Student loans are like a double edge sword - without the loans you wouldn't be able to get your college education and degree - but with the loans, you're often saddled with a huge mountain of debt right as you are starting out with a new career. That doesn't leave much money left over from the new job you got your degree for!
If you're in a position where student loans are putting a strain on your budget or actually making your finances go into the red and giving your credit score a turn for the worse, then you may want to look into consolidating your student loans into a single loan that has a lower interest rate, longer life, and lower monthly payment.
A direct student loan consolidation might be for you if you're struggling to meet your monthly obligations and have used your deferment options already. Especially if you are about to default on your loan, you really should check into consolidating to save your credit rating. A direct student loan pays off all your old individual loans and leaves you with a new loan to start all over again. It's like wiping the slate clean and getting a fresh new start.
The deferment options become available to you again with the new loan in case you ever need it again and you'll usually qualify for a much lower interest rate since the consolidated loan will be for a larger amount. Also, when you consolidate, the old loans show up as paid on your credit report, so that will help to improve your credit standing as long as you pay your new loan on time each month, which should be easier to do with a lower payment amount.
There are actually four plans to look into when it comes to repaying your student loan consolidation -
- Standard repayment plan: This gives you a set monthly payment amount for a period of up to ten years.
- Extended repayment plan: This plan also has a fixed payment amount each month but the life of the loan can be extended to between 12 to 30 years, depending on how much you borrow. This makes the payments automatically lowered since they are spread over such a longer period of time, however when you do this the actual total amount you repay in the end will be larger due to more years of interest.
- Graduated repayment plan: This option will also allow you to stretch your payments over a longer period of 12 to 30 years. The difference is that your payments will increase every two years. This could be beneficial to you if you are just starting out in your career and not making as much money now as you will be in the future. Just make sure your job performance qualifies you for all those big raises you're expecting!
- Income contingent repayment plan: The payment plan is designed for those with a job and family because it takes a look at your annual income and total student loan debt, along with the size of your family, and then comes up with a payment amount that's spread out over a 25 year period.
If you're still a student in school when you consolidate, it's possible that you'll qualify for a six month grace period before you have to start making payments. A consolidation loan will benefit those who are looking at many years of payments ahead. If your student loans are almost paid off and you're having financial difficulties, you may want to look into forbearance and deferment first, because if you refinance, your loans will be spread out over more years and that will increase the total amount you will have to repay.
Student loans are two-edged swords. Without them, you couldn't pay for that degree you worked so hard for. On the other hand, without them, you might actually get to keep the amount you pay out every month for yourself. You might get to pay your other bills on time, afford a more reliable car, or find a better place to live.
If repaying your student loans is challenging your budget, or worse, putting your finances ? and credit rating ? in the red, you might want to think about a direct student loan consolidation.
With a direct student loan consolidation, you exchange your outstanding student loans with their higher interest rates for one loan with a more manageable, fixed interest rate.
A direct student loan consolidation may be the answer to more than one problem. If you have struggled to meet your monthly payments and in fact have used every option for deferment or forbearance your current loans offer, or find yourself about to default on your loan, a direct student loan consolidation can mean a fresh start. A new loan is often a clean slate.
Not only do deferment and forbearance options become available in case of need again, but often direct student loan consolidation gives you a much lower interest rate ? as much as 0.6 percentage points ? thereby lowering your monthly payments. And when you consolidate those student loans under a new loan, those loans show up on your credit report as paid off, and your credit score benefits.
There are four plans for repaying a direct student loan consolidation that you many want to investigate as you consider which is best for your needs.
The first plan is a Standard Repayment Plan and gives you a fixed monthly payment for up to 10 years. The Extended Repayment Plan also sets fixed monthly payments, but the repayment period is set between 12 and 30 years, according to the total amount you borrow. In this plan your payments are lower because they are spread across a long period of time. Keep in mind, however, that making payments over longer periods of time means you will end up paying out a larger total amount.
The third option is the Graduated Repayment Plan. This is another direct student loan consolidation plan with a repayment period between 12 and 30 years, only in this plan the amount of your monthly payment will increase every two years.
Finally, if you have a job and family, the Income Contingent Repayment Plan may be what you're looking for. This plan sets a monthly payment based on your annual gross income, family size, and total direct student loan debt, and spreads those payments over a period of 25 years.
While direct student loan consolidation may be the best way to get on top of student loans for some, if you are close to paying off your existing loans, it may not be worth it in the long run to consolidate or extend your payments.
However, if you are still seeing loan payments coming out of your pocket well into the future, consider the direct student loan consolidation seriously. If you consolidate your loans while you are still in school, you may qualify for a 6-month grace period before repayment begins. You may find you will be able to keep any subsidies on your old loans.
Lower your monthly payments, improve your credit rating, gain control of your loans, and give yourself peace of mind about the future with a direct student loan consolidation.
Both Carson Danfield1 & Bueford Copeland are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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