Amortization is an accounting technique used to periodically lower the book value of a loan or intangible asset over a set period of time.

You can also use a biweekly loan amortization template to figure out how your payments and schedule differs by making half-payments every two weeks instead of 12 whole payments in a year.

Excel's STDEV formula can automatically calculate the standard deviation of any set of numbers, so you don't have to go through the math yourself.

How does loan amortization? Student loans are generally considered installment loans, similar to mortgages or auto loans, with a fixed interest rate and scheduled payments.