Student Loan Consolidation

Usually, consolidation is a faster way to get out of students' debt than a reasonable and affordable payment plan. Once you go through the application process and get a direct Consolidation Loan, you will immediately be taken out of default status. You will stay this way as long as you keep making payments.

Although student loans are not secured debt, and therefore you will not lose your home or car if you don't pay them, they are also different from most other unsecure debts. If you don't pay your student loans, you won't be able to get additional student loans or grants in the future. In addition you will be subjected to a number of special debt collection tactics that only the government can use.

These government collection tools can have very severe consequences.
First, the government can charge you collection fees, often far in excess of the amount you originally borrowed. Second, unlike almost every other kind of debt imaginable, there is no statute of limitations for collection of student loans. This means that every 20-30 years after you went to school, the government can continue to try to collect your loans.
If you don't pay your student loans, the government can also:

- seize your income tax refund
- garnish a certain percentage of your disposable income
- attach some federal benefits that are usually exempt for collection, such as Social Security income

If you get notice of a wage garnishment or tax intercept, you have the right to challenge it by requesting a hearing.
Sometimes just the act of requesting a hearing prompts the collector to agree to a payment plan. if you can pay a small amount, you should consider the various affordable payments plan that can get you out of default.

The department of Education's student loan assists borrowers with student loan problems.
If you are having problems making your student loan payments because you have a low income you may be able to get help from your local legal aid or legal services office.

Where To Find Student Loans For College

A college education may seem trivial to some but to not to most people who want to achieve a better status in life economically and socially. Globalization has made education very important because of the increasing competitiveness among young professionals worldwide.

A college degree has become a prerequisite in getting better work opportunities in any field of discipline. The lack of a college degree can thus put a person at a disadvantage especially when he is applying for a job and his competitors are all college graduates.

It is common knowledge that the income of people is directly proportional to the degrees they have achieved. Thus, a college graduate has better chances of getting a high paying job than a high school graduate. On the other hand, those who have masters' degrees will definitely have higher incomes than those armed with college degrees.

However, getting a college education is so expensive nowadays that only a few can afford to get one. Most families who belong to the low income group could not even send their children to college even if they want to do so. But there are solutions to those who are bent on getting a college education but who do not have the financial capacity.

Students who are eyeing a college education should already start preparing by narrowing the choice of colleges they want to attend as well as the possible expenses that would be incurred in getting that college education.

The family can start and working extra hard so they can contribute to the educational fund of their children or sibling. Planning ahead may also entail postponing or abandoning the family’s vacation plans. The aspiring college student can also take on part time work to build his college education fund.

Qualified families can also avail of student loans offered by the government or by private financial institutions. It is also best to consider the type of student loan one would be getting because there are institutions offering student loans with exorbitant interest rates.

The United States government has acknowledged the importance of getting more Americans to college so it has prepared federal grant options for incoming college students. Federal grants are usually based on the financial requirement of the student and there is no need to maintain a certain grade while in college.

To qualify for the grant, a student must be a first time college student meaning this is your first college course or degree and possesses a high school diploma or its equivalent. Citizenship is not an issue because both American citizens and non citizens who are qualified can avail of the grant.

However, a student must be able to plan on repaying his student loan to avoid being stuck on a long repayment scheme. Most college students who have not planned ahead are still paying for their loans several years after getting their college degrees.

Ideal Student Loan Consolidation Programs

Students pass out along with different kinds of loans to be paid off. They will have to repay each of those loans with different interest rates after the six months grace period making it even more complicated for the students. An ideal student loan consolidation program will enable the students to pay lesser amount towards interests and also put an end to different kinds of student loans.

The first step is to find the ideal student loan consolidation program. As each and every program has its own pros and cons, the student should weight them and select the best one to suit his needs and financial situation. The student loan consolidation program helps to combine different loans and pay as one single payment. The next step is to find the best interest rate towards repayment of student loans. The student needs to be very sure when it comes to the terms for payback, that is, he should find a reasonable loan termination period or date. He needs to be very careful, as it needs to be feasible to payoff the loan in the said date. Although, no one can predict the future, but can have an idea of how much money he can afford to pay taking his income into consideration.

It will be very helpful to find a flexible loan payback program. This will help them put their loan into forbearance during financial set back times, as there may be ups and downs in anyone’s life. This will help to put back their finances into order. Although the period may be flexible, it is not advised to have the loan interest rate to be flexible. It is good to keep the interest rate fixed, as it may be very effective in budget planning. While searching for an ideal student loan consolidation program care needs to be taken to find out if any penalty is levied for paying off the loans at an earlier date or for making early payments.

