As you approach your last year of high school, you may notice offers for loans arrive in the mail. While you may find that exciting, beware. But before you incur all that debt, you must know some things.

Know how long of a grace period is in effect before you must begin to make payments on the loan. The grace period is the period between when you graduate and when you have to start paying back your loans. This can also give you a big head start on budgeting for your student loan.

Do not forget about private financing. There are lots of student loans available, and there is also a lot of demand and a lot of competition. These private loans are not tapped into as much, which means they contain smaller increments of money due to lack of awareness and size. Research community resources for private loans that can help you pay for books and other college necessities.

When paying off your loans, go about it in a certain way. The first thing you need to do is be certain that you are making the minimum required monthly payment on each loan. The second step is applying any extra money you have to your highest-interest-rate loan and not the one with the biggest balance. This will make things cheaper for you over time.

If you are in the position to pay off student loans early and inclined to do so, make sure you begin with the loans that carry the highest rate of interest. Calculating the terms properly will prevent spending more money than is necessary by the end of the loan.

Look to pay off loans based on their scheduled interest rate. The highest rate loan should be paid first. Using your extra cash can help you get these student loans paid off quicker. Prepayment of this type will never be penalized.

Reduce the principal by paying the largest loans first. When you reduce your overall principal, you wind up paying less interest over the course of the loan. Focus on paying off big loans first. After you have paid off your largest loan, continue making those same payments on the next loan in line. By making minimum payments on all of your loans and the largest payment possible on your largest loan, you will systematically eliminate your student loan debt.

Take as many hours each semester as you think you can handle so you don’t waste any money. Generally, being a full-time student is seen as 9 to 12 hours per semester, but if you can squeeze in between 15 or 18, then you should be able to graduate sooner. This helps you reduce the amount you need to borrow.

There are lots of decisions to make in college, and one of the biggest is about debt load. Borrowing too much or borrowing ones with high interest rates can create a major problem for you. Keep this material in mind as you launch your adventures in higher education.