Subsidized federal student loan rates are set to double in July, increasing monthly payments for thousands of students across the state, possibly making post-secondary education less of a reality for many. The current subsidized Stafford loan rate is 3.4 percent, the rate it was lowered to in 2007 from the original 6.8 percent. Beginning July 1, unless Congress steps in and prevents it, the rate is set to go back to that rate.