Tips on student loan consolidation programs:

While finding the best student loan consolidation programs, it is good to do your own research. With the help of Internet, anyone can search and compare different student loan consolidation programs. The students need to be aware of the fact that not all programs are equal. When getting in touch with the lender, it is always good to read each and every mail they send, as they can anytime change the terms and conditions, which might not be favorable to the student.

The student should be very organized in maintaining the documents and correspondences pertaining to the student loan consolidation program. They are very important as they spell out the obligations of the students. They should be maintained well until the loan is paid off to avoid any hassles in the future.

Counseling sessions may be conducted when the loan is obtained and after the student has graduated. These are very useful to the student as they provide the necessary information to act appropriately during the loan period.

What Is A Student Loan

The loan accrues interest from the day it is paid. The good part is that the interest rate is linked to the inflation in line with the Retail Prices Index, which means you only really repay the amount you borrow with no profit made on the loan itself.

Do I qualify?

You qualify to take out a student loan if you are a part-time Initial Teacher Training student and are in full-time higher education.

If you are an existing student you will be able to take out either a Student Loan for Maintenance or a Student Loan for Fees.

On top of that, there are some other types of financial help you may be entitled to.

What’s Student Loan for Maintenance?

The Student Loan for Maintenance is designed to help you with your living costs during term times and holidays.

The amount of money you can have will depend on a few factors like your household income, whether you live at home while you are studying and whether or not you receive any Maintenance Grant and how much.

The amount of Student Loan for Maintenance you can borrow will not be affected by the Special Support Grant, if you receive any.

You will normally get a smaller loan in your final year at University, as there is no holiday period to cover you for and you will only need until the end of the final term.

You can apply for the non income assessed Student Loan and get around 75 per cent of the maintenance money regardless of your household income.

Whether or not you can apply for the rest of it will depend on your household income (‘income assessed loan’).

As a rule The Student Loan for Maintenance is paid in three installments directly into your back account at the start of each term.

The Student Loan for Fees is paid straight to your university or college by Student Finance Direct.

Repayments

They are due starting from April after your course is finished (at the start of the new financial year).
You are expected to repay 9% of your earnings over £15,000pa or the monthly/weekly equivalents.
For example, if you are earning £18,000 a year you will have to pay back nine per cent of £3,000, which works out at approximately £5.19 a week.

And so, the more you earn, the faster you will repay the loan. You can repay more than this if you decide to.

Outstanding loans will be written off when you reach 65.

Student Debt And Student Loans

The statistics show that more and more students are graduating from university with significant debt. The debt levels are growing year on year and many students will be paying them off for years after they graduate. It seems that the consumer addiction to credit and spending has effected the student population just as much as every one else. The fact that most students are not earning anything, and are living either on funds provided by their parents, or on money borrowed, they continue to spend millions each year.

These costs are spread over a variety of areas. Accommodation and other living expenses represent the largest portion of the expenditure. Added to this is travel to and from university, holiday and summer travel expenses, and entertainment. While students are generally financially responsible and not as out of control as many patents would have you think, they do continue to spend a huge proportion of their money on entertainment and socializing.

Employment

Many students will also be working part time during their studies. There are a lot of jobs available and finding one is not a problem for most students who genuinely want one. Employers recognize their flexibility and willingness to work unsociable hours and also that they will generally be happy to accept minimum or close to minimum wage. Therefore, while the jobs are there, they generally pay little, and students who work more than 10-20 hours a week are probably putting a serious strain on their studies and risking their future chances of success.

Most student debt is comprised of student loans. The student loans company based on eligibility criteria provides these. These loans are cheaper than credit that is available on the market from high street banks and have other significant advantages for students. Firstly, students will not have to start repaying the loans until they are earning a set minimum amount, currently around the £15,000 mark. Then there is also the fact that loan repayments are calculated according to earnings levels and are therefore always reasonably affordable. Students are giving as much time as they need to repay the loans and the interest rates, as said before, are very favorable.

Overdrafts

As well as these student loans however, many students will also have other forms of debt. Most banks are offering interest free student overdrafts of up to £2,000 and there are not many students who do not use this up pretty quickly. Then there are bank loans, store cards and credit cards. All of these represent a significant amount of debt that most students are living with.

How To Stretch Your Student Loan

If you’re considering going to university, there is a strong chance that you’re also contemplating taking out a student loan to fund your university expenses. Student loans don’t have to equate to student debt and if you plan your finances, it is possible to get by without student loans and possibly even profit from them. There are many sites on the internet which provide downloadable student finance guides and online advice on how best to manage your finances. Moneynet offers a comprehensive student finance guide ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/student-finance-guide/index.shtml ), whilst the money section on support4learning is also a popular internet resource. ( http://www.support4learning.com/ ).

