By
applying for federal loan consolidation, you are combining multiple federal loans together to create one monthly payment, instead of having multiple different payments going towards multiple different federal loans.
The good news is that there are a number of flexible and affordable repayment
plans for federal loan borrowers.
If you have private student loans, you have nothing to lose by refinancing because private loans aren't
eligible for federal loan programs.
Current interest
rates for federal loans are fixed, meaning they will remain the same throughout the life of your loan.
The two authors recommend an automatic repayment
program for federal loans under which payments would be based on a percentage of the individual's monthly income.
Dealing with student loans can be an intensely frustrating ordeal, but knowing your
options for both federal loan repayment plans and private student loan lending can lessen the frustration.
If you
opt for federal loan consolidation, you could choose the standard 10 - year repayment term or get on an income - driven plan.
This calculator assumes you'll be paying monthly for 10 years once repayment begins, which is the standard
term for federal loans and many private loans.
Most students classified as «independent» and many classified as «dependent» will qualify
for federal loan funds.
In other words, you can accept the gift aid but turn down any offers
for federal loans if you don't want to borrow money and have other ways to cover the cost.
This means there are also two types of consolidation programs to consider, with private programs designed to deal with private loan debt, and federal programs
for federal loan debt.
There are consolidation programs
specifically for federal loan and for private loans, and the greatest savings are usually to be made when consolidating private loans.
The annual increase in private student loan volume was about 25 % to 35 % per year, compared with 8 % per
year for federal loan volume.
Although,
for federal loan income - based plans, after making payments for 20 to 25 years any remaining student loan balance can be forgiven.
Private loans are worth looking at once you've hit your borrowing
limit for federal loans or have enrolled in grad school.
Also, you may find the interest rates on these loans can be pretty steep, which is why many students apply
for federal loans instead.
For example, working at a non-profit organization or at certain income levels may put you on a different repayment
track for federal loans.
Once you are delinquent for a certain period of time (usually nine
months for federal loans), your lender will declare the loan to be in default.
Student loan rules — at
least for federal loans — require that all outstanding interest and fees be paid first, then the principal is paid.
These are loans that have nothing to do with the government, and don't provide for any of the repayment options and programs that we know
exist for the federal loans.
Some parents and students may incorrectly believe they can not qualify
for federal loans due to having an above - average financial position.