What is student loan consolidation?

If you go by the name, consolidation suggests that all your loans will be paid by one company only. Student loan consolidation allows the students to combine all their loans from various lenders into one and pay only one interest amount and that too at a reduced new rate. After consolidation, students will have to pay only one monthly installment to that company and thereby gets relieved from the headache of multiple installments and higher interest rates. 

Make a decision whether to consolidate or not

If you need to consolidate student loan then carefully observe the pros and cons of the consolidation. Before going for student loan consolidation, think about the factors given below:

1.    In the consolidation process, all your loans are treated as single and have fixed interest rates. Whether the rate increases or decrease, it is not going to affect you. So, if the rates are going to plummet, it is better for you to wait and watch.

2.    Make sure that you can consolidate student loans as you can avail consolidation for most federal loans which includes FFELP loans, Perkins, NSL, Guaranteed student loans, FISL, Health Professional Student loans, HEAL, and direct loans.

3.    Remember that consolidation extends the loan term due to which overall you have to pay more even if the rate is low.

4.    Consolidating all the loans is not a good idea because the rate of interest is fixed after finding out the average of all the interest rates and you may like higher rate loan to be out of the consolidation.

Follow following steps before going student loan consolidation

1.    Gather information regarding your loans’ status.

2.    It is mandatory for you to avail consolidation facility from the already associated lenders.

3.    Credit checking is not required so be cautious if any lender asks for such formalities.

Profits from student loan consolidation

1.    Multiple loans are converted into single loan.

2.    It reduces monthly installments by a considerable amount which can range up to 50%.

4.    Improves your credit ranking and is easy to pay monthly installments.

5.    No checking of credit, no origination or application charges.

Hence, student loan consolidation is a great option for a life free of debts. But the actual task is yours i.e. to find a loan consolidator according to your requirements and hit the consolidation interest loan rate student .

With the average American family having more than ten thousand dollars worth of credit card debt, consolidation is one of many solutions to this dilemma and the options available for consolidating your debt have in the past, not been so easy to take advantage of. Even as consolidating your debt offers a great solution and can be very helpful, your research has to be done properly as any sort of financial strain can add additional stress to our already stressful lives. This stress can often cause people to make impulsive financial decisions. Those who are thinking about a consolidation loan have to make themselves fully aware of both the pros and the cons.

A consolidation loan, like any other financial obligation, is something that entails serious consideration and should not be used to make even more purchases but is designed for those who have debts and cannot at this time afford to make their monthly payments. The bottom line is that debt consolidation is an accepted and often useful move toward managing a burdensome debt load. For loads of individuals in a slide down a financial slope, a consolidation loan is a great alternative to bankruptcy and although consolidation isn't instant, it will improve your credit in the long run.

The main idea of debt consolidation is to combine all your existing debts including loans, credit cards and store cards from multiple creditors into one new loan. The consolidation of debt into only one payment, by and large results in a lower payment that gives you enough breathing room to pay off your debt. The leading thing to remember is that the necessity for debt consolidation should not give you with a sense of embarrassment but should be thought of as a positive, smart and healthy approach to regaining control over your steadily increasing high interest rate debt liabilities and getting on with your life. Debt consolidation is often advisable when somebody has taken on a considerable sizeable balance of credit card debt, oftentimes with numerous credit card companies. It is a method by which you can defeat an ever declining debt situation.

Debt consolidation is a choice that can be obtainable for anybody who wants to take charge of their financial future and is a logical method that many financially struggling people utilize to get out of the debt trap. Even though debt consolidation is not rocket science, there is one potential downside you need to consider. Consolidating existing unstructured debt into one personal loan may save on your monthly bills and is often the first step required in the move to living a financially independent life. On the other hand, despite the fact that your monthly payments will likely decrease, consolidating your debts may mean it will take longer overall to achiever debt freedom.

Generally, a lengthened payback period is not a big concern as the majority of those pursuing a consolidation loan are en route getting deeper and deeper with their current monthly payments. Although the payment period is extended, the smaller monthly payment is worth it. In addition, from a psychological perspective, consolidating monthly bills can give a person peace of mind and a feeling of freedom and optimism toward building a bright financial future.

