The student loan consolidation is the merging of several student loans, and is done to save money on interest and for the convenience of one payment instead of several. There are plenty of things you should know about student loan consolidation, and this site provides the information you need to make a decision. It is very likely that if you went to college is likely to stay with some kind of student loan debt. Each year, borrow, this is a new and unique loan that helps pay for your tuition and living expenses. When all is said and done, however, one of the best ways to save money is through student loan consolidation. In a student loan consolidation you get a loan paid in full.
First of all, with federal student loan consolidation, you will have a fixed interest rate, while private student loan consolidations are credit-based, which means that your consolidation loan rate will not be locked - it will be variable. So, while you will not have to go through credit check in order to apply for a federal consolidation loan, you will need it to secure a private consolidation loan. Student loan consolidation rates are determined differently for federal and private consolidations. The interest rates for federal loans are set according to a formula established by federal statue. It's a fixed rate, based on the weighted average of the interest rates on each of your loans at the time you consolidate, rounded up to the nearest 1/8th of a percent and capped at 8.25%.
Aside from simplifying your payment responsibilities, another benefit of student loan consolidation is that you are able to decide on the structure of your loan. Typically, consolidated student loans require smaller monthly payments than the original loans. If you're having trouble making your monthly payments, then this option may just be for you. You can also convert your variable interest rate to a lower fixed rate, which can save you a lot of money. You can also extend your repayment term from the standard 10 years for federal loans to reach up to 30 years. There is no maximum amount that you can consolidate, and interest you pay may be tax deductible. Consolidated student loans also have flexible repayment options, including no prepayment penalties, allowing you to pay more than your monthly payments.
This rule seems pretty obvious, but in some cases where the student is married or has their parents' name on any of the student loans, it may come into play. Students and parents may consolidate their student loans, but they cannot combine them into one consolidation loan - They must be separate. Same thing holds true for married students who both have student loan debt. As of 2006, married students cannot combine their student loan debt into one consolidation loan - They can, however, each have their own consolidation loan.
Since your consolidator will keep up to date track of your loan transactions the consolidation will be accordingly revised basing on the payments you have made since you submitted your application. The time span could be faster at 30-40 days or a bit delayed at 80-90 days. Normally the period taken for processing and approval of your student loan consolidation application is dependent on the payoff statements and the response of your lenders. The Loan Verification Certificates, also called the LVCs may take some time to come from these lenders. However they will come and you will have your loan consolidated and previous accounts closed.