Student Loan Balances

There are many benefits of student loan consolidation. When you consolidate your student loans, you can lock in low interest rates, reduce your monthly payments, simplify your life, and improve your credit score. In the coming weeks, we will be looking at each of the benefits in more depth.

As you probably know, credit scores play a major role in determining whether or not you get an apartment, house, car, cellular phone - the list goes on indefinitely. It's your way of showing companies that you are trustworthy and reliable enough to make consistent and timely payments on acquisitions that are more expensive. Having a bad credit score taints you, jeopardizing your chances of being approved by creditors.

Credit scores are negatively affected by late payments, incomplete or partial payments, defaults, and judgments and liens. The score can be broken down into several components: 35 percent of your score depends on your payment history; 30 percent, on your outstanding debt; 15 percent, the length of your credit history; 10 percent, recent inquiries on your credit report; and 10 percent, the types of credit your currently use.

Because a student loan is money owed, it adversely affects your payment history and your outstanding debt, which comprises 65 percent of your total credit score. This, of course, may be debilitating to your credit.

Stafford loans, which are the most common type of student loans, are often issued in subsidized and unsubsidized portions. An undergraduate student could graduate with as many as four subsidized Stafford loans and four unsubsidized Stafford Loans, totaling eight separate loans. Furthermore, most students don't make payments on their loans until after they graduate.

In summation, undergraduate students may have eight loans in four years without a single payment.

Graduate students who use loans to finance their educations leave school with advanced degrees and even more unconsolidated debt.

Obviously, there are extenuating circumstances. How can you, as a student, be expected to pay off your debts? You've been concentrating on schoolwork. How can a full-time student work full-time? Lenders recognize this and often offer grace periods, which exempt students from repayment for a few months after graduation.

Unfortunately, computers are responsible for calculating credit reports. For calculating machines, numbers are numbers, regardless of how compelling your story may be. Eight loans, four years, and no payments make a horrible combination.

A lesser-known benefit of consolidation is the fact that it improves your credit score. When you consolidate, your new lender pays off all of your eight loans, and then opens up one new consolidation loan. When a computer calculates your credit score, it will see this: eight loans paid in full. You will look like a responsible and trustworthy borrower.

Consolidation increases your credit score because it pays off all your old loans and reduces your number of open accounts.

And also, factor in that you will lose the deduction that comes with student loan interest, despite gaining a tax deduction for the paid interest on your home equity loan. The ideal thing to do here is to calculate, by crunching numbers, which loan option would best suit you in the long run. Make sure that you understand your options, as well as the ups and downs of home equity loan use to pay off your student loan balances.

By: Dhruv Mehta

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College Students loan

As many college students go through the rigors and necessary steps to finish their educations, once they're done and successfully graduated, they know it's time to start their own, independent lives. With school out of the way, jobs on the horizon and a bright future ahead many will be seeking to purchase their own homes - if not right away, sometime down the line. Going with the assumption that students will in fact buy a home within a 5 year span of graduating, they're probably also looking to satisfy their student loan balances within that time frame. Here is where opportunity lies.

If such a situation exists for you, where student loans need to be paid and you now own a home, there is a way in which you can use your new home to pay off your student loans. How, you might ask? Well, it's simply a matter of using a home equity loan to pay off your student loans, and quite quickly too.

Shortening Student Loan Pay off Through A Home Equity Loan

It's no surprise that most students coming out of college feel that paying off their student loans will be a long haul. Yet, to your delight, as many other students', there is a quicker solution to rid your self of student debt – through managing your debt responsibly and considering using a home equity loan. Considering here is mentioned merely because using a home equity loan to pay off your student loans is a two-sided financial action, having both ups and downs, defined pros and cons.

Take Into Mind Home Equity Loan Perks

When looked at and reviewed initially, it would seem that consolidating your student loans into a home equity loan would be a wise decision, one with little to think or worry about. This is so due to how home equity loans work. Since these types of loans essentially use your newly owned property as collateral, banks are able to offer much lower rates than the majority of what private student loans would. This is a saving grace, in more ways than one. Financially, you'll save literally thousands of dollars (via long-term interest payments), not to mention benefiting from added tax perks. And better still, in terms of lowering your total expenditures, home equity loans are tax-deductible.

