Student Loans : About Student Loan Consolidation
Many college graduates come out of school with several loans to pay off. This means that after the six month grace period there will be payments for each of your loans. Each of those loans will have their own interest rate which will make the loans themselves difficult to pay off completely. Finding the best student loan consolidation program can help you pay less each month and put an end date to those student loans as well.
The first priority will be to find the best student loan consolidation program. Each program will have its own perks and its own drawbacks. One of the most important details to the loan consolidation payback will be the interest rate that is charged each month. If you presently have two loans that charge 8% each you should consider the fact that each month you are paying 16% on your entire student loan. That means that you will be paying thousands on top of the thousands that you borrowed. When you consolidate those loans into one you’ll want to find the best interest rate which you will only be charged once each month.
When you’ve found the best interest rate, you’ll want to make sure that this loan also has the best terms for payback. In other words, be sure that the date set for the termination of the loan is reasonable. If you say that you’ll have your loan paid off in five years, be sure that this is feasible. Of course we can’t predict everything that will happen, but you should have a good idea of the amount that you’ll be able to afford over time. If ten years is more workable, find the best student loan consolidation program that has a good interest rate and the best payback terms.
A flexible loan payback program can be most helpful. There are those times in everyone’s life that money is tight. In those times it may be helpful to put your loan into forbearance. Be sure that the loan you decide to go back is willing to agree on a forbearance or restricted payback amount for a certain period of time while you get your finances back in order.
The loan’s interest rate should not be flexible however. The last thing you need is a large increase in your monthly payment because the interest rate fluctuated. Making sure the interest rate is fixed will also ensure that your payment will always be something that you can live with. When you know the payment that you’ll have to pay each month you’ll find that you can budget effectively.
If possible, make sure there is no penalty for making early payments or for paying the loan off early. If you get a windfall of cash from somewhere, you may want to pay off this student consolidation loan completely, so you want to make sure that is possible.
A consolidation loan can save you thousands. You will pay less each month yet your payment will be more effective. Your loans will have a definite paid date which is not ages into the future. Finding that loan may be easier than you think and certainly worth the trouble.
Watch the video related to College Loans Consolidation
Consolidation of student loans is something that almost every student can do after they graduate. Find out how to make one payment on multiple student loans, and how to make the terms longer, withhelp from a financial aid officer in this free video on student loans. Expert: Brooke Kramer Contact: www.argosy.edu Bio: Brooke Kramer is the financial aid officer at Argosy University in Salt Lake City, Utah. Filmmaker: Michael Burton
Help answer the question about College Loans Consolidation
School Loan consolidation?I consolidated my school loans during my 4th year of college. I still had one year of school left after that. So now I have two loan payments that equal $200 a month. I just started paying them three months ago…is there any way I can get the payments lower than that?
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For more insights and additional information about a Student Loan Consolidation please visit our web site at http://www.debtconsolidationstrategies.com
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If you'd asked this question two years ago, I could have given you a list of about 20-25 major lenders who offered student loan consolidation. Right now, you'd be lucky to find 5.
Four companies that I know are offering private loan consolidation products right now are:
Chase
Collegiate Risk Management
EduCare Financial
Student Loan Financial Group
I can warn you that all four of these lenders will subject your consolidation application to a rigorous and conservative analysis of your eventual ability to repay.
If your loans ARE federal loans, you should start with the government's own consolidation program – you can find that here: http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/
Good luck.
hi there! just take your time and go through this lot, you are bound to find what helps you out!
http://credit-cards.ebookorama.com
http://finance.ebookorama.com
http://credit.ebookorama.com
http://credit-repair.ebookorama.com
if you get any luck please don't forget about me, hope it helped you.
Your chances are prob pretty good to consolidate federal student loans. Don't consolidate federal student loans in any non-student loan consolidation loans, your interest rate will likely be higher and the interest you pay would no longer be tax deduct able.
Sallie Mae will not consolidate loans if they are federal (student) and private together. What will end up happening is they will do two consolidations. (one for private and one for federal stafford) Who better to answer that but Sallie Mae…have her contact them and they can tell her in a matter of minutes what they can or cannot do. 1-888-2SALLIE (888-272-5543)
As far as for the rest of the question…here goes.