An option that allows you to combine all your debts into a single loan, be it secured or unsecured, with reduced payments is a financial necessity for many. While debt consolidation isn't a silver bullet, for many it's the only answer to all those bills and collection agencies that are calling you. For those who feel like they've run out of options, debt consolidation may be the answer for you.

If you've reached a juncture in your life at which you are interested in taking some direct and positive action to better your financial situation, you may be considering obtaining a debt consolidation loan. In this regard, there are a number of different debt consolidation loan options that actually are available to you today, including an unsecured debt consolidation loan. This article has been designed to provide you with a general overview about an unsecured debt consolidation loan.

Once you have considered the information that is provided to you in this article about an unsecured debt consolidation loan, you will be in a better position to determine whether or not an unsecured debt consolidation loan is the most appropriate debt consolidation option available to you today.

A Simple, Consumer Friendly Definition of an Unsecured Debt Consolidation Loan

When it comes to lending related issues, technical definitions abound. Unfortunately, technical definition can be of little assistance to a consumer like you who really is trying to make a decision about the propriety of obtaining an unsecured debt consolidation loan.

In simple terms, an unsecured debt consolidation loan is a loan that is designed to provide you with the financing necessary to consolidate your current debt obligations. The unique feature of an unsecured debt consolidation loan is found in the fact that you are not obliged to come up with collateral for an unsecured debt consolidation loan.

This differs from the other major type of debt consolidation loan that does require collateral, logically known as a secured debt consolidation loan. In order to obtain a secured debt consolidation loan, you have to have some property (most often your home) that can be used as collateral for a secured debt consolidation loan.

Will You Qualify for an Unsecured Debt Consolidation Loan?

In this day and age there actually are different types of unsecured debt consolidation loan options available to you. However, with that said, if you want to obtain the most favorable deal on an unsecured debt consolidation loan, you will need to have a credit history and a credit score that is not in the proverbial danger zone. In other words, in order to obtain the best possible deal on an unsecured debt consolidation loan, you will need to have a fairly sold credit history and a fairly (good, actually) credit score.

As mentioned, when it comes to finding an unsecured debt consolidation loan today, there are a variety of options. This includes unsecured debt consolidation loan options for people with bad credit.

The drawback with bad credit unsecured debt consolidation loan options is found in the fact that there will be serious limitations in the amount of money that you will be able to borrow. Moreover, the interest rates (and perhaps other fees and charges) associated with an unsecured debt consolidation loan for a person with a bad credit history and lower credit score will be significantly higher than what is otherwise available for a person with a better credit standing.

First of all make a list of debt consolidation service providers of your locality, as there are so many benefits of taking a debt consolidation loan from a company that you can physically access. So, if you are a resident of Oregon, it is always wise to go to an Oregon credit card debt consolidation company. To prepare the list local debt consolidation companies, you can rely on the local newspaper classifieds, search for them at the yellow pages or you can even try Google Locals. Once you are done with the list, sort the companies according to the rate of interest they are offering or consolidation loans. Now start calling them one by one beginning from the debt consolidation organization that offers loans at lowest interest.

Surely money matters and lowest rate of interest and processing fees are a priority but then a lot of other things are equally import while selecting a debt consolidation organization. Most important factor is that, the company must be a professional one with a proven track record of operating in the business for a significant time period. You need to do your research about the companies. Read about them at different blog sites and review sites about the debt consolidation organization before you make your choice. Consulting a friend is surely an effective way of selection. Ask someone who have taken debt consolidation service amongst your acquaintances and who knows, they can suggest you a great debt consolidation company.

To get the best deal you need to devote time and do your research well enough. But finding a good debt consolidation organization is not the need of it all. Selecting the right debt consolidation is equally important. There are different options or debt consolidation and you should always seek professional consultation from accredited debt consolidation counsellor. Personal consultation always helps in selecting the right debt consolidation program and in this way you can even gain from a bad credit debt consolidation.

