How Long Does It Take to Pay Off Student Loans? Student loans can be a big financial burden that you need to carry around for a long time. While the typical loan is set up so that you should pay it off in ten years, but with the high costs and everything else that you need to pay for each month, it may take you closer to 20 years to get them gone. In fact, 40% of those who graduated before 2013 still struggle to pay off all their student...