First off, she needs to go to a website to access all of her federal loan information.
http://www.nslds.ed.gov
This website is the U.S. Department of Education's database of students federal student loans. When she logs in…she will be asked for a pin number. If she doesn't know it, go to the FAQ section and follow the instructions on how to obtain one. DO NOT GIVE IT OUT TO ANYONE!! NOT EVEN TO FINANCIAL AID!!
Secondly, if Sallie Mae is her lender and she wants to stay with themthrough consolidation…she needs to get the facts. 1-800-448-3533 / http://www.smartloan.com
This will give her the information she needs on consolidation. She needs to make sure that one of the questions she asks is:
I want to consolidate my loans so I only have to make one payment a month but I do not want to lose any of my grace period. When is the best time for me to start the process of consolidation?
If Sallie Mae says no to consolidating the other loans…ask them if they can "combine them." Unless she would rather make 3-4 payments a month depending on how much they consolidate.
Keep in mind also that if she has a bank account and has an automatic withdrawal…she may be able to reduce her interest rate. I would have her ask Sallie Mae for details.
Not yet Disbursed. You are correct, the monies have not been sent to the school on her behalf yet. She needs to contact the school to find out if it has now been done or if they do not need it. Sometimes, the data on the databases does not get updated right away. The best way to find out is to ask her financial aid office. There may even be a final balance that the school is awaiting the funds to cover it. This is called a late disbursement. Best person to answer that is financial aid.
Because of the student loan reform act many lenders pulled out of the consolidation field. The ones that remain do so on a limited basis. Generally once they reach their monthly quota of loans they stop taking any others. This means you'll likely need to check sites like http://www.studentloanconsultants.com for their list of lenders every week to see who is or is not offering consolidation loans at that time.
Unfortunately there is no easy way of doing it at this point, but just be patient and you'll find a lender to do the consolidation.
i dont know if any i have listed will help or not, but i'll post it anyway.
i think the first answer was a good post.
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try to aim for grants/scholarships more… they are not to be paid back. its confusing sometimes, but just keep applying. Scholarships usually have a 1 or 2 page application, and require an essay. Take your time with the essay, so yours stands out.
every big (and small) company you see (manufacturer, orgs, corps and groups also) all have grants and scholarships they hand out like candy. Walmart, Kmart, Target, Coke, computer companies etc etc etc
here are some links with a HUGE list of what is available. some you will need to copy and paste into a new window. also, fastweb (take the time to fill it in) will search databases and get back to you with a list of scholarships you qualify for.
Also contact all mens, womens associations in your state, they almost always have grants & scholarships. What ever field you are going into, contact the orgs, associations etc for them; Also check with professional organizations related to your career interests, such as the American Bar Association or the American Medical Association. they also always have scholarships. Research and dig, call then write. Its all worth it.
OVER apply; it doesnt hurt to have too many, and the extra funds can help with housing.
YOU WILL NEED ADOBE READER:
(yes, its free)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
LIST
http://www.lifebridge.org/gran-list-alph.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/nj4/njcomputerchick/school.html
http://www.chrome.org/scholarshiplist.html
MORE & INFO:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-jobs.htm
http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/other.phtml
http://www.finaid.org/otheraid/
http://www.back2college.com/library/scholarships.htm
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/
http://college-scholarships.com/
http://www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/grants/grants.asp
http://www.gmsp.org
http://www.gmsp.org/gmsp_web/(nb5ctd55gavpfi55bb3a3j45)/scholarships.aspx
http://www.sfa.ufl.edu:16080/scholarshipcafe/
http://www.edsf.org/scholarshipAwards.cfm
http://www.fafsaonline.com/
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
http://www.feea.org/
http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html
http://www.salliemae.com/
http://www.ed.gov/finaid/landing.jhtml
http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/
http://www.educationplanner.com/ss/code/Profile1.asp?level=u®ion=s&mode=EDIT&sponsor=2859&volume=SS&e&h
http://www.studentawards.com/
http://www.collegeanswer.com/index.jsp
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/
http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/Detailed/Scholarships/Meta_indexes_and_other_scholarship_directories/Women_s_and_Non-traditional_students_scholarships_meta-directory_126.php
NURSING / CNA
http://www.scholarships-ar-us.org/grants/nursing.htm
http://www.dar.org/natsociety/edout_scholar.cfm
http://nursingworld.org/nursecareer/edfund.htm
http://www.medi-smart.com/finaid.htm
http://www.discovernursing.com/nursing-scholarship-search
