What is student loan debt consolidation?
It simply means consolidating all your student loans into one so you only have to make monthly payments to one lender instead of several. The advantage is that you pay lower interest rates and most student loan debt consolidation have higher repayment periods.
There are many financial institutions and banks that offers student loan debt consolidation. They will pay off your existing student loans to their respective lenders. They will then consolidate the loans into one. The interest rate of the new student loan debt consolidation is then calculated by taking the average of the interest rates of your previous student loans. That is why your student loan debt consolidation's interest rate is lower.
Some student loan debt consolidations are payable at a fixed rate though so be sure to check with your lender first.
There are 4 different types of student loan debt consolidation plans available from lenders each with its pros and cons.
1. Standard Repayment Plan
Standard Repayment Plan offers a maximum of 10 years to repay your student loan debt consolidation at a fixed rate. Payments are calculated by dividing the loan amount within that time period at a fixed interest rate.
2. Extended Repayment Plan
There is also the option of an extended repayment plan. It is the same as standard repayment plan except it stretches the repayment period to a maximum of 30 years. The length of repayment is dependent on the total amount borrowed.
You should note that you may ended up paying more by opting for an extended repayment plan because of the fixed interest rate. On the other hand, the monthly payments would be easier to handle so you will have to decide how much you can afford to pay each month.
3. Graduated Repayment Plan
The Graduated Repayment Plan has a maximum repayment period of 30 years which is the same as extended repayment plan. However, the amount of your monthly payments will increase every two years.
4. Income Repayment Plan
For income repayment plan, the monthly payment is not fixed. Rather it is determined by several factors such as your total student loan amount, the size of your family and your income level. The maximum repayment period is 25 years.
So how do you decide which student loan debt consolidation is suitable for you? Here's a few tips. If you are close to repaying your student loans, then there is no need to get a student loan debt consolidation unless you foresee some cash-flow problems in the coming months. Consider your financial status now and in the coming months or years. Are you able to comfortably pay the loan? Getting a new student loan debt consolidation is also a good way to improve your credit score since you have effectively cleared your old student loans and getting a new one.
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