Borrowers Currently Enrolled In School Can No Longer Consolidate Their Loans
Borrowers Currently Enrolled in school can no longer Consolidate Their Loans
The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 eliminated the provision that allowed a FFEL or Direct Loan borrower who is enrolled in school on at least a half-time basis to request to enter repayment early on his or her Stafford Loans if the lender approves. Repayment is now defined as not beginning until 6 months and one day after the date the student ceases to carry at least one-half the normal full- time academic workload, as determined by the school. Therefore, a FFEL or Direct Loan borrower who is still enrolled in school at least half-time may no longer request to enter repayment early to apply for a FFEL or Direct Consolidation Loan.
To apply for a Direct Loan Consolidation or an FFEL Consolidation the borrower must contact the lender and complete an application. Most lenders provide borrowers with the ability to apply on-line or request an application over the telephone. Once an application is completed and submitted, the lender will request information from the borrowers other lenders or from its own system to determine the amounts outstanding on the borrowers loans. The borrower will then receive notification about the consolidation loan, normal consumer disclosures, the amount owed, and if appropriate, where to make payments.
FFEL Consolidation Loan Weighted Average Interest Rate
Consolidation loans have fixed interest rates that are based on the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans being consolidated. A lender can provide a new consolidation loan borrower with the lowest statutory weighted average interest rate for loans by using the lower of the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans being consolidated as of July 1 or the date the lender received the borrower's consolidation loan application. The lender should apply a consistent method of determining when an application is received.
Most federal education loans are eligible for consolidation, including subsidized and unsubsidized Direct and FFEL Stafford Loans, SLS, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Nursing Loans, and Health Education Assistance Loans. Private education loans are not eligible. PLUS Loan borrowers (parent borrowers) also can consolidate their loans.
To obtain a complete list of the federal student loans that can be consolidated
* contact the Direct Loan Origination Center's Consolidation Department if youre applying for a Direct Consolidation Loan. You can reach them by calling 1-800-557-7392. TTY users may call 1-800-557-7395.
* contact a participating FFEL lender if youre applying for a FFEL Consolidation Loan. If you do not know who your FFEL lender is, please call 1-800-433-3243 for assistance.
Private Loans - Student Financial Aid
You need to keep in mind that this is a service and you are a customer.
UK Personal Loan Guide Loans & Other Subjects
It may seem like a long process but if there is no reason for it to be turned down then you can expect a ten to twenty day turnaround time as long as all the relevant information requested is provided quickly.
5 Must Knows When Shopping for a Student Loan Consolidation Program
By Guy Ray
About two thirds of college students are using student loans to pay for college. If you plan on using student loans to pay for your education then there are a few things you need to do . The first thing is plan ahead and understand what options you have when it comes to repaying your student loan.
Keep in mind that every dollar you borrow must be repaid with interest. It's easy to look at a 200 dollar per month payment and think no problem but when you also have rent, electric and all of those other bills to pay 200 dollars a month can be a lot more than it seems. Budgeting calculators are available on most money lenders sites. These calculators can help you determine how much you can afford to pay back. They take into account your monthly expenses and compare those expenses to the estimated salary you think you can earn once you graduate.
Know how much you need to borrow and don't borrow more than you need. By borrowing more than you can afford you run the risk of defaulting on the loan. Which means you run the risk of not being able to pay back what you borrowed. Defaulting on a loan and having it sent to a credit agency is not how you want to start your career. A bad mark on your credit history can haunt you forever.
One of the good things about student consolidation loans is that you won't have to shop around. One student consolidation loan is pretty much going to look like the next. Because student consolidation loans are usually secured by the government there won't be a real big difference in the interest rates or terms depending on which company you go to.
Know that there are a few things that can stop you from getting a student consolidation loan. If you are behind in payments most lenders will not consider you for a student consolidation loan. Private education loans, loans made by private lenders, are not eligible for a student consolidation loan but may be eligible for a private consolidation loan. Of course it goes without saying that only student loans can be eligible for student consolidation loans.
Last and most important is what you will need to apply for a student consolidation loan. This falls into three categories, personal information, reference information and current loan information. The personal information you will need will be your date of birth, address, phone number, drivers license and email address. The reference information you will need will be the name, addresses and phone numbers of two references. You will also need your current loan information which will include the loan type, loan holder, interest rate and balance.
Student consolidation loans can be a great way to consolidate all of your loans into one payment. The student consolidation loan can often be lower than what you are paying for all your other loans. The interest rates may be a little higher but in the end you will save money.
Guy Ray is a published web author on various subjects as well as a certified copywriter and webmaster. To learn more about student loan consolidation program visit his site atstudent loan consolidation
More Information About Student Loan Consolidation
By Scott Fromherz
Student loans help all prospective students by financing their educational expenses. The cost of higher education is high and not all students are able to pay their fees. The main difference between student loans and other types of loans is that student loans have much lower rate of interest and nearly everyone is approved for a student loan. Unlike other loans, the applicant is not scrutinized for credit history or income.