http://www.ncaa.org/about/scholarships.html
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/nsl.htm
http://www.nsna.org/foundation/
http://www.4cnas.com
http://www.choosenursing.com/
http://www.minoritynurse.com/
http://www.tylenol.com/page.jhtml?id=tylenol/news/subptyschol.inc
http://www.straightforwardmedia.com/nursing/
http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/scholarship/
http://www.akaeaf.org/programsandinitiatives/
http://www.schoolsoup.com/
http://www.blackexcel.org/link4.htm
http://www.jackierobinson.org/
http://www.wilsonfund.org/scholarships/scholarships.shtml
http://www.siemens-foundation.org/TeacherScholarship/
http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/teach.html
http://www.act.org/goldwater/yybull.html
http://www.uncf.org/
http://www.socxfbi.org/login.asp?reason=denied_empty&script_name=/cgi-alumni/adir2.dll&path_info=/search&sitename=FBI&scroll=10&p=1&S=scholarships&x=0&y=0
http://www.finaid.org/
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/index.jsp
http://www.actstudent.org/finaid/scholarshipscams.html
http://www.act.org/recognition/clients.html
http://www.act.org/kfcscholars/index.html
http://www.kfcscholars.org/
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/
http://www.collegedata.com/
http://www.fastweb.com/
http://www.getreadyforcollege.org/gPg.cfm?pageID=139
http://www.policylink.org/EDTK/AH101/Financing.html#4
http://www.hud.gov/grants/index.cfm
BECOMING A TEACHER
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/becoming.htm
http://www.fseog.com/
CHILDREN OF MILITARY
http://www.militaryscholar.org/about/about.shtml
http://www.mcsf.com/site/c.ivKVLaMTIuG/b.1677655/k.BEA8/Home.htm
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm <-do search for ‘scholarships’
http://www.milspouse.org/Educ/Fund/MilFScholar/
http://www.aerhq.org/education_dependentchildren.asp
INTERNSHIPS,
http://www.fasttrackinternships.com/
http://www.internprograms.com/
http://www.brillstreet.com/
http://ceri.msu.edu/
DEPENDENCY or NOT
http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/apply_student_loan/understanding/financial_aid/dependency/
LOAN FORGIVENESS
http://www.pheaa.org/loanforgiveness/healthier_futures.shtml
http://www.aft.org/teachers/jft/loanforgiveness.htm
http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/cancelstaff.jsp?tab=repaying
http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml
http://www.aessuccess.org/manage/cant_make_payment/Federal_Teacher_Loan_Forgiveness.shtml
http://www.staffordloan.com/repayment/forgiveness.shtml
http://www.educationplanner.com/ss/code/Profile1.asp?level=u®ion=s&mode=EDIT&sponsor=2859&volume=SS&e&h
STATUS OF LOAN OR AID
http://www.nslds.ed.gov/nslds_SA/
IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR PIN yet (for your loan / aid status) apply for one:
http://www.pin.ed.gov/PINWebApp/pinindex.jsp
ESSAY HELP
http://www.scholarshiphelp.org/
http://www.gradesaver.com/resources/scholarship.html
http://www.collegeadmissionsessays.com/
http://www.nataviguides.com/broke_essay.html
http://www.princetonreview.com/college/apply/articles/process/essayjump.asp
http://www.scholarshipessay.us/
http://www.freschinfo.com/tips-brainstorming.php
http://www.freschinfo.com/tips-topic.php
http://essayedge.com/
http://www.korepetycje.com/Essays_Articles/scholarshipessay.html
GRANT SCHOLARSHIP SCAM LIST
(if you find a scam report it here too)
http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/consumer/media_psas_classads.html
LOANS
http://www.acteducationloans.com/
http://www.finaid.org/loans/educationlenders.phtml
http://www.financialaid.com/plus/index.cfm?id=plusloans
http://www.alternativestudentloan.com/
http://www.parentplusloan.com/
http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/about/
http://www.myspace.com/financialaidpodcast
http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com
GRAD LOANS & SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.gradloans.com/graduate-plus-loan/
http://www.gfoa.org/services/scholarships.shtml
DEFAULTED STUDENT LOANS
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/index.html
CONSOLIDATE LOANS
http://www.plusloanconsolidator.com/
http://www.salliemae.com/after_graduation/manage_your_loans/consolidate_student_loans/student_loan_consolidation.htm
http://www.salliemae.com/content/privateconsolidation/index.html
http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov/
RATE MY PROFESSORS
http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/index.jsp
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
http://www.iefa.org/
http://www.iefa.org/resources/
http://educationusa.state.gov/
http://college-scholarships.com/
http://www.studyabroad.com/forum/financial_aid.html
http://www.internationalstudent.com/
http://www.internationalscholarships.com/
http://www.internationalstudentloan.com/
http://www.globalslc.com/
http://www.edupass.org/finaid/loans.phtml
http://www.abroadplanet.com/student-loans/the-global-student-loan-corporation/
http://www.salliemae.com/international/
HISPANIC SCHOLARSHIPS
http://www.hsf.net/
http://www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/
http://www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/grants/hispanic.asp
http://www.hsfi.org/
http://scholarships.hispanicfund.org/applications/
http://www.chci.org/chciyouth/scholarship/scholarship.htm
Go with a reputable company which has had good reviews. Ask your friends or other grads/students on who they are working with and ask for feedback.
