Student Loan Info and More

A college graduate faces many difficult financial decisions upon graduation, but luckily consolidating federal student loans will rank as one of the easiest decisions they will ever have to make. Federally backed student loans are commonly referred to as Stafford loans, and with a Stafford loan the federal government backs the loan and guarantees payment to the bank. The government would prefer that the student pays back the loan, but if the student defaults then the government will step in and compensate the bank. Because of this federal backing, consolidating student loans is an extremely easy process.

To consolidate your federal student loans you simply fill out the paperwork, and then wait for the bank to set up your new loan. The interest rate for a federal loan consolidation is the average of all of the interest rates for your current federal student loans. This means that you will not be saddled with a consolidation loan that is significantly more than your individual loans combined. When you consider that you are taking several monthly service charges and reducing them to just one service charge, you begin to realize the monthly savings a federal student loan consolidation program can be. It saves you money, reduces the number of loans you have to pay, and it eliminates excess service charges. A federal student loan consolidation program is one less thing a new college graduate will have to worry about. Since it is backed by the federal government, your approval is almost guaranteed. Talk with your bank about consolidating your federal student loans and making your life easier

Financing an education can be extremely expensive these days and it is more common to have a student leave school in debt than not in debt. In most cases this debt runs into the tens of thousands of dollars, and when it is private student loans the interest will accrue while you are in school and get added on to the loan after you graduate. The good news is that you have six months after graduation to get a job and decide to start consolidating private student loans, or paying them back one at a time. There is a lot to consider when you are thinking about consolidating student loans, and you will find a few different ways to consolidate your loans that you may want to take advantage of.

Unlike federal student loans that have interest rate caps on consolidation loans, consolidating private student loans will put you at the mercy of the current loan rates. In some cases this can be a bad thing, and in other cases this can be the best financial thing to happen to you in your young life. Many financial institutions offer programs to help students consolidate education loans that carry high interest rates but extended payback terms. You can get a consolidation loan that would stretch as long as 20 years, and that can help lower your payments.

If you did not take out a large amount of private student loans, then consolidating private student loans may be a bit easier for you. One of your options is to pursue a secured private loan to consolidate your student loans. A secured private loan requires collateral supplied by the borrower that needs to be owned in full by the borrower, and it can be unusual for a new college graduate to have that much personal property. However, if you are able to get a secured personal loan then you can pay off your private student loans at a significant discount. If you were responsible with your finances in college then you may even qualify for an unsecured personal loan which is a loan that requires no collateral. Explore your borrowing options before resigning yourself to one solution.

Consolidating your student loans can lower your monthly payments and make paying your loans back significantly easier. If you are able to find a consolidation loan that is at a lower interest rate than your individual loan then you will be consolidating private student loans and saving money on interest payments for the overall cost of the loans at the same time.

Before you begin consolidation make sure you take a long look at the loans you are trying to consolidate. If you cannot get a better deal on a consolidation loan than you have with your individual loans then consolidation may not be your best move. If you got your private student loans at a time when interest rates were low and you graduated when interest rates were on the rise, then consolidating your loans may cost you more money than it would cost you to just keep them as they are.