A series of educational articles for college students and their parents, detailing information about private student loans and private student loan consolidation.

Friday, December 28, 2007

Private Student Loan Consolidation

Private Student Loan Consolidation
By Michael Jon, PrivateStudentLoan.org

Each time a borrower takes out a private student loan to pay for college, a new bill awaits them after graduation. Many students find they are faced with a handful of loan payments when they exit college. Having more than one student loan bill can be a challenge to manage. Borrowers are faced with juggling different due dates and payment amounts each month. The more loans, the more confusing the situation can become. A good way to get a handle on those repayment plans is through a private student loan consolidation program.

For all intents and purposes, private student loan consolidation programs are beneficial for every imaginable reason. Consolidation can lower monthly payments and simplify the repayment process. Once the private student loans are consolidated, the borrower is relieved of making numerous payment due dates on time. When consolidating, the borrower can also capture the student loan debt into a fixed interest rate that can save them up to 60 percent of the loan.

Private student loan consolidation also boasts convenient repayment plans for borrowers. There is the standard repayment plan, graduated repayment plan, extended repayment plan, and income contingent repayment plan. Each plan offers the borrower a flexible way to repay their debt. Borrowers also have the option to switch their repayment plan at their discretion. The absolute best part about private student loan consolidation is it’s free.

When you consolidate private student loans, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, shopping for a loan consolidation is like shopping for a private loan. Different lenders provide different loan options and interest rates. Second, obtaining a consolidation requires the borrower to have good credit (or a co-signer with good credit). This means it is important for the borrower to pay on their current loans while looking for the perfect consolidation plan.

To learn more about private student loan consolidation and how consolidation can benefit you, visit Private Student Loan.org for additional details.

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Friday, December 21, 2007

Private College Loan Introduction

An introduction to Private College Loans
By Casey C, PrivateStudentLoan.org

A private college loan – also referred to as a private student loan – is a method of payment for college tuition and other education related expenses. An increasing number of students are turning to private college loans to help fund their collegiate education. During a recent study backed by the U.S. Department of Education, research showed that more than 80 percent of students attending a private, for-profit school required some type of student aid.

Most students seek out their federal student aid options before turning to a private college loan – that is the smart thing to do. The need, however, for private funds has sharply increased over the years along with the cost of living and tuition. Federal student aid options, on the other hand, have increased ever so slightly in the last 15 years. As this gap between education expenses and federal funding widens, the private college loan becomes more popular.

Depending on who you talk to, private college loans can be good or bad. For obvious reasons – such as lower interest rates – federal loans feature the best overall package. With that said, private college loan packages can offer competitive interest rates as well. They often boast flexible repayment plans and online account management. An added bonus with private loans is the borrower’s ability to apply whenever he or she finds the need for money. There are no air-tight deadlines and lengthy applications to fill out. Instead, borrowing from a private lender is pretty cut and dry. The hard part with private college loans is actually finding the lender you want to go with.

Private student loans also feature faster loan approvals and offer bigger payouts then their counterparts. The loan packages tend to have more lenient guidelines and offer approval based on credit and ability to repay – not financial need.

The list of pros and cons for private student loans goes on and on. To learn more about private lenders and how to find the one that is right for you, visit our private college loan homepage at www.privatestudentloan.org

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Monday, December 17, 2007

How to get Private Student Loans

How to get Private Student Loans
by Eric Shaffer, PrivateStudentLoan.org

If you are in need of a student loan for college, then the first place that you look is usually the financial aid office at your school, where you can learn about scholarships, grants, and government loans. These funds are all well and good, but if they are not enough to pay for your education, then you should also be looking into private student loans.

Private student loans can be obtained from a variety of companies and lenders. These special student loans are generally rather easy to get. Private loans can be obtained by applying online at one of the many web sites on the internet dedicated to lending to students. You can visit a site like ours, PrivateStudentLoan.org, to find out more about private student loans and about how you can qualify, and can even find out from that site what you will need to post a successful application for a private student loan.

Private student loans are credit based loans, so if you do not have great credit then you might find that many private loans are unavailable to you. If this is the case, consider a co-signer. This person can be a parent or another trusted person with a good credit score. They will sign on with you for your private loans and will stand as assurance to the loan companies that the private student loans will actually be repaid.

Private student loans are paid directly to the students and not to the school, and your loans can be used for anything from your housing to your tuition. Private student loans can not be used for personal applications like a new gaming system unless you can somehow justify the purchase as necessary for your schooling. Private student loans are to provide you the funding that you need to get through school, so any school related expenses do count.

Unlike scholarships, private student loans do not depend on academic achievement, however you must prove to the companies providing the private student loan that you are enrolled as more than a half-time student. If you fall below the amount of units that qualifies you for your private student loan, you must begin to make payments on your private student loans before the traditional repayment period which begins six months after graduating.