8 loans!? wow… Its probably time for you to consolidate them into one big payment instead of paying 8 loans monthly isn't it?
Read more on the link below… also don't forget to go to your student union or student services and ask for some advice.
Do yourself a favor and don't ask that question here, because all you're going to attract are the scam artists that frequent this topic area.
Let me offer a few bits of advice:
First of all, paying $100 as a fee to be granted a forbearance may seem practically criminal, but the costs of consolidating your loans will be far more expensive than $100.
A consolidation loan rips up all of your old loans and replaces them with a single new loan. Consolidation loans are sold with the promise that you'll lower your monthly payment – and that's almost always absolutely true.
HOWEVER, what they don't tell you – while they're pushing the idea of a lower payment – is how they manage to offer you a lower payment. Think about this – either they're going to lower your payment by significantly lowering your interest rate (nope), they're going to lower your payment by forgetting about some of the money you owe (never), or they're going to lower your payment by simply having you make a lot more smaller payments (bingo!)
Suppose you owed me $100, and we had agreed that you'd pay me $50 this week and $50 next week. You come back and explain that $50 is really more than you can afford right now – and you ask if there's anything we can do to lower your payment. I'd say "absolutely! – how about if you only pay me $10 a week, would that work for you?"
You'd think this was pretty nice of me – until I told you the other part of the deal. You'd pay me $10 a week, but you'd make 15 payments of $10. So what's happened? Now you're going to pay me $150, not $100. That's how a consolidation loan works.
The only difference is that we're not talking an extra $50. Depending on the terms of your consolidation loan – and how much you already owe, chances are that you will pay tens of thousands of dollars more in interest if you choose to consolidate your loan. That's a heck of a lot more than the $100 Sallie Mae wants to grant you a forbearance.
Before considering a consolidation loan, talk to Sallie Mae about their alternative payment programs. There are programs that start out with a lower repayment and increase later, when, hopefully, you have more income – ask them for more information.
Finally, you may find consolidation a very difficult thing to arrange right now. I'm sure you've been watching and listening to the news about this country's banking crisis, if not – you should be. This current crisis is really impacting the student loan business – and there is little or no private educational lending going on right now. It's not just student loans either – I would wish you a lot of luck trying to find a car loan or a mortgage right now, unless you have a substantial income and a sterling credit history.
If Sallie Mae is willing to offer you a forbearance, and you really need it right now, swallow hard and pay the $100. That's the cheapest and most certain alternative for you right now.
Good luck, I hope that helped.
I'm not sure you can consolidate your loans if you are still in school. Are these government loans or private loans? If government, are any of them subsidized loans? If they are, this means they are interest free until you graduate and consolidating might affect that.
Consolidation is a way of locking in a lower interest rate for the life of the loan, and many companies offer bonuses like cash back for 1.25% of the loan after 24-months of payments. Interest rates on loans vary as the economy varies. By consolidating, you lock in the current rate forever. With current rates being close to 8%, I would not recommend consolidating at this time. When rates FINALLY go back down to 6 or 7%, you will be stuck at 8%. Unless you hear that rates are suddenly jumping to 12% in 3-months, hold off.