The Graduated repayment plan allows borrowers to make lower monthly payments when they start paying their loans. The monthly payment amount will increase every two years on a fixed schedule and is not based on your income. Borrowers on this plan may end up paying more over the life of their loan because of interest.
The typical timeline for a Graduated repayment plan is 10 years. On a Consolidated loan, the timeline can be anywhere from 10 to 30 years.
Payments on the Graduated plan don’t qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness.