When it comes to deciding where to go for current student loan interest rates, it can be a difficult task. You could take a look at your bank or your high school lender. However, these are not the only options that are out there. You can take a look online as well. While it may seem scary to look at a computer screen, you will find it is not that intimidating and can save you quite a bit of time as well. The first thing that you want to do when you are researching current student loan interest rates is to consider the length of time that you have to repay the loan. These longer term loans are going to have lower interest rates than shorter-term loans. The reason is because the interest rates do not change when the loan is extended. With a short term loan, you have just as many months ahead of you as you do today. This means that when current student loans are decided upon and interest rates are decided upon, you may want to look at shorter term loans before you make any decisions. If you are a new graduate student, you are going to need to look at what current student loan interest rates would be on a six-month repayment plan. These six-month plans are known as “permanent” student loans. They have a lower interest rate than most student loans but you need to remember that if you have to make extra payments, they will add up. If you have to make a larger payment each month, the interest rates are going to be much higher. Once you know how much money you will be spending per year for your education, you can figure out what your payment will be over the life of the loan. Many people do not even factor in the fact that they will be making additional payments during the life of their loan. The federal student loan interest rates that are given out each year are based on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and the other loans that are available from the government. These figures do not take into account the additional payments that you will need to make when you are already enrolled in school. This is important to you because you want to know what your life-time maximum will be based on your current total cost of borrowing. If you borrow a thousand dollars per year and the federal loans give you a lifetime maximum of ten thousand dollars, you need to figure out how much you will owe in your early years. You do not want to pay back more than ten thousand dollars if you can avoid it. Some private loans offer a longer grace period before repayment begins. There is also a discount that is offered for federal loans. It is important to look at all of the factors involved with these types of loans before you decide which one to go with. Remember that even though the interest rates are higher, the repayment terms are usually better. You must also consider the graduation date. For federal student loans, this is usually set after you graduate. Many graduates have jobs and need a little time to find another source of income before they have their first job after graduating. This is why the grace period makes sense for these types of students. A final consideration should be the type of collateral you put up with the lender. For federal student loans, this is usually your FAFSA loan or your credit card. Most private loans offer more flexible repayment options. If your financial aid package does not allow you to choose repayment options, you should look into private loans. If you are a mom who wants to get a degree, you may want to look into the many grants that are available and find one that allows you to keep your private loan payments on track while helping you to achieve your goals.