Getting Rid of Student Loans
Did you know that taking out a Federal Student Loan is just as real as taking out an auto loan or a home loan? Because it’s backed by the Federal Government, they won’t let you declare bankruptcy to get rid of it, nor will they let you off the hook because you lost your job, or you didn’t get the education you expected either. In fact, getting rid of a student loan, short of paying it off, is pretty difficult.
Although your credit history was not taken into account when you received federal student loans, your credit history will be affected if you do not repay your federal student loans under the repayment plan you agreed to when you entered repayment.
Assuming you have some Federal Student Loans that you are having a hard time repaying, let’s look at what your options are for getting rid of student loans.
What Do I Do If I Can’t Make My Student Loan Payments?
Your student loan debt is a legal obligation and can be a 10- to 30-year financial commitment. This type of debt won’t go away by ignoring it. You need to contact your lender or servicer immediately to get help and discuss what your options are. There are many ways to get help, including changing your payment due date, repayment options, deferment or forbearance.
What Happens If I Miss A Student Loan Payment?
If you start to miss payments or you don’t make them on time, as of your first missed or late payment, your student loan will be considered delinquent and you can be assessed late fees. After 270 days of making no payments, your loan will go into default and your credit score will plummet. This can affect you well into the future since derogatory credit remains on your credit report for 7 years. You may no longer qualify for any future student loans that you may need and you may not be able to rent an apartment, buy a car or own a home. Read the rest of this entry
Student Loans Everything You Must Know
This article discusses everything you should know before applying for student loans. If you do not plan on employing a student loan counselor, then you must read this article!
Student Loans Types
Private loans & Federal loans.
Federal loans can be deferred. Private loans have different repayment terms.
A federal perkins loan is a long term student loan with low interest. The college or university collects the payments.
A Federal Family education loan or a stafford loan consist of subsidized or unsubsidized terms. With a Subsidized Stafford Loan the government covers the interest on your loan as long as you are enrolled in school and taking 6 or more credits. You can qualify by meeting the criteria for financial need. On the contrary with an Unsubsidized Stafford Loan the student must pay the interest on the loan while they are enrolled in school.
Another type of loan is parent loans for undergraduates. No credit check is made for federal student loans. But a credit check is required for parent loans.
College Loan Repayment Options
You can increase the college loan repayment time on your college loans to lower your monthly payments. You can default your student loan payments. To default your loan it means: You can deffer your college loans which means:
Student Loan Grace Periods
There are different options during the student loan grace period. The student loan grace period lasts for the first 3 months after you graduate college. This is the time to take advantage of your student loan repayment options. Find more information about student loan grace periods by referring to the resource box.
Student Loan Consolidation
Well the truth is consolidation is not the answer for everyone who has a student loan. Federal loans should consolidated separately from private loans. It may be more beneficial in some cases not to consolidate your loan. Student loan counselors get paid the big bucks to help you figure out this information. However this article is designed to help you develop a better understanding of everything about getting a student loan. Find more information at: How to Get a Student Loan
By: Melvin Le
Student Loan Consolidation: Replace your Variable-rate Student Loans With One Fixed-rate Loan
If you’re a parent or ex-student who took out any Federal PLUS Loans or Stafford Loans prior to July 1, 2006, those student loans are subject to variable interest rates that will adjust every year. When interest rates rise, your monthly student loan payments may also go up. If you’re on a tight budget, higher monthly payments may prove difficult to manage. Do you wish, instead, you could have a set monthly payment for your federal student loans that you know would never change? Student loan consolidation may be for you.
Federal student loan consolidation gives you the security of a fixed interest rate. By consolidating your federal parent student loans, you’ll replace your variable-rate college loans with a fixed-rate consolidation loan, so you’ll never have to worry about interest rates rising and leaving you guessing about your monthly payment amount.
Take the Hassle Out of Repaying Your Student Loans
If you have multiple college loans in repayment and you’re juggling multiple bills, multiple due dates, and multiple monthly payments to multiple lenders, a student loan consolidation could help make your repayment easier to manage. With a student loan consolidation program, you can bundle all your eligible federal parent or student loans into one single consolidation loan with just one monthly bill and one monthly payment that’s fixed for the life of your college loan.
Cut Monthly Payments on Your Student Loans by up to 40%
Besides offering you convenience and the security of a fixed interest rate, a student loan consolidation could also help you cut your monthly student loan payments almost in half. When you consolidate your college loans, you may be able to extend the repayment term on your parent or student loans by up to 20 years. With that longer repayment term, since you have more time to repay, the amount you have to pay each month will typically go down. By consolidating your college loans, your monthly payments could go down by up to 40%!
Apply in Minutes to Consolidate Your Student Loans
You can apply for your student loan consolidation in minutes, either online or with a quick phone call to NextStudent. It’s fast, easy, and free to apply, and there are NO fees, NO credit checks, and NO co-signers required.
There are also no prepayment penalties on your Federal Consolidation Loan. When you consolidate your student loans with NextStudent, you’ll never be charged extra for paying more than the minimum each month or for paying off your student loan consolidation early.
Who’s Eligible for Student Loan Consolidation?
To be eligible to consolidate your own federal student loans, you can’t currently be enrolled in school more than half time. The student loans you’re looking to consolidate must be in repayment, in a grace period, or in an authorized deferment or forbearance period.
Your parents can consolidate the PLUS loans they took out to help you pay for school as soon as those student loans have been fully disbursed and have entered repayment, even if you’re still in school full time. Although your parents can consolidate their PLUS loans, you won’t be able to consolidate your own college loans with your parents’ loans.
Student Loan Consolidation for Private Student Loans
If you have private student loans in addition to (or instead of) your federal student loans, you won’t be able to consolidate your private student loans under the federal student loan consolidation program. But you may be eligible to consolidate your private student loans separately with a Private Consolidation Loan, which offers the same convenience of a single consolidated loan for your private student loans.
NextStudent believes that getting an education is the best investment you can make, and we’re dedicated to helping you pursue your education dreams by making college funding simple. Learn more about Student Loans, Private Student Loans and Student Loan Consolidation at NextStudent.com.
By: Jeff Mictabor