Private student loans are easy to apply for, and they can help you get through your college education without bankrupting your parents. To learn more, visit PrivateStudentLoan.org

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Monday, December 10, 2007

Private Student Loans Simplified

Private Student Loans Simplified
By Shannon Jones
An increasing trend among collegiate students in recent years is the use of private student loans to pay for college expenses. While the verdict is not in on this up and coming tactic, financial experts do agree private student loans bring some benefits to the table.

Unlike federally backed student loans, private education loans often have a faster approval period which means less waiting around for the borrower. Students are also not subjected to the treacherous financial aid application – the Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - required by the U.S. Department of Education to secure a Direct Loan. Borrowers can also get their hands on bigger funds – more than $25,000 in some situations – unlike the stricter borrowing guidelines of the PLUS and Stafford loan programs.

A private student loan also does not have tight application deadlines to meet. As long as the student is enrolled in an accredited college at half-time or more credit hours, or plans to enroll, he or she can apply for the loan whenever it’s convenient. In addition, private loans are not based on need. Therefore, approvals are granted using a person’s credit score, credit history, and personal income information. Private loans also offer fixed interest rates and a shorter repayment period which can be beneficial depending on the borrower’s financial goals.

As the average cost for an education at four-year private schools increase, more students find themselves financially lacking even after they have been awarded state and federal aid. This is because federal loan limits have not increased with inflation. Private Student Loans, however, can help bridge the gap between aid and the cost of higher education, making it possible for students to choose more freely the university they wish to attend. Repayment usually begins six months after graduation, and private student loan consolidation exists which may lower your monthly payments.

For more detailed information on private student loans, visit PrivateStudentLoan.org

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Friday, December 7, 2007

Private student loan consolidation

Private student loan consolidation

If you took out more then one private student loan during college, chances are you are now finding yourself struggling to manage payment amounts and due dates. Having more then one payment date can be complicated and result in missed or late payments. There is a way to better maintain student loans post college. Private student loan consolidation programs allow students to combine all their private student loans into a single loan with one interest rate and payment due date. Here are a few reasons why you should consider a private student loan consolidation.

One Monthly Payment
By combining your loans, you alleviate the need to make several monthly payments. Juggling several payments can not only be difficult, it can also damage your credit if you are accidentally late or miss a payment.

One Interest Rate
Chances are that each loan you have has a different interest rate. By consolidating, you can secure a lower rate for all your loans. To boot, many lenders offer to lower you interest rate if you make a certain amount of payments on time or opt to have payments withdrawn electronically from your bank account.

A Lower Payment
When you consolidate, you actually reset the terms of your loan. By doing so, your monthly payment actually decreases because the loan is over a longer period of time. Also when you consolidate, you will probably be able to secure a better interest rate that will yield lower payments for you.

Peace of Mind
Just knowing that you don’t have to worry about a bundle of student loan payments is reason enough to look into consolidating your loans. As you are working toward your success as a professional, there is no reason why you should have to worry about your student loan.

As with anytime you decide to take out credit, shop around for the private student loan consolidation program that is right for you. Ideal lenders will feature low interest rates and be able to offer you friendly repayment options that fit your lifestyle and needs.

To learn more about private student loan consolidation, visit our website at www.privatestudentloan.org

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Monday, December 3, 2007

Private student loan consolidation

Private student loan consolidation Information

If you have several private student loans, chances are you are juggling different payment dates, amounts and interest rates. With the ease of a private student loan consolidation, many of your worries can be put to rest.

Private student loan consolidation allows borrowers to combine the student loan debt they acquired during their studies. In return, the borrower gets a single payment date and payment amount with a single interest rate. Also, when student loans are consolidated, it resets the term of the loan. These factors can actually help students to pay off their college loans sooner and in some cases even lower their minimum payment.

Most private student loan consolidation programs offer students a free application process with no early payment penalties. Borrowers can also take advantage of the online application process that yields fast results.

A variety of payment options are also part of the private consolidation package. Students can generally choose from interest-only payments for an initial time-period of their loan. This allows for lower monthly payments so the borrower has time to become established as a professional before the larger payments come due.

Interest rates for private student loan consolidation are determined by the student’s credit score. Depending on the scenario, this can be good or bad for the borrower. The student must also qualify, based on credit, for the consolidation.

It is important to note that students with both federal and private student loans do not have the option of consolidating both types together. Instead, a borrower is required to combine the federal loans into one payment and the private loan into another, making for two monthly payments.

When considering a student loan consolidation, begin researching with one of your current lenders. Discuss loan programs with a customer representative and compare your options before diving into the program.

To learn more about private student loan consolidation, visit our college finance website at PrivateStudentLoan.org

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