The cost of four-year college and then graduate school can be very expensive, forcing most students to take out student loans to pay for tuition, fees and living expenses. Repayment of these loans can be made easier by consolidating your student loans with your graduate school loans.
College students on average complete their four-year degree with $23,000 in debt. As the cost of graduate school ranges between $30,000 and $100,000, it’s obvious that graduate students will leave school with an even higher debt burden once they complete their advanced studies. Because most students take out multiple loans to cover the cost of their education, they can be left with multiple minimum monthly payments upon finishing their education, creating a financial burden as they start their careers.
Student loan consolidation allows student debtors to combine their loans together, creating one loan with one monthly payment. This makes repayment more convenient and usually reduced the amount of money student debtors must pay out each month in student loan repayments. It’s estimated that consolidating federal student loans, that is loans backed by the U.S. government, can reduce monthly payments by as much as 53 percent.
Loan consolidation is a little more tricky for graduate students than undergraduates, because of the increased number of loans, differences in status, and differences in terms.
When taking out graduate school loans it’s important to remember that you cannot consolidate federal and private loans. Students should do their best to limit their borrowing to one type of loan or the other to improve their consolidation options once they leave school.
Consolidating federal graduate school loans
There are a number of programs aimed at helping graduate students consolidate their loans to make repayment easier.
The great thing about federal consolidation loans is that students applying for them won’t be subjected to a credit check, will likely be able to consolidate both their graduate school and their four-year education loans, will have lower interest rates than private consolidation loans and will have easier repayment terms. A potential drawback to these loan programs is that there may be limits on how much you’re allowed to consolidate.
To find the federal loan program that’s best for you, you may want to visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site, as it has extensive information concerning student loan and graduate school loan consolidation.
Because there are several federal programs available to consolidate your student loans, you’ll need to shop around to find the one that is right for your individual financial circumstances, and appropriate to the student loans you have received. Work with your school’s financial aid office to find the plan that’s right for you.
Consolidating private graduate school loans
Students who borrowed money from private lenders to finance their education also have options to consolidate these loans. In most cases, consolidating private education loans is just a matter of finding a lender willing to loan the amount needed to handle the original loans.
When consolidating private loans, the student debtor should be mindful of a few things.
Interest rates – A consolidation loan may result in higher interest rates for the new loan. Students should examine loan agreements carefully to ensure they don’t end up paying a lot more in the long run thanks to their new loan.
Origination and other fees — Private lenders may attach origination or other fees to the new loan, making your total cost of repayment higher. When shopping for a consolidation loan, student debtors should inquire about any fees that may be attached to the loan.
Minimum account balances — Many lenders have a minimum amount that students must be in debt for before they will issue a consolidation loan. When shopping for a loan to consolidate your graduate school loans, check out each lender’s requirement with regard to minimum account balances to save yourself wasted time in filling out applications for loans you aren’t eligible for.
Credit checks — Many private lenders offering consolidation loans will run credit checks on applicants. If your credit is less than fabulous, you may want to work on improving it before applying for a graduate school consolidation loan.
Although you can’t combine private and federal loans, consolidating all your federal loans and all your private loans into two loans will still likely help your financial situation.
Graduate school loan consolidation can make repaying student loans less burdensome for student debtors. By carefully reading the terms of the loan agreements and shopping for the best possible loan, college graduates can find the deal that is most advantageous to them.