Student Loans Consolidation Program

Archive for June, 2011

After the student loan scandal of 2007, many alumni may be looking forward to consolidating their student loans this July. July is when the variable rates change on federal student loans. Alumni may be hoping to lock in low rates, combine multiple loans and lower their monthly payment. But before you jump on the consolidation bandwagon, there are a few things to consider.

The student loan scandal made many people afraid of the student loan lenders. But, now that guidelines are in place, it is a much safer time to consider student loan consolidation. Now when you start researching which lenders to consolidate with, you are more likely to get unbiased information. Keep in mind that you still need to make the final decisions on your own. Educate yourself before you pursue consolidation.

When you consolidate your student loans, you should consider what you want to accomplish. You may want to lower your monthly payments, lower your interest rate, lower the amount of time that it will take to pay off your student loan debt, or simplify your monthly bill paying schedule.

If your goal is to lower your monthly payments, you should consider repayment terms in your decision. Consolidating your loans generally does lower your payments, but it also tempts people into extend their loan terms. This can cause you to pay more interest in the long-run, so calculate how much more you’ll actually pay before you decide that this is the best option. Sometimes lowering your monthly payment by a little bit isn’t worth the extra time and money that it would take to pay it off. It just depends on what is right for you. See what many different lenders have to offer so that you can make an informed decision.

There are other reasons besides lowering your payment to consolidate student loans. Let’s say that you want to get a better interest rate. Keep in mind that you can’t consolidate over and over, so you’ll want to be sure that consolidation is the right move for you before you do it. If you have variable Stafford loans, then you need to wait and see if the rate actually goes down much. If it doesn’t really move, then it’s not worth wasting your consolidation option on. If you have a fixed rate Stafford loan, then you are at a fixed rate of 6.8 percent anyway and consolidating won’t lower it.

Sometimes consolidating is worth it just to get your bills together in one easy payment. This can help you pay your bills on time more consistently. Just be sure that you’re making the right move before you decide to consolidate your Stafford student loans.

Sometimes it may happen that students may need loans to complete their studies. These kinds of loans are lent by both federal and private settings. These loans, known as student loans, may be hard to decide on because of too many schemes being available on the market. Inexperienced persons may often be baffled with this many options and may easily choose a wrong one. In order to find out the best student loan company, one should understand a student loan first.

Student Loan overview

Student loans are different than other loans and these differences are best noted in the categories that they have much lower interest rate and much flexible payment option. They generally also don’t have to pay anything till completion of their studies. It is by wish of the government that it is so and this is considered as a way of encouraging students to complete their studies.

Different Types

There are different types of student college loans available. In order to choose one that is the best for you, you naturally have to explore all the options. Mainly 3 types of loans are available namely federal school loans made to the student, federal school loans made to the parent(s) and private student loans made to the student and/or the parent(s).

The first two differ on the basis that loans to students have lower maximum limits than loans to parent(s) but payment starts earlier (in fact immediately) in case of the later. Both private and federal loans offered to students do not require any payment till the student is still studying, although federal loans offer lower limits than private ones. Also private loans can be of 2 types: school-channel and direct-to-student type.

Eligibility

The country’s nationality is usually the foremost criterion for school and college loans. But this does not suffice. They usually have to complete some other criteria like parent’s annual income, student’s credit score and/or a worthy co-signer (especially for private loans).

Finding the Best Student Loan Lenders

Check with the school: Most educational institutes have their own loan-schemes or al least a manual listing the good and reputated lenders.

Find out about different programs: There is many a scheme offered by private lenders now. Look for schemes, discounts and interest reductions that are beneficial to you.

Search online: Take advantage of the internet. Search through it to look for a suitable loan program.

Look for quick loans: The college loans should be such that they pay your tuition fee at time and by convenient methods (by a cheque or wire-transfer).

Other things that you should look for while you take college loans is that so the monthly payment once you graduate should not exceed 10% of your expected salary. It is important to find a suitable private student loan in order to avoid complexity and uneasiness in the future.