It is estimated that approximately 20% of all college students rely on some type of financial aid in the form of student loans. These loans are the best option for anyone undergoing a college education and requiring funds to finance some part of that process. While this makes getting a college education easy in terms of finances, the downside is that many students often leave college under heavy debt. This problem is compounded by the fact that they may have taken multiple loans from different lenders ,so managing the finances becomes a serious burden. In order to make things easier in such a situation, it is recommended that you make use of student loan consolidation.
Student loan consolidation is simply the process of taking all the different types of student loans you may have acquired while attending college and converting them into a single loan that you need to repay to a single lender with a new repayment plan. This is quite similar to refinancing a house. Student loan consolidation pays off the outstanding balance on all the loans, then takes that total balance and converts it into a single new loan. This way students have the convenience of repaying a single loan instead of multiple ones.
The biggest advantage of student loan consolidation is the integration of all loans into a single monthly bill. The second advantage is that after consolidation you will be charged a much lower rate of interest on the consolidated loan and this means huge savings. Also, consolidated loans offer a lot more flexibility when it comes to repayments. They have no fees, additional charges, or any prepayment fines. You do not need to provide co-signers or credit checks when consolidating your student loans.
In order to get a student loan consolidation, you may approach any bank or credit union that is a part of the Federal Family Education Loan Program. It does not really matter which way you go because most of the terms and conditions for student loan consolidation are the same. The important thing to do is to check with your current debtors. In case all of your current loans are with a single lender then it is recommended you consolidate your loans with the same lender.
Also remember that you can only do student loan consolidation once, unless if you are going to take more loans. This is why it is important you get the best possible deal when you are consolidating. Though the interest rate is not likely to differ much from one lender to the next, some of them might offer future discounts on prompt payment as well as a discount for monthly payments directly debited to your account. All these options are available to you when you go for consolidation within the 6-month grace period after which your repayment begins. If you are going for loan consolidation, always do it before this grace period expires to get the lowest possible interest rate.
The two critical aspects in your consolidation plan are the interest rate and the repayment plan.
Most student loans have a repayment plan spanning around 10 years. Depending on how you go about your student loan consolidation, you might be able to stretch this to around 30 years. Just keep in mind that this means it will take that much longer before you are free of debt. Also, a longer repayment plan means paying a lot more even with a low rate of interest. The interest rate on a consolidated loan is already low, so it is recommended that you keep the repayment plan as short as possible to avoid long-term payment from nullifying the benefits of a low interest rate.
The student loan process itself is quite confusing. The federal government got involved in student loans since 1965 and over the years there have been many policy changes and bills that have created many types of loan programs. Besides the federal government, there are also many private lending institutions offering student loans. Be wary of the student loan you select because choosing an option like "adjustable rate" could mean a low interest rate that will go up like anything.
Always check with the Department of Education before settling on a loan.
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Is Student Loan Consolidation Good?
By Ron King
Consolidating your student loan(s) is one of the smartest things that you can do. You should consider a student consolidation loan if you have several federal student loans or even just one large one.
Student consolidation loans will have fixed interest rates which are similar to those of the loans that are being consolidated. The amount that you can save through consolidation can be up to 58%.
Federal Stafford loans, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loans as well as many others can be consolidated. Most of the time, they already have low rates.
Advantages
- You will have a single loan payment which is often lower than what you currently pay.
- It is easy to set up.
- It will help lower your debt burden.
- You can secure the lowest interest rate at the time.
- It can help you qualify for new or renewed deferments.
What To Consider
When you consolidate, make sure that the interest rate that you are offered is lower than your current rate. You want to pay off your student debt easier and maybe quicker too.
While consolidation can simplify the loan repayment process and lower your monthly payment, in the long run it usually increases the total amount that you will have to pay.
Student loan consolidation provides lower monthly payments by allowing you to spread the loan over 30 years in some cases. You are paying more payments, so be sure to compare the total cost of repaying your unconsolidated loans with the cost of repaying them through the consolidation loan.
The process of consolidating is very flexible. Consolidation is available from before you graduate down through years of repayment.
First, you need to gather information about your current loan. You need to know the balances and the interest rates, the names and addresses of companies and the names and addresses of personal references. The National Student Loan Data System can help provide you with the information that you need since it holds the most complete and accurate information for federal loans.
Paying Them Back
You will have 2 options to pay these loans back.
1. Pay a standard amount each month. This will include principle and interest. This is the lowest cost of interest paid way to go.
2. Or a graduated repayment. Here you start with lower payments that are only interest, but then they will keep increasing.
Usually repayment of your consolidation loans will begin in 60 days and will take from 10 to 30 years to fully pay back.
There are some questions that you should ask the lender before going forward.
- is there a rate reduction, for example for making your payments online or on time?
- does the loan meet your specific needs?
- is that the best interest rate available?
To get a student loan consolidation, you can still be enrolled in school or graduated. Either way, you'll find many lending options that will fit your needs.
Visit Consolidate loan for more. Ron King is a researcher, writer, and web developer, visit Articles for authors. Copyright 2006 Ron King.
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