Once research has been completed, and the decision to
consolidate federal student loans with a Direct Consolidation Loan has been made, the actual process of consolidating is relatively simple.
While
consolidating federal student loans does little for reducing the total cost of borrowing for one's education, it may benefit a borrower as it relates to securing affordable financing for a new home purchase.
The interest rate offered
on consolidated federal student loans is fixed but varies for each borrower because it is the weighted average of the interest rates on outstanding loans included in the consolidation, rounded up to the nearest one - eighth percent.