The first question that comes to your mind always is why consolidate.  The answer is that you consolidate your student loans to reduce the monthly premiums, get the principal reduced, enhance your savings so that you could use the extra money fruitfully or repay the loans much earlier than the scheduled dates.

Best time to go for consolidation student loans

If you can consolidate your student loans immediately after your graduation within the grace period you are likely to derive the maximum advantages out of such consolidation.  The basic advantage of consolidating loans in the grace period is that you can lock down the lowest interest rates payable. Such consolidation is one of the best options when you try to improve your monthly cash flow or extend the repayment time span.  The best part of it is that you can easily get some additional discount financially benefiting you in the process.

You will however have to pay on your loan dues while your loan consolidation is in process. Normally the process of student loan consolidation can take time in the range of 30-90 days.  It is extremely important that you do not become a defaulter during this period which will render you ineligible for such loan consolidation.

Effects of the time taken for student loan consolidation

Since your consolidator will keep up to date track of your loan transactions the consolidation will be accordingly revised basing on the payments you have made since you submitted your application. The time span could be faster at 30-40 days or a bit delayed at 80-90 days. 

Normally the period taken for processing and approval of your student loan consolidation application is dependent on the payoff statements and the response of your lenders.  The Loan Verification Certificates, also called the LVCs may take some time to come from these lenders.  However they will come and you will have your loan consolidated and previous accounts closed.

There could even be some circumstances, though rare, where you could sell your loans to others. 

What do you do in case you are ineligible for student loan consolidation?

Under certain circumstances you may become ineligible for student loan consolidation.  Such situations are –

•    When you have already consolidated your loans earlier.

•    If your loan amount is less than $20,000.

•    When you owe repayment to only one lender.

If you are perturbed about the steps to be taken in such cases you may try one of the following options –

•    You may consider some private student loan consolidation plan.

•    You could refinance your home or some other properties to pay off the loan amount.

•    Best student loan consolidation rate can give you income tax exemptions.

•    You may obtain a personal loan from a bank or credit union.

To diminish the stress of repaying the student loans you acquired in college it is advisable that you resort to student loan debt consolidation. Whatever types of student loans you may have acquired in time, if they are not consolidated they can have a negative impact on your credit history after graduation, rendering you unable to acquire different kinds of credit like car loans, credit cards or mortgages. To prevent that, your best option is student loan debt consolidation.

The consolidation can be applied to both federal student loan debts as well as private student loan debts, but it is preferable that they are consolidated separately, as these types of loans have different characteristics. The most important difference between the two types of student loans is that the interest on federal student loans is tax deductible, whereas the private student loans offer no benefits. Also, in special cases, a federal student loan can be repaid by joining the army or by doing community service. In these cases the student pays no money, and offers his services in exchange for the entire amount.

How to consolidate your student loan debt - Student loan debt consolidation takes place, most of the times, during the grace period of a loan. This applies to both federal student loan debts as well as private student loan debts. The lower in-school rates of interest are used to calculate an average fixed interest rate that will be applied to your consolidated student loan debts.

A student loan debt consolidation program offers various flexible repayment schedules with lower monthly payments, very attractive rates of interest and only one lender that the student loan debt is returned to. Student loan debt consolidation does not require any additional fees or charges, no credit checks or co-signers, the companies that consolidate student debts only require that you, as a student, have loaned at least the minimum amount available.

How to consolidate your federal student loans - Using federal student loan consolidation you can build up all your federal student loans into just one loan with a single lender and a single schedule of repayment. The advantages do not stop here, as there are no charges, prepayment penalties or fees required after the consolidation of your loans. Also, the consolidation of loans can be made by you personally or by your parents, and it does not require the presence of any co-signers.

Through the federal student loan consolidation program all your debts are acquired by a commercial lender. At this point your account balance with the credit bureaus is zero, and all your debts are rolled into just one debt that you owe to a single commercial lender. All you have to do is sign a new promissory note that contains the details of your current rate of interest and repayment plan, and your federal student loans are consolidated. However, in order to qualify for this consolidation you must be able to prove that you made at least three full and on time monthly payments.

