Loan : Should You Consolidate Student Loans?

Students can consolidate student loans to relieve the pressure of having multiple loans, large monthly payments and higher interest rates. Are you struggling to repay your student loans? Well, you are not alone. Many students and graduates that have student loans look to consolidation in order to make them more manageable.

Consolidating your student loans can be a good idea under certain circumstances. Currently, interest rates have been low but they are in fact rising. And economists tend to agree that they will continue to rise. Most student loans are based on a variable interest rate and will not be locked-in until you refinance or get a loan consolidation.

The option to consolidate student loans is available to those individuals who have established good credit by paying their loans back on time. If you have missed payments or have been late then you will probably not receive the lowest interest rate but it may still make financial sense to consolidate. As a rule, loan consolidation rates are usually offered at 1 or 2 points below what your current rate is. This makes the loan more attractive and is an incentive by the lender to draw in your business.

You will save each month because of the lower interest rates but it is also tempting to reduce your monthly payments and extend the life of the loan. But that can have consequences. What was a 5 year loan can turn into a 10 year loan. You can avoid this by paying off as much of the principal as possible. This will shorten the life of the loan and the amount of interest that you pay. This is ideal in the best of circumstances but for those times when money is tight you can arrange with the lender to reduce your monthly payments, even to the minimum.

Student loans are like every other type of bank loan. You borrowed the principal upfront to pay for school and the true cost of the loan can only be calculated after all of the principal and interest has been paid back in full. That is where a great many students find themselves getting into financial trouble. Too many treat their student loans as if they were free money. They take on massive student loans without consideration of the true costs they will pay over the next several years of their lives. In some cases, if the loans are too large, it’s possible to be in a position where they can’t even make the minimum required interest payments. When you consolidate student loans, it is an important step in making repayment easier.

Student loans are essential in assisting millions to get their education. They are an integral part of our society and play a huge role in bettering ourselves through education. If you hold a student loan then you owe it to yourself to consolidate student loans. You need to know exactly what your consolidation options are so you can make the most beneficial adjustments to your finances.

Thomas Erikson is co-founder of Your-Debt-Consolidation-Loan.com which provides student loan consolidation information and solutions