Student
loans are two-edged swords. Without them, you couldn’t pay for that degree you
worked so hard for. On the other hand, without them, you might actually get to
keep the amount you pay out every month for yourself. You might get to pay your
other bills on time, afford a more reliable car, or find a better place to
live.
If repaying
your student loans is challenging your budget, or worse, putting your finances
– and credit rating – in the red, you might want to think about a direct student loan consolidation.
With a direct student loan consolidation, you
exchange your outstanding student loans with their higher interest rates for
one loan with a more manageable, fixed interest rate.
A direct student loan consolidation may
be the answer to more than one problem. If you have struggled to meet your
monthly payments and in fact have used every option for deferment or
forbearance your current loans offer, or find yourself about to default on your
loan, a direct student loan
consolidation can mean a fresh start. A new loan is often a clean
slate.
Not only do
deferment and forbearance options become available in case of need again, but
often direct student loan consolidation
gives you a much lower interest rate – as much as 0.6 percentage points –
thereby lowering your monthly payments. And when you consolidate those student
loans under a new loan, those loans show up on your credit report as paid off,
and your credit score benefits.
There are
four plans for repaying a direct student
loan consolidation that you many want to investigate as you consider which
is best for your needs.
The first
plan is a Standard Repayment Plan and gives you a fixed monthly payment for up
to 10 years. The Extended Repayment Plan also sets fixed monthly payments, but
the repayment period is set between 12 and 30 years, according to the total
amount you borrow. In this plan your payments are lower because they are spread
across a long period of time. Keep in mind, however, that making payments over
longer periods of time means you will end up paying out a larger total amount.
The third
option is the Graduated Repayment Plan. This is another direct student loan consolidation plan with a repayment period
between 12 and 30 years, only in this plan the amount of your monthly payment
will increase every two years.
Finally, if you have a job and family, the Income Contingent Repayment Plan may be what you’re looking for. This plan sets a monthly payment based on your annual gross income, family size, and total direct student loan debt, and spreads those payments over a period of 25 years.
While direct student loan consolidation may
be the best way to get on top of student loans for some, if you are close to
paying off your existing loans, it may not be worth it in the long run to
consolidate or extend your payments.
However, if
you are still seeing loan payments coming out of your pocket well into the
future, consider the direct student loan
consolidation seriously. If you consolidate your loans while you are still
in school, you may qualify for a 6-month grace period before repayment begins.
You may find you will be able to keep any subsidies on your old loans.
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