I finished grad school in 1998 and consolidated my undergraduate and graduate school loans at that time, as I couldn’t afford making 2 separate payments.  I was locked in at the interest rate of 8.25%.  This, of course, preceded the massive interest rate slash-fest that lowered student loans borrowing and consolidation rates as low as 2%.  Many of my friends were lucky enough to consolidate their loans at 2-3%, but I found out that there was no option for me.  Apparently you can only consolidate your loans ONCE, and then you are stuck with whatever interest rate gets locked in at the time.  My only option would be to return to school and take out a new loan, and consolidate that with the old loans to obtain a lower interest rate.  I am not having any problems making my monthly payments; I often pay up to $150-200 more than the minimum amount.  There are many programs out there to help people struggling to make their loan payments, but I am not one of those people.  However, I cannot seem to make any headway on my loan because the interest rate is so high!  I’ve been in repayment for 15+ years, and the balance is still appalling.  I have learned of several companies that offer the option of refinancing student loans, and I’m wondering if any borrowers have any experience with these, or if you can offer any insight, Heather?  Some of the companies include CommonBond, SoFi, LendKey, etc.  Their interest rates vary from 3%-7.5% depending on credit score and other qualifying factors.  Lowering my interest rate even a little could save me a lot of money!  Can anyone offer any feedback on this option?  Thanks much!