10 years — it's a common approach. In fact, federal student loan borrowers are automatically placed on a 10-year Standard Repayment Plan after they graduate if they don't choose another plan.

If you're paying back federal or private loans on a longer timeline, you could consider refinancing to a 10-year term. Another option is making extra payments on your student loans, since you can prepay student loans ahead of schedule without penalty with most lenders.

“If a graduate secures a good job, I strongly recommend aiming to pay off loans in 10 years or sooner,” says Brian Safdari, CEO and founder of College Planning Experts. “Once debt is under control, then income can be redirected to homes, cars, or other purchases.”

Paying off student loans in 10 years is a reasonable target for many borrowers. If you can afford the monthly payments, you can get out of debt in a decade and avoid paying the extra interest charges that come with a longer term.

Use the Standard Repayment Plan for federal student loans

If you have federal student loans, you could pay them off in 10 years by sticking with the Standard Repayment Plan after your grace period ends. Your grace period extends for six months after you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment.

“The standard default repayment plan is a 10-year repayment plan with a fixed monthly payment,” explains Brian Eyster, certified college funding specialist (CCFS) and founder of Essential Strategies, a financial services company. He notes that it “results in the least amount of interest being paid over the life of the loan.”

A second option is the Graduated Repayment Plan, which also spans 10 years but has payments that start out lower and increase every two years. While this can help when your income is lower right after graduation, the Graduated Plan will cost you more in interest than the Standard Plan.

If you're interested in Public Service Loan Forgiveness, you'll need to get your loans on an income-driven repayment plan. Otherwise, you wouldn't have any balance left to forgive after 10 years of payments on the Standard or Graduated Repayment Plans.

Refinance student loans to a 10-year term

Another way to pay off student loans in 10 years is through student loan refinancing. With refinancing, you take out a new loan, ideally with a better interest rate, to pay off your existing student loans.

You can also choose a new repayment term, often from five to 20 years. Getting a lower interest rate and selecting a shorter term could lead to significant savings.

Consider this example of refinancing $30,000 in student loans:

In this example, you'd save around $19,845 in interest from both reducing your interest rate and shortening your repayment term.

You can refinance federal or private student loans, as long as you can meet a lender's requirements, which typically include a minimum credit score and income. Be aware, however, that refinancing federal student loans means you lose access to federal repayment plans, forgiveness programs, and other benefits.

Make extra payments toward your principal

If you're wondering how to get out of student debt fast, making extra payments is another option. If you can afford to throw additional money at your loans, you could shave time off your repayment term and save money on interest.

Let's say, for example, that you owe $30,000 at a 10% interest rate on a 10-year term. Paying an extra $100 per month could get you out of debt three years ahead of schedule.

“When students graduate and begin earning, building the right financial habits is key,” says Safdari.

“I advise students not to rush into buying a new car or upgrading their lifestyle immediately. Instead, focus on making double or triple the minimum monthly payments,” he adds.

If you can't afford regular monthly payments, you could make one-off payments if you get a cash windfall, such as a tax refund or bonus at work. You might also round your usual payments up to the nearest dollar or multiple of 10, as any little bit helps.

Another option is switching to a biweekly payment schedule instead of a monthly one. By paying every two weeks, you'll make an extra full payment each year without much extra budgeting on your part.

Use the debt avalanche or snowball method

If you're juggling multiple student loans, it's tough to know which loan to prioritize. Two student loan payoff strategies that can help are the debt avalanche and the debt snowball.

• Debt avalanche: With this method, you target your loan with the highest interest rate first. You make the minimum payments on all your loans, while focusing on putting more money toward your highest-interest loan until it's paid off. You then move on to the loan with the next-highest interest rate and repeat the process until all your loans are paid off.
• Debt snowball: With this strategy, you pay off your loan with the lowest balance first. You prioritize this loan before moving on to the next-smallest, and so on.

The debt avalanche is the best method if you want to save the most on interest with accelerated loan repayment. However, the debt snowball can be valuable too, as you might feel a boost in your motivation after paying off your smallest loan in full. There's no wrong answer here — simply choose the method that helps you stay on track toward your debt payoff goals.

How to decide if 10 years is the right timeline for student loan repayment

Paying off student loans in 10 years could be the right timeline if you can afford the monthly payments. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether a 10-year repayment plan is right for you:

• Is your income stable enough for larger payments? A 10-year repayment plan will require higher monthly payments than a plan with a longer term. Consider whether your income is sufficient and steady enough to afford these higher payments.
• Do you have emergency savings or retirement goals? Don't wait until you've paid off your student loan debt to build an emergency fund or set money aside for retirement. Avoid funneling all your extra money into student loans if it would come at the cost of your financial security.
• Would a longer term with lower monthly payments help cash flow? Lower monthly payments would free up more room in your budget for daily expenses or savings goals. If your cash flow is tight, you may benefit from a repayment term that spans more than 10 years. Keep in mind that a longer term will give you lower monthly payments but increase your long-term interest costs.

Although you may want to become debt-free as fast as possible, you don't want to do so at the expense of your other financial goals. Try to strike a balance between paying off your student loans, building an emergency fund, saving for retirement, and preserving enough cash flow for day-to-day expenses. That way, you can make steady progress on your student loans without sacrificing your financial security.