It's not unheard of, surely. But let's get to the basics. There are two student loan types that are made available to financially struggling students. The federal student loan is a loan given by the government, particularly the country's Department of Education's Federal Student Aid program. If you have a federal student loan, this is easier to get debt consolidation for. The second type would be a private student loan. You get this loan from non-government lending institutions. Usually, they charge higher rates compared to those with the federal student loan type so it's harder for debt consolidation specialists to take care of. In this article, we won't bother discussing about how to get a student loan because that's another topic entirely.
So anyway, now you've got your student loan, as well as other bills and you lack enough money to pay things off. Again, that's where debt consolidation comes in. Debt consolidation is also known as bill consolidation, debt negotiation and debt settlement. Usually, the two latter terms somehow end up being connected with illegal means so it's best to stick with debt consolidation for the moment. Debt consolidation is the process of totaling the amount of all your loans and bills put together and asking the help of a debt consolidation specialist to negotiate with your creditors in your behalf.
If you're worried then about paying off your student loan, you now have an alternative. Usually, the school you attended or still attending can give you suggestions on which debt consolidation companies to approach. Failing that, if you've got a federal student loan, you can easily go to the nearest government branch and they can hook you up with a recommended debt consolidation specialist. Since the rates of a federal student loan differs from that of a private one, it is better that you don't refinance the two together.
Now, you can only have your federal student loan consolidated if you're no longer in school, you're not behind payment and minimal amount of loan that you took is $10,000. So if you don't meet one of those three requirements, your student loan can't be part of your debt consolidation program.
When it comes to private student loan types however, it's much more lenient when it comes to requirements but it costs a bit more. If you don't prefer any debt consolidation in particular, Citibank can offer you a program that would benefit you. You can check out StudentLoan.com for more details.
Statistics show that most student loans cost more than your income so this
is at odds with the expectations of private lending institutions who give out
student loans because they believe that your income will go higher as you complete
a higher degree of educational level. Nonetheless, since you already took a
loan and there's no going back, it's entirely understandable that
you see debt consolidation as a solution, even though a lot of debt consolidation
companies nowadays are being sued for fraud and malpractice. The importance
is learning from your mistake. You took a student loan because you believe
it was worth it. So now, you learn if it's worth the financial worry.
And later on, you'll also learn if debt consolidation is worth the risk.
All in a student's day's work.
Sara Palin's Plans to Reform the Credit Card Industry
If you use credit cards, you undoubtedly know about some of the tricks and traps the industry uses to make consumers pay more. Since we're in a historical election period,......(more)
A Few Weeks Left to Get 9 Months of Free Credit Monitoring
Credit monitoring can be an expensive service. Some providers charge more than $100 a year for it. Well, you have the opportunity to get up to nine free months of......(more)
It's Time to Start Saving for Christmas
If there's one thing I hate, it's Christmas creep. You know, when stores start putting out Christmas merchandise months in advance of the holiday, encouraging consumers to start spending asap.
When......(more)
Why You Want to be a Credit Card Deadbeat
When you hear the word "deadbeat", what kind of person do you think of? I think of someone who doesn't meet their obligations, probably lazy or just plain negligent.
Even though......(more)
Does a Bad Credit Score Make You a Bad Driver?
It's pretty common knowledge that bad credit scores can make life difficult. Try getting a credit card or loan with a bad credit score. If you manage to get approved,......(more)
2005 All rights reserved - Debt Consolidator