The first step to avoid financial dependence on a student loan is to consider taking a gap year to gain experience and earn money. This is a great opportunity to start saving for university and will give you funds to cover accommodation and bills without tapping into your student loan.

In terms of managing your personal finances, you could open up a notice savings account and invest your gap year earnings – alongside a student loan, accruing interest on the total amount, but being disciplined so that you only ever tuck into your savings – not the loan itself.

If you’re comfortable that you can timetable it – you might consider a part-time job to help finance your studies, using your income to cover the majority of your expenses so that you can leave your bank savings alone. There will be times when you may have to make a withdrawal from your savings account, but if you leave the capital there as long as possible – the more money you will make.

If you’re concerned about getting the maximum amount of interest on your loan, you could try doing a savings comparison search on the internet. Sites such as moneynet.co.uk ( http://www.moneynet.co.uk/banking-saving/index.shtml ) and reviewcentre.com ( http://www.reviewcentre.com/products2312.html ) allow you to compare different accounts alongside each other.

If you keep a tight grip on your finances, then it is likely that you will be in a strong position to pay off your loans when you graduate. Whilst studying, you might also be interested in conducting price comparison research for insurance and current accounts to ensure you’re getting the best deals. Don’t be seduced by high street offers of freshers’ fair promotions – collect as much information as you can, so you can make an informed financial decision. It’s also worth setting yourself up with online accounts which you manage through an account aggregation tool. Account aggregation allows you to manage your money online and can save you time, foot leather and bank charges. If you want to find out more about account aggregation, visit the Channel 4 website which offers a detailed guide. ( http://www.channel4.com/4money/banking/features/account_aggregation_161204.html )

Get Student Loan Today And Save Money

Apply For College Student Loan Today And Save Money While You Can

The increasing costs of higher education have made it necessary to apply for a student loan. You can pay for books, recreation, meal, hostel rent and of course tuition fee with these loans. However, the interest rates of college loans are comparatively lower than other loans. You will start repaying just after completion of your higher education.

The government offers federal loans for eligible students. If you are unable to get a federal loan then you can apply for low cost private student loans.

Your student loan will surely affect your financial situation for years, hence it is very important to choose a reliable lender with the best loan terms. Here are some simple tips to save money while choosing college loans:

1) Choose a lender who offers you:

a. Simple and easy to follow terms and conditions.
b. Lowest interest rates.
c. Reduced up-front fees.
d. Reduced repayment incentives.
e. Financial flexibility.

2) You can start a search direct from school, college or university where you will be taking admission as these institutions have list of authentic loan lenders, from which you can choose what is best suitable for you.

3) Get confirmed that if your lender is part of Plus Federal Loan Programs or Federal Stafford Loan Programs.

4) Spend some time to search for lenders with interest reduction, discounts and rebate programs. You can visit their web sites to know more about their offers.

5) Don't let your interest rate go up.

6) Use automatic payments.

7) Don't get behind on your payments.

8) Choose the best payment option for you.

9) Get cash back from your student loans.

With an authentic lender or reputed student loan company you can get a stress free student loan. Do not postpone it. Student loan consolidation is once in a life time opportunity! You have absolutely nothing to lose. Try it!

Applying For College Student Loan For Dummies

Student loan companies take specific care of dummies. Student loans are provided to them to pay tuition fees, library fees, campus fee and also medical expenses. Government offers them specific grants and government student loans for all their expenses during education. Interest rates are comparatively lower for dummies.

If you have plan to go to college and you want apply for a student loan then you have to spend a little time to make a research on your own.

You should keep some pointers and guidelines in your mind, which will help you to choosing the right loan option and assure you of the approval of your loan application:

1.At the time of filling your application form you should have the following documents:

a. Document containing information about your financial status.

b. Income proof certificate of your parents (might be asked if you are still living with your parents.)

2. Consult your high school financial aid office for a better school loan option, as they are trained to help you. Collect each and every needed information from various sources.

3. Prepare a budget including all needed expenses.

4. If you are a good scholar then you are recommended to apply for a grant or government student loan before going to apply for a student loan, which will make your student life easy.

5. Always try to grab each and every offer provided by the Student Loan Company. You can get required information by visiting the lenders’ website.

6. Do not avail offers like interest rate reductions, on time payment’s interest rate reduction (always repay your student loan on time, as some companies offer you a 7. reduction of 1.5% if you repay them on time.)

7. Auto pay interest rate reduction: How you are going to repay your student loan? A wise selection can fetch you up to .5% reduction.

All these tips seem to be very minute but they will keep your financial position strong during your student life.