Loans are a very common in the United States. Americans take out loans to buy a car or a house, and many young people borrow money to go to university. The interest rate on a loan is very important. It is how much money you pay to your lender to be allowed to borrow the money. It is added to your monthly payments. A typical education loan might have an interest rate of 5-8 percent, and take 10 years to pay off. Students do not have to pay for their loans while they are in school under the government loan program. It is a very helpful program considering that going to college can cost as much as $120,000.