Is Student Loan Consolidation For You?

You finally made it through college! That's great, but did you end up with a mountain of debt in the form of student loans? If so, you're not alone. With the high cost of continuing education, more and more people are having to finance that education with the help of student loans. Luckily the programs exist, but unfortunately, you can be left deeply in debt before you even start on your new career. One thing that might help you is to consolidate all your student loans so that you'll only have one payment to make each month, instead of several. And that one payment can be substantially lower than the total you're paying now.nnStudent Loan Consolidation ProgramsnnStudent loan consolidation programs help you to take control of your finances by lumping all your loan payments together into one easier to pay loan. This could reduce your monthly payment by up to 50% or more. The amount of the reduction depends on the amount of your other loans and the type of program you apply for.nnConsolidating your student loans might also qualify you for a lower interest rate on your new loan, therefore reducing your payment even more. Plus if you combine all your smaller loans into a single loan, it might even help to improve your overall credit score or at least help to maintain its current status, since you will be able to meet your monthly obligations easier.nnPrograms for Defaulted Student LoansnnThere are even programs that were designed specifically for defaulted student loans. This type of program also includes credit counseling. The consolidator will procure your existing student loans so they are paid off in full and then you'll have one monthly payment to the new loan company who will help you rebuild your credit.nnThanks to this program, you'll be better able to keep your monthly payments on track, since the amount you have to pay each month will be lower. Your credit rating will begin to improve and you won't have to endure any more embarrassing phone calls or threats of wage garnishments. Ever notice how those phone calls always seem to come at the worst possible times?nnFederal Direct Loan Consolidation ProgramnnAnother program for student loan consolidation is the federal direct loan consolidation program. This can help reduce your payments up to 50%. The good thing about this loan is that it usually has a lower rate of interest, so that it keeps the payments low and guards you against inflation.nnIf you're having problems keeping up with your monthly student loan payments, then you really should look into consolidating them into a single loan. Doing so can dramatically lower the payments as you're likely to get a lower interest rate and stretch the loan life out over a longer period of time. Having to pay less each month on your student loans means you'll have more money available for paying your other expenses.