With the federal loan rates of interest at their lowest, this is an especially good time to consolidate your federal student loan debt, as the interest rate for the consolidated loan would be even lower, and fixed for the whole duration of the repayment schedule. And, since financial advisors say that the interest rates have been so low for so long that there is no place for them to go but up, this is probably the best time for a long time to come to consolidate your debts.

A wisely chosen student loan debt consolidation program will help lower your after graduation debt and will have a positive impact on your credit history.

You have a single monthly payment. After consolidation, borrowers only have one lender, the Department of Education, making it much easier to manage the debt.

It may reduce your loan payment. The minimum payment amount of the consolidated loan may be less than the combined payments of your previous loans.

There is no minimum or maximum loan amount, and no fee for consolidation.

You may get new or renewed deferment options for your loans.

There are several different repayment options, with the ability to switch repayment plans at any time.

Loans may be consolidated in two ways - directly with the federal government using the U.S. Department of Education Direct Federal Loan Consolidation program, or through commercial lenders using the Federal Loan Consolidation program.

For students who have borrowed heavily, the Direct Federal Loan Consolidation program may be a good option. It includes a special income-contingent option that brings all obligations together into a single new consolidated loan with a monthly payment structure based on the borrower's income level. The lower your income level, the lower your payment. As your income rises, your loan payment amount will rise accordingly. The repayment period lasts until the loan is repaid, up to 25 years. After 25 years, the remaining amount of the loan is repaid by the federal government, with the borrower the subject of a tax liability for the amount repaid.

One negative of the Direct Federal Loan Consolidation program is that it results in the payment of much more interest because of the long repayment period. Therefore, this option is only recommended for students who are absolutely unable to make a normal payment.

The following types of loans qualify for inclusion in a Federal Consolidation Loan:

Subsidized, unsubsidized, and guaranteed Stafford loans;

Perkins or NDSL loans;

Supplemental loans for students;

PLUS loans;

Federal insured student loans; and

Health professional student loans.

To qualify for a Direct Consolidation Loan, you must have a Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan ("FFEL") that is in one of the following states: in grace, repayment, deferment, or default. If you are still in school, you cannot consolidate your loans.

Perkins loans by themselves cannot be included in a Direct Consolidation Loan - there must be non-Perkins loans as well. Perkins loans that are consolidated will be unsubsidized. It may not be advantageous to add Perkins loans to a Direct Consolidation Loan, however, because you will lose the special benefits that are attached to Perkins loans.

If your loans are in default state, they can still be consolidated if satisfactory arrangements are made with the lending institutions or you agree to repayment under the Income Contingent Repayment Plan. One thing to keep in mind is that, although loans in default can be consolidated, they will remain in a default status on your credit report. A better option is to rehabilitate the loan before consolidation. The status of the loan on your credit report will then be updated to reflect that it is current.

We've just scratched the surface of what there is to know about student loan consolidation. However, you should now see that there are many options when it comes to consolidating your loans. Consolidation can definitely make your life easier and is something you should consider if you are currently making payments on multiple student loans, including private student loans.

There are two different school loan consolidation programs; namely, the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and the Direct Consolidation Loan programs. It’s important to know the difference between the two. First, any school loan consolidation that you want combined have to be accepted by the Direct Consolidation Loan Program. Federal Family Education Loan lenders might accept all eligible loans for the FFEL consolidation, but some lenders might not include non-FFEL loans in the school loan consolidation. However, if a loan isn’t accepted in the Federal Family Education Loan consolidation program, lenders might offer alternative school loan consolidation programs for these debts.

School loan consolidation lenders under the Federal Family Education Loan program must offer several repayment programs. These include the standard repayment plan, the graduated repayment plan, an extended repayment plan, and an income-sensitive repayment plan. Keep in mind that although these four repayment plans are offered by all FFEL lenders, the actual details of the repayment can vary. For example, the income-sensitive repayment plan takes the borrower’s income and total debt load into account.

With the Direct Loan Program, you are offered the standard repayment plan, the graduated repayment plan, the extended repayment plan, and the income-contingent repayment plan. With this particular income-contingent repayment plan, the payment is based on a formula that takes the borrower’s income, family size, and total loan amounts into account.

