Student loan consolidation help is a good solution to students who are in debt because of all of the loans that they needed in order to pay for school.

Student loan consolidation is basically the combining of two or more student loans. The point behind this is to allow the student to pay only one low monthly payment, based on what they can afford. This allows people who are in a bad financial situation to live a little easier.

If you just take a look around you can find hundreds of options for student loan consolidations, as well as other consolidations for other types of debt.

Looking at student loan consolidations, you will find that there are two major types of student loan consolidations. They are the federal student loan consolidation and private student loan consolidations. Though you are able to combine federal loans with private loans it is a bad idea. When you combine the two different types, you lose all of the benefits that you are offered with federal student loans but can’t get from using private loans.

First and foremost, with federal student loan consolidation the interest rates you pay can be tax deductable. That is a good benefit that you would have no chance at getting if you were to consolidate them with private loans, or if all you had were private loans.

Next comes the possibility of being forgiven for certain federal loans when you go to consolidate them. Again, if you were to combine them with private loans, or if all you had were private loans, you would not have a chance at this.

And finally, for some who might need this, there is a possibility for you to defer your payments if you need to go back to school. You again can’t take advantage of this benefit if you have just private student consolidations, nor if you mix private with federal student loans.

If at all possible, you want to use only federal student loans. Remember that when you go to get student loans consolidated, you need to be sure to keep federal loans separate from private loans.

When you decide on a student loan consolidation, you need to pay close attention to the interest rates they charge. If all of your rates are the same, then it will be slightly higher, but you will have no extra fees, and you will have a monthly price set based on what you can afford. If the rates are different then they will calculate an interest rate that will land somewhere between your highest rate and your lowest rate. When they tell you that your interest rate will be lower, it isn’t really true. It will just be lower than your current higher rate.

If you come across a place that asks for an up-front fee then you should be wary. These are scams. That’s not to say that everything that has a fee is a scam, just the ones that ask for the fees in the very beginning.

While federal consolidation student loans are backed by official support no such support exists in case of the private student loan consolidation process. In case of such federal loans the Government takes the responsibility of repayment to the lender when the student is unable to pay for reasons beyond his or her control.  Of course the Government will get the amounts repaid by the student but only when they are in a position to do so.

Lenders are also more at peace with the federal loan consolidation process since they are assured of the repayments.  Ordinarily the banks are such lenders and they are assured about getting back the money they have invested. That is why the federal loan rates are normally lower than the private loan rates.

Private loan consolidation involves higher risks

As already stated the federal loan consolidation is one of the safest processes for both the lender and the borrowers. Since the lenders are assured of the repayment with the federal authorities being the guarantor they feel quite happy to grant lower rates of interests in such cases. 

Private student loan consolidation is a process that involves much higher risks for the lender.  There is no such official guarantor who will ensure repayment in case of failure by the borrower.  True the lender could always resort to the legal proceedings against the defaulters.  But the process will involve additional expenses over and above the money lost on account of default and the long hassles of fighting legal battles are often the headache that no lender will cherish. 

When student loan consolidation may not be permissible

There are certain cases where the student loan consolidation may not be permissible.  For example you may not be permitted to have the student loan consolidation with your spouse. You may not also be able to get the best student loan interest rates unless you opt for the student loan consolidation refinance

If you have already consolidated your student loans in the past with some private consolidator other than the US Department of Education it may not be permissible for you to have your loan consolidated all over again.

There are some relaxations in this regard though.  If you have acquired some new loans in the meantime then such consolidation will be allowed.  Student loan consolidation may also be permitted when you have multiple consolidations from various lenders.

Student loan consolidation repayment

Once you consolidate student loans, the first repayment shall be due within 30 days of such consolidation.  However the type of repayment you will make depends on your choice.  You can opt for the standard payments where the monthly premiums are fixed or graduated payments where they increase over the years.

Conversely you can opt for the income sensitive payments based upon your current annual income and changes in it.  Finally, you can opt for the extended payment for amount exceeding $30,000 and $50,000.  Such extended period shall be 25 and 30 years respectively. Good news for you is that most of the consolidators do not ask for fees, credit check and they do not penalize you for early repayment permitting you the best student loan consolidation.

As a college student, you are constantly dishing out thousands of dollars towards various expenses, including tuition, books, fees, housing, food, cell phone bills, utilities, insurance and car payments. The list could go on forever. And, if you are like many students in America, part of your education is probably funded through private student loans.

There has never been a better time to consolidate your private student loans. Though the cost of schooling can cost thousands, EdFed is here to help you save thousands! This is because EdFed offers competitively, low interest rates and fees with our private student loan consolidations. Also, when you consolidate your private student loans through EdFed, you can save almost 50% off of your monthly bill!

Further Reduce Your Interest Rate

To save even more off of our already low interest rates, you can qualify to receive our borrower benefits. When you sign up to pay with our automated debit program you will receive an immediate 0.25% reduction off of your interest rate.

Three Flexible Repayment Options

When you consolidate your private student loans with EdFed, we offer you three repayment options to choose from, enabling you to choose the one that best meets your financial needs. Your interest rate stays the same, no matter which option you choose, and you have the freedom to change your repayment option at any time, should your situation change. Your payment options include:

* Equal Payments

This is the most common repayment option. In an equal payment repayment plan, both the interest and principal of the consolidation loan will be paid equally for the life of the loan. Your monthly payment will stay constant for the entire repayment period.

