Thanks! I’m hoping to eventually take advantage of the public service forgiveness program (I just need to get a qualifying job!), so I want to keep my loans not-private. It’s difficult to balance that future possibility while still trying to save money.

Can you explain how consolidating my federal loans (but keeping them in the federal loan system - not going to a private lender) would lower my interest rate? If it is just a weighted average of my current rates, how does that save money?