Consolidation Student Loans

If you have multiple student loans you may be able to combine them into one loan with a fixed interest rate based on the average of the interest rates on the loans being consolidated. Learn more about loan consolidation.

consolidation student loans

Through your completion of the free Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Application and Promissory Note, you will confirm the loans that you want to consolidate and agree to repay the new Direct Consolidation Loan.

You can consolidate multiple federal student loans into one loan with the Department of Education. This gives you a single payment to manage versus several. You can also consolidate your federal loans with a private lender, also called refinancing. Refinancing federal loans could result a lower interest rate, but it also removes access to government programs, like income-driven repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

However, consolidation could also extend your repayment period (how long it takes you to pay off your loan). For example, consolidation could raise your repayment period from 10 years to 20 years. This longer period could increase the total interest you would pay over the life of your loan.

Most federal student loans are eligible for consolidation, but private student loans are not. The interest rate on your consolidation loan will be a weighted average of the rates on your existing debt. Submitting an application and consolidating your debt is always free of charge.

*The Department of Education announced temporary changes that allow PSLF-eligible borrowers to consolidate certain loans without losing credit for earlier payments. If you consolidate qualifying loans by Oct. 31, 2022, previous payments may still be eligible for PSLF. Find full details of the action steps you must take on the Federal Student Aid site.

Students who have graduated, left school or dropped below half-time enrollment are eligible to consolidate their federal student loans. There are no credit requirements for federal student loan consolidation. However, there are several other requirements that limit who can apply for a direct consolidation loan:

In contrast, private student loan refinancing has approval requirements similar to traditional loans. To qualify, lenders typically require a credit score in the upper 600s, a debt-to-income ratio under 50% and a demonstrated ability to repay the loan.

Federal loan consolidation is managed through the office of Federal Financial Aid (FSA). This makes it easy to log in, view your loan details and complete a consolidation application and promissory note, whereby you promise to repay the loan. The application process takes under 30 minutes, and approval can take between 30 and 90 days, so you should continue making payments on your existing loans until the consolidation loan is disbursed. Follow these steps to consolidate your federal student loans:

Refinancing federal, private or both types of student loans can help you pay off your student debt faster and work toward other financial goals, but the pause in federal student loan payments may influence your decision to refinance.

Interest rates for student loan refinancing increased last month, according to a U.S. News analysis of minimum and maximum APRs reported by private lenders. Student loan refinancing rates have trended higher during the past year, with variable rates climbing by a higher margin than fixed rates.

When you refinance student loans, a private lender repays your existing loan, or loans, and issues a new loan based in part on your creditworthiness that can help you get a lower interest rate. If you can qualify for a better rate, you could save money and get lower monthly payments. The federal government does not offer refinancing for federal student loans, and refinancing these loans with a private lender will leave you ineligible for federal benefits you may have had.

Refinancing student loans can save you money, but it can be difficult to decide whether you should refinance. Note that these pros and cons apply to refinancing student loans and may not be relevant to borrowers considering consolidating their federal loans.

Also, lenders may require you to meet other conditions for refinancing student loans. If you can't qualify on your own, some lenders might approve you with a creditworthy co-signer.Lenders could also restrict refinancing to those who:

How soon can you refinance student loans? You're not likely to get approved for refinancing while still in school. Once you graduate and find a job, you should be able to refinance, and there are also refinancing options for borrowers who did not graduate.

Student loan refinancing makes sense "if you're trying to reduce your interest rate and you need to pay off your balance in full," says Travis Hornsby, founder of Student Loan Planner, a consulting firm that helps borrowers with at least $20,000 in student loan debt. Refinancing your student loans with a private lender could be a good idea as long as:

If you've decided that student loan refinancing is the right strategy for your financial situation, you may be ready to begin the loan shopping and application process. Here's what that looks like:

Overall, interest rate and ease of refinancing are the most important considerations when refinancing your college loan, Hornsby says, and that can guide your decision-making. Also, take a look at how generous the forbearance terms are and which servicer the student loan refinance company uses.

"That said, student loan refinancing is really a commodity," Hornsby says. "You're looking for the lowest interest rate with the least amount of pain in the application process. Luckily, that process is generally pretty fast and easy."

If you end up refinancing your federal student loans with a private lender, you unfortunately will not be able to qualify for any present loan forgiveness programs or any programs in the future. Borrowers will only be eligible for student loan forgiveness programs if their loans were originated and are currently being held by the Department of Education. So, if you're on the fence about making use of an existing forgiveness program, it may be a good idea to take a pause on refinancing.

While it's relatively straightforward to qualify for student loan refinancing if you have a strong credit history and steady income, it can be difficult to refinance your private student loans if you have bad credit or a low income. If you don't meet the financial requirements to qualify for student loan refinancing, you might consider enlisting the help of a creditworthy co-signer such as a trusted relative or friend. You can also work on improving your credit score and finding ways to boost your income before applying for a refinance.

Student loan refinancing is when you combine all your student loans with a private lender and receive a lower interest rate and different repayment terms. On the other hand, student loan consolidation is when you take a Direct Consolidation Loan through the Department of Education and combine multiple federal student loans into a single federal loan that has alternative federal repayment plans and an extended repayment timeline. When you consolidate, you get to hang on to federal loan benefits.

You can refinancyour student loans as many times and as often as you'd like, as long as you qualify. By refinancing more than once, that can help you secure a lower interest rate, better terms or repayment timelines. But refinancing multiple times does have its downsides and can end up impacting your credit score. Most lenders perform hard credit checks during the application process in order to see your credit report and debt payment history, which, in turn, can knock off some points on your credit score.

Are you tired of managing multiple federal student loan payments, with multiple interest rates or multiple servicers? If so, now may be the time for loan consolidation. The U.S. Department of Education made the landmark decision to allow you to choose your consolidation servicer under the Direct Consolidation Loan program.

The Direct Consolidation Loan program is offered by the U.S. Department of Education to federal student loan borrowers. The program may allow you to consolidate your federal loans into one, and select the consolidation servicer of your choice.

You don't have to pay for student loan services or advice. Our expert representatives have access to your latest student loan information and understand all of your options. Learn more about the free services available to you.

If you have private student loans, or a combination of federal and private loans, you can combine them into a new private loan by refinancing. Your interest rate on the new loan will be based on your credit score and income.

One potential drawback is that when you refinance your private student loans, you could end up with longer repayment terms. If you choose a longer repayment term, your monthly payment will be lower, but you could pay more interest over time.

Whether you have federal student loans or private student loans, you should use an online loan calculator to estimate what your new payments could look like so you can decide if refinancing or consolidating are good options for you.

Federal student loan borrowers have many options, including income-driven repayment plans, Graduated Repayment Plans, forbearance, Extended Repayment Plans, and the Revised Pay as You Earn Repayment Plan.

Consolidation Loans combine several student or parent loans into one bigger loan from a single lender, which is then used to pay off the balances on the other loans. They also provide an opportunity for alternative repayment plans, making monthly payments more manageable.

Consolidation loans are available for most federal loans, including Stafford, PLUS and SLS, FISL, Perkins, Health Professional Student Loans, NSL, HEAL, Guaranteed Student Loans and Direct loans. Some lenders offer private consolidation loans for private education loans as well. Some lenders, like Credible. offer private consolidation loans. *Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from companies that appear on the site, and such compensation may impact the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented. 041b061a72