Friday, January 8, 2010

How School Loan Consolidation Can Save You Money

Paying off your school loans is not the most pleasant experience, but it can be made easier if you pursue a school loan consolidation. Doing so will give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your debts are manageable. Regardless of which type of school you are preparing to leave, look into consolidating your school loans.
What is Consolidation?
Consolidating a federal loan is taking all of the student loan payments you owe and combining them into one lump sum. This allows students to have just one monthly payment to one lender instead of several payments scattered all over the place.
What is also beneficial about a school loan consolidation plan is that a student can usually get a little lower interest rate by choosing to combine all their loans together. Although the lower percentage may not be an extravagant amount, it can still make a difference when you are living paycheck to paycheck right out of college.
Federal loans are also nice to consolidate when you do have problems with an incoming salary because there are several options available to students who need to defer payments. Federal loans, even consolidated loans, allow a grace period of several months after graduation before a student must start making payments.
There are also low-income allowances when a student needs to defer payments for a period until they have money coming in the bank. The nice thing about federal loans is that federal laws regulate interest rates, not by the lender, so they will be a little lower than a private loan.
Applying and Consolidating
When it comes time to apply for a college student loan, you will have several options available. If you choose to go the private route, then your loan and payments will vary based on your credit history, as well as how high the interest rate is for your lender.
You will also lose the opportunity to consolidate your loan, since only federal loans are consolidated. If you go the federal loan route, then you can look into Stafford loans, Perkins loans, or other federal consolidation programs offered by some of the larger national lenders.
You should always shop around before making a final decision on a lender so you will be sure to get the best possible loan at the lowest rate. If you choose the federal loan route, then you will be able to consolidate as much as you need because there is no set limit on loan consolidation for student loan payments. You won't have fees for applying for a federal loan consolidation, and very few penalties exist for these types of loans.
All student loans are different, but they all must eventually be paid back. The amount of time that you have is based on the amount of your loan and the rate of interest. You generally have 45 days before you are to begin repayment, so be prepared. Eventually, you might find you want a school loan consolidation.
All students who are bound for college have different needs. Because of this, you must investigate all of your options. Your financial aid advisor will help you gain a working knowledge of a school loan consolidation and the benefits associated with it.
Working with the right lender and working out the right plan for you will make your post-collegiate experience a pleasant one.

Steps to Follow for School Loan Consolidation

Before getting your school loan consolidated, you need to have thorough information about school loan consolidation process. The main aim of school loan consolidation programs is to handle your finances proficiently by offering you number of flexibilities and advantages. These loans make it convenient to make your payments to one lender and improve your credit scores by reducing monthly payments.
Loan consolidation programs are meant to create new consolidated loans and to bring multiple loans under one debt. These programs make your loan repayment possible by combining several types of educational loans into one new loan. The major benefit of loan consolidation is the low interest rate which make borrower's less likely to default on a loan. The monthly payment amount on a consolidated loan is usually low and you are permitted to make your payments once in the month. Additionally, the amount of time to repay may be extended beyond what was offered in last loan programs. These features make the payment of your loans more convenient and manageable.
After taking your decision to get your school loan consolidated, you need to see which category you fall in. • Both students and parents are eligible to get their loans consolidate but not under one package.• Married students cannot get their loans consolidate together. Each of the spouses is responsible individually for the payment. • You can consolidate your school loan during your grace period, but not if you are still in school.• Loans that are in default can be consolidated but should have a satisfactory repayment arrangement.
Before getting your loans consolidate, you need to find how many consolidation programs are available and which will suit your credentials the most. The two major types of loans are; federal consolidation loans and private consolidation loans.
Federal consolidation loans are further divided into two major categories, namely, Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Federal Direct Loan program.
Federal Family Education Loan program offers loan from private lenders. These loans are guaranteed by the guarantors and reinsured by the federal government. 4 types of federal consolidation loans are available: 1. Stafford (Subsidized): In this loan the interest being accumulated is paid by the federal government.2. Stafford (Un-subsidized): The interest that is being accrued is payable by the student even if he is enrolled in school. 3. PLUS: These loans can be used by the parents with a good credit history, so they can pay for their child's educational expenses.4. Perkins: These low interest rate loans are suitable for needy children who want to continue their education.
US department of education have introduced Federal direct Loans for the convenience of the students. This program offers the following loans:
1. Direct Subsidized Consolidation Loans: These loans are eligible for interest subsidies, such as subsidized FFELP and Direct Loans, and Federal Perkins Loans.2. Direct Unsubsidized Consolidation Loans: These loans are not eligible for interest subsidies. If you want any of your unsubsidized loans to be consolidated, then you will receive an Unsubsidized Direct Consolidation Loan.3. Direct PLUS Consolidation Loans: These loans combine FFELP PLUS and Direct PLUS loans.
After selecting a good consolidating package, you need to look for a trustworthy lender. It is of vital importance to find out about the reputation and credibility of the consolidating company you are going to deal with. Here are few relevant questions which will help you evaluate the status of the company.
• What are the special features of their consolidating package?• Since how many years they have been in this business?• What benefits or discounts the company offers?• Their consolidation program is enrolled under federal loan or the private loan?• How much do they charge for the application processor is it free of cost?
After selecting a consolidating company according to your requirements, ask for their information package either by post or by e-mail. If you agree to their terms and conditions mentioned in the form, sign it and send it back to the company. Then the company verifies your pending debts from your previous lender. They send the check of the amount payable by you after receiving a verification certificate from the lender.

Free Up Cash With a School Loan Consolidation

A school loan consolidation is a great way to think about being able to save yourself some money. Sounds a little too simple, doesn’t it? Well the fact is that it really isn’t much more complicated than that. Take some time to look into what a school loan consolidation is and you will see how easy it is to save yourself some cash.
School loans are loans available to college student and their parents in need of financial assistance. For some, it is either the major source or only source for income while they are in school. However, there are different types of loans, so by the end of school, you may have a number of separate student loans. That is the first place that school loan consolidation comes into play. You can get those separate loans made into one simply loan with one payment.
What a school loan consolidation is, in effect, is the same thing as any other debt consolidation or mortgage refinance. It is basically multiple debts combined into one debt; the consolidation company pays off your debts for you and you pay them back with one payment per month. With a school loan consolidation, like with any consolidation, you will end up with less overhead, lower monthly payments, and thus more money in your pocket for your personal use.
A school loan consolidation is something you really should consider whenever the consolidated loan would have a lower interest rate than the current loans do. Plus, you won’t have to be concerned with making multiple payments each month, since your school loan consolidation is just one monthly payment. In addition, many merged loans result in more flexible repayment options and no prepayment penalties. If you shop around, you can likely even find a school loan consolidation that doesn’t require a credit check.
It is important to keep an eye out for school loan consolidations that do not charge for prepayment. When you consolidate your loans, you will likely be able to refinance the loans for up to 30 years, the length of a typical mortgage. However, you will likely want to pay that off sooner once your post-college job kicks in and your earning power increases. If your school loan consolidation charges a prepayment penalty, you will end up spending more than you should on the loan. Especially since the longer the loan period is, the higher the interest rate will likely be. That is great while you are still in school, since you need more cash available and are on a tighter budget. However, once you are in the working world and have more money available, you will want to either refinance again or just pay your school loan consolidation off early.
If you, like most students, have multiple school loans, a school loan consolidation may be of great help. Students, as you know, are on tight budgets and are just trying to tread water while they are finishing their education. With a well thought out
school loan consolidation, you can free up money and then make up the difference later and pay off the loans early, at least as long as you avoid consolidations with prepayment penalties.