But, Also, Consider The Pitfalls of Using A Home Equity Loan

It's clear that utilizing a home equity loan to pay off student loan debt is beneficial, yet it is still a bold and weighted move. Know that using a home equity loan isn't 100 percent without caution. Firstly, it's paramount to mention again that your house is used as collateral, which could be to your detriment, especially if rough times unexpectedly pop up, which could cause you to have to default on your mortgage. This could cause you to lose your home, which would be an awful thing to deal with. By: E.s. Cromwell

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Consolidation of Student Loans

You can consolidate student loans at recent low consolidation interest rates; can help you save a lot of money. When you locked in to a solitary loan, which has less fixed interest rate, it will assist you in decreasing the monthly payment you make. Many lending companies concentrate in consolidation of student loans and give you a good offer that will be beneficiary for you. There are many lenders who provide excellent customer service and low interest rates with other benefits. It does not take too much time to consolidate student loan; the more important thing here is that you go through the agencies offering this feature and chose the right consolidating lender after good deliberation. Do not hurry while making the choice as it may bring trouble for you on a later date.

Comparing the various lenders is very important and if you have the time you can even fill up their no obligation form and applications online to get a better idea of their services. It is a very fast and safe way to go about it. Student consolidation loan can be a solution for your problem of repaying the debt taken for as a student. It is an advertised fact that you can get loans, for you to repay the student loans that are outstanding which will also lift your tensions; it will positively help you reduce your monthly payments. Most of us of heard of this but it is very important to find more on it before you plunge into the system. As you find more on it may feel a little more complicated than it looks.

It is good to understand when student consolidation loans are helpful. The value of debt on student consolidation loans is largely based on the amount and also the fact that what kind of student debt you have. As this loan will mostly reduces the student debt as it lowers the interest rate, which is charged on the principal amount. The functionality is dependant on the average interest, which is being paid by you on your outstanding debt.

Sometimes consolidation of student loans becomes more useful when you have debt on student loans, which is, comprises of private student loans. In case you add this with the credit card balance you have, you can get a great deal when you consolidate all your debts. Believe it or not at an average you can reduce the interest rate by may be up to 5 points, which will help you save hundreds of dollars.

Leave the part of your student debt, which are federal student loans when consolidating, or else you will have to pay more interests on the principal amount and you will not gain anything much from debt consolidation. But you can find a few federal programs which help you to consolidate student loan which is taken from government or maybe you can reprogram your payment options to ease your failing budget. It is good to realize all the options, which you have for repayment, and for you to make an informed and correct decision for your good financial future.

By: Adam Boychuk

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Student Loan Consolidation

Today, student loans allow many who would otherwise be unable to afford the costs of higher learning the ability to obtain a college education. College loans are ideal in that they do not require the student to begin repayment until after graduation, which means there is more time to focus on studying and less time worrying about paying for an education. The best way to learn about student loans is to speak with the admissions office at your college of choice and/or request an application.

After years of studying and working toward a degree that will push students toward a bright future, graduation time finally arrives. Along with it, the start of repayment on college loans. Many young adults graduate with the desire to relocate, find employment or get married and, often, the student loan debt facing them seems overwhelming. Luckily, student loan consolidation plans are available to help if payments should ever fall behind or become impossible to maintain.

Speaking of falling behind, one of the most common reasons that individuals request a consolidation for their college loans is because they are in default. Student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy and, when in default, the only way to regain control of this type of debt is often through a student loan consolidation. If college loans remain in default, or go unpaid, for a long period of time, a wage garnishment may be pursued to ensure collection of the debt.

There are many benefits to requesting a student loan consolidation, including the ability to sometimes reduce payments by as much as 50% or receive a fixed rate for the life of the loan. Most student loan consolidation programs require no application fee and, in some cases, no credit check. Lenders may have different policies and/or fees relating to student loan consolidation, so be sure to ask any questions that you may have prior to signing any documents or submitting an application.

If you are considering college or have a child who is approaching their senior year in high school, now may be the time to start thinking about applying for student loans. Some students work full time and attempt to study just to afford an education. While this approach shows great resolve, it often results in a student who has little time to learn and feels as though he/she is being stretched too thin. Student loans are designed to help degree seekers take the time to experience the wonderful journey of college without the stress of worrying about how to pay for it.

The information contained in this article is designed to be used for reference purposes only. It should not be used as, in place of or in conjunction with professional financial advice relating to college loans, student consolidation loan programs or any similar type of loan program. For additional information on student loans, check with the admissions office at your college of choice or request information on consolidation loans from a lender specializing in student loan debt. By: Andrew Daigle

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