About GradClear

GradClear is an independent, advertising-supported website. Student loan keywords attract high commercial intent, and repayment rules change often. We build transparent arithmetic tools and sourced guides so you can sketch payoff timelines and refinance break-evens with your own numbers — then confirm everything on studentaid.gov and with your servicer. We are not Federal Student Aid, not a lender and not a servicer.

What we publish

A student loan payoff calculator, a refinance break-even / savings sketch (user-supplied rates), a monthly payment calculator, an extra-payment accelerator, an optional standard-vs-extended term comparison, and guides covering federal/private basics, interest, IDR changes, FAFSA and refinancing caveats.

How we research

Keyword evidence (KeywordSpy overview fetched 2026-11-01): “student loan calculator” ~49,500/mo CPC ~$7.13; “student loan refinance” ~14,800/mo CPC ~$6.50. Policy context: FAFSA 2027–28 is available on studentaid.gov; SAVE plan enrollment closed; repayment options continue to change; RAP applies to loans disbursed on/after Jul 1 2026 per Federal Student Aid. Calculators here are arithmetic estimates only. Every figure that comes from a third party is linked at the bottom of the page where it is used, and every page shows when it was last reviewed. If a carrier, retailer or organisation changes its published information, the official source wins over anything on this site.

How the tools work

All calculators run in your browser. Balances, APRs and payments you type are not sent to our servers. We never claim official IDR quotes or forgiveness eligibility.

How we make money

GradClear shows advertising (Google AdSense) and does not accept payment from insurers, brokers, banks or any company in exchange for coverage in our guides. We do not sell leads, and we do not sell or recommend any specific insurance policy or financial product.

Corrections

If you spot an error, tell us through the contact page. We correct factual mistakes quickly and update the “last updated” date when we do.