* Select 2/ Graduated Payments

The Select 2 repayment option enables you to make interest-only payments for the first two years of repayment. After two years, the payments will increase to include equal installments of both the interest and principal for the remaining term of the loan.

* Select 5/ Graduated Payments

The Select 5 payment option enables you to make interest-only payments for the first two years of repayment. During the third through fifth years of the loan, the payments will increase to include only a portion of the principal with the interest. When you enter the sixth year of your loan repayment, your payments will once again increase, this time to include both the principal and interest equally throughout the remainder of the loan.

EdFed Sets the Bar on Customer Service

EdFed’s customer service is second to none. When you call EdFed, an eager loan counselor will give you accurate, honest answers to all of your questions. We pride ourselves in our ability to provide the best support and service in the industry for you and your consolidation needs. Also, when you consolidate your private loans with us, we will assign a specific loan specialist to your consolidation. This will enable you to speak to the same specialist each time you call. This specialist will be familiar with you and your loan, so calling in will be more like talking to an old friend, rather than a stranger.

Easy Application Process

Applying for a consolidation loan through EdFed is a short and simple process. When you call to apply, one of our professional advocates will ask you a few simple questions and help you start your private consolidation application. It is that simple. We know how important your time is to you, so starting an application with us takes less than ten minutes.

Save Thousands!

When you consolidate through EdFed, you have the ability to save thousands of dollars to help you take the first step to financial freedom. From our low, reduced interest rates to our flexible repayment options, supported by the best customer service in the industry, EdFed is here for you.

Congress has recently decided to change rules for student loan consolidations.

One of the changes effects the payment of student loan consolidations, both for federal and for private student loans. The payments will now be based on the student’s income. If a student can show that he or she suffers from ‘partial financial hardships’ then the payments made monthly on a student loan consolidation will be limited at about 15 percent taken from a students current income, instead of a set price for every student. This is a part of their College Cost Reduction Act along with their Access Act. Those changes will take effect the year 2009 as of July first.

For those students that spend at least ten years in what the government considers to be a qualifying public service position, for example teaching or maybe charitable work, then the remaining amount of a students current loans can be forgiven. Unfortunately, it is only with the loans that are funded directly by the federal government. This option became available for students on October first of the year 2007.

As of July 1st 2008, those students who move FFELP or Federal Family Education Loan in a direct loan program by using a loan consolidation plan can also qualify for the above.

Just pain consolidating student loans is also an option. A lot of the time students will consolidate funds in order to extend the amount of time they have to pay, and lower the monthly payments that they make. When they go to consolidate their loans, students have many things to look for, and many benefits they can get from consolidating their loans.

One reason why students use student loan consolidation is the escape from changing interest rates that randomly go up. Some are just looking to make fewer payments a month and a lower payment at that.

When choosing to use student loan consolidation, timing is essential. Instead of just picking one at the spur of the moment, a student should wait until after the US Treasury Bond Auction. This generally occurs in the very last week of May, and takes effect on the first of July. This usually gives each of the loaners to take a month to decide if it would benefit them to do consolidations under their current rates, or if it would be better to wait until the new rates take effect in the beginning of July. And it will give a student a chance to look for lower fixed rates.

Since private loans are not the same as federal loans, therefore these new rules that apply to federal student loan consolidation do not apply to private student loan debt consolidation. For this reason federal loans can be used only to consolidate the loans that are backed federally and private loans must be consolidated using other private consolidation methods.

If you are, or know a student who is currently looking for student loans, it is always better to use federal student loans, and federal student loan consolidation options. If you go to consolidate all of your loans you need to be sure to have two groups, one federal student loan consolidation and one for private student loan consolidation.

As any student in this day and age knows, school can be expensive. The higher you go the more it costs. More often than not, when you have finally finished school, you owe way more money than you make.

The bills just keep on coming, and you get mixed up, can’t pay more than the minimum amount for a lot of them, and miss a few payments for some of them, this means that you now owe late fees on top of it all.

At this point you just want to make it all work out, and you want it to happen as fast as possible. You want it to be easy, you want it to be fast, and most of all, you want it to be effective.

Once you reach this decision, student loan debt consolidation will be something that you will seriously look at. As long as you know what to expect from your student loan consolidation program, and what to look for, you will see positive results.

Before you even start looking, you will want to consider how it is that you are going to group your loans for your student loan consolidations. You will have to be sure and group federal student loans only with other federal student loans. This means that your private student loans should be with only other private student loans. There are three main reasons for this.

Reason one: federal loans offer tax breaks on the interest rates you have to pay. If you group them with private loans, you lose that ability.

Reason two: federal loans allow you to defer payment if you choose to go back to school. Again, this does not apply if you combine both your federal student loans and private student loans into one student loan consolidation.

Reason three: with some federal loans, it is possible for payment relief for certain payments.

Another thing to look at when you are choosing the right place to get your student loan consolidation is the interest rate. You obviously want the lowest interest rate possible, however if somebody tells you that the interest rate is going to be lower than what you pay now you shouldn’t listen. You will pay an interest rate slightly higher than your current one, if all of your loans have the same interest rates, and if they have different interest rates, then the student loan consolidation interest rate will be somewhere between the highest and lowest of those rates.

When you are looking at the rates, you should keep in mind that for the most part you will not have to worry about fees. If you do come across a student loan consolidation program that has fees you should be wary. If it demands those fees up front, then it is a scam, if it doesn’t, then do a little research on it before you decide because it is still possible that it is also a scam.

Once you undergo a student loan debt consolidation, you will find that everything is easier, and that you have more money to spend on things you need.