Your student loan repayment term is the total number of years it will take for you to pay back your loan. Federal loans generally have a standard repayment schedule of 10 years. For private student loans, the repayment term can range anywhere from 10-15 years on average, depending on the loan. You'll be given a definite term for your loan when you apply. Keep in mind that your loan repayment term will affect your monthly payments. Typically, the longer you take to repay your loan, the lower the monthly payments will be, but it may increase the total loan cost