If you default on an FFEL consolidation loan, some lenders might allow you to include the defaulted loan into a new consolidation loan. However, not all lenders will offer this option. The Direct Loan Program also has stipulations for consolidating defaulted loans into new loans. If you are eligible to consolidate your defaulted loans into a new loan, you will regain eligibility for federal student aid.

Under the Direct Consolidation Program, you may consolidate your loans while you are enrolled in school. If you are eligible for an in-school consolidation, you can get a six month grace period before repayment begins. You might also qualify for a lower interest. If you have only FFEL loans, you might still be eligible for a consolidation and grace period while still in school through the Direct Consolidation Loan program. With the FFEL consolidation program, you can only consolidate your loans after leaving school, and all your loans have to be in the grace period or repayment period.

You've heard about loan consolidation and the idea of making a smaller payment to one lender sounds like a dream compared to your current nightmare of feeding a seemingly endless stream of money to a number of different lenders. No contest--where do you sign up?

Rein yourself in for a moment. Consolidation may be the perfect solution to your financial woes and then again it may not be. So before you jump on the consolidation bandwagon, here are a few things you might want to consider.

Are Lenders Axing Consolidation Loans?
In an effort to remedy some inequities in the federal student aid programs, Congress recently enacted the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, which among other provisions, cuts lender subsidies that have historically been in place to encourage lenders to participate in the federal education loan programs. This legislation, in concert with the recent subprime mortgage credit crisis, has lenders taking a closer look at whether education loans continue to be profitable for them.

Higher education leaders anticipate that lenders may cut back on the Stafford and PLUS loan incentives and discounts previously offered to attract borrowers--and eliminate them altogether for consolidation loans. Consolidation loans, with the tightest profit margin of all education loans, may even be on the chopping block for some lenders while others may increase the minimum balance that qualifies a borrower for a consolidation loan.

Even if lenders back out of the consolidation loan business, consolidation is still available through the federal Direct Consolidation Loan program, but the government doesn't offer the incentives and discounts that lenders have long been using to attract borrowers.

Are Interest Rates Coming Down?
Stafford Loan and PLUS variable interest rates, which are based on a formula that includes the interest rate of the most recent 91-day T bill, change every July 1; rates are expected to drop significantly on July 1, 2008. This decrease should make the educational loan variable interest rates very attractive. Because the interest rate for a consolidation loan is calculated using a weighted average of all interest rates for all of the loans you would include in consolidation, you may want to wait until after July 1 to make a more informed decision.

Consolidation: Thumbs Up or Down?
To consolidate or not to consolidate: that is the question. But there's no easy answer.

Consolidation may be a good idea if:

• You have a variable interest rate and would rather have a fixed rate. This may be a good idea but you might want to wait and consider it only if interest rates start going back up. And, what happens if variable interest rates stay down or drop below your fixed rate?

• You have a variety of loans and lenders and would like to have only one lender. One problem--you may have to 'pay' for the convenience by accepting a higher interest rate on some of your loans.

• You need more flexible repayment options. Repayment options available through consolidation are:

Standard - fixed monthly payments.
Graduated - start out with low payments and increase every 2 years.
Extended - for amounts greater than $30,000, either a fixed or graduated option.
Income contingent - based on annual income and total loan debt, with a payment adjustment every year as income changes. The FFEL program offers income sensitive repayment, which bases monthly payments on a percentage of income.

Although the Stafford Loan programs offer flexible repayment options, the Perkins Loan program currently does not. Note: An income-based repayment option will become available for FFEL and Direct Stafford, Perkins, Grad PLUS, and Federal Consolidation (less undergrad PLUS) loan borrowers on July 1, 2009.

• You absolutely need to ease up on your monthly payments. Beware of this option. A lower payment generally means a longer repayment period and paying more interest over time.

Consolidation may not be a good idea if:

• Any of the loans you plan to include have cancellation or forgiveness options that may be lost if you consolidate.

The Perkins Loan Program, for example, has a cancellation option if you teach in certain public school