The College Board, in its annual “Trends in Student Aid” report, estimates that a total of 4.5 billion in student financial aid was distributed in 2009–10. Grants now comprise about 50 percent of student financial aid from all sources, both federal and private sector.

In 2009–10, the average undergraduate student financial aid package was worth nearly ,500. This figure includes more than ,000 in grants and more than ,800 in government-backed federal student loans. Graduate students received slightly more financial assistance, on average, in the form of grants — nearly ,400 — but also borrowed more heavily. The average graduate student took out more than ,700 in graduate student loans.

Grants

Compared to student financial aid figures for 2008–09, grant aid to undergraduate students increased by 22 percent, while federal student loans increased by 9 percent. The 2009–10 academic year also saw a 16-percent increase in the average federal Pell Grant award to ,656, the largest one-year rise in the program’s history. Only about one-fourth of all Pell Grant recipients, however, qualified for the maximum grant amount of ,350.

Student Loans

Private student loans — college loans issued by private lenders rather than by the federal government — represented about 8 percent of all student loans in 2009–10, a decrease from 25 percent in 2006–07.

Federal subsidized Stafford student loans made up about 35 percent of all student loans in 2009–10, an increase from 31 percent in 2006–07. Unsubsidized federal Stafford student loans accounted for 42 percent of the combined federal and private student loans taken out in 2009–10, an increase of about 12 percent from 2006–07.

Subsidized Stafford loans, which are available only to students who demonstrate financial need, are government-backed college loans on which the government will pay the interest while the student is in school or in a period of approved deferred payments. Unsubsidized Stafford loans are available to students regardless of financial need. Although students, as on a subsidized loan, may defer payments on a federal unsubsidized college loan while they’re in school or in certain other authorized circumstances, the student, not the government, will be responsible for paying all the interest that accrues on an unsubsidized loan during those periods of deferment.

According to the College Board, about 65 percent of all undergraduate students in 2009–10 did not accept Stafford loans of any type. The majority of students who did accept Stafford college loans ended up taking out both subsidized and unsubsidized student loans. The average Stafford student loan debt load in 2009–10 was ,550.

In 2008, Congress authorized increases in the maximum annual and lifetime federal lending limits for Stafford student loans. The expanded loan amounts were approved in part to discourage students from taking on the burden of private student loans, which tend to carry higher interest rates and fewer borrower protections than federal student loans.

Currently, dependent undergraduate students can borrow up to a maximum of ,000 in Stafford college loans throughout their undergraduate college career. Independent undergraduates, as well as dependent undergraduates whose parents do not qualify for a federal parent loan, can borrow up to a maximum of ,500 in Stafford college loans.

Graduate students may also be awarded both subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford student loans, up to ,500 a year and up to a total lifetime maximum of 8,500, including both their undergraduate and graduate Stafford loans.

Graduate students may obtain additional student loan funds through the federal Grad PLUS graduate student loan program. However, whereas Stafford student loans don’t require either a credit check or a co-signer, Grad PLUS loans have modest credit requirements. Even so, the number of graduate loans issued through the Grad PLUS program has steadily increased since Congress introduced the program in 2006–07. About 5 percent of all student loans issued in 2009–10 were Grad PLUS graduate student loans.

Parent Loans

In contrast to federal student loans, federal parent loans, known as PLUS loans, are being used less frequently, with 20 percent fewer parent loans issued through the PLUS program in both 2008–09 and 2009–10 than in previous years. The volume of federal parent loans peaked at 11 percent in 2004–05 and 2005–06.

Since PLUS loans, unlike Stafford loans, are credit-based loans, one reason for the decline in PLUS loan volume may be that the number of parents who qualify for a PLUS loan has dropped due to the recession. Under current PLUS loan guidelines, parents who are more than 90 days past due on at least one bill or who have declared personal bankruptcy or been subject to a foreclosure proceeding within the last five years do not qualify for parent loans through the PLUS program.

 

Read the full report from the College Board: “Trends in Student Financial Aid 2010“