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Student And Graduate Loans
By Joseph Kenny
Student and graduate are becoming more popular as student debt continues to rise and students seek alternative ways of dealing with it. The good news is that student or graduate are generally available without the need to show steady income or offer security. This is extremely helpful, as most students will not have either of these. Student and graduate also come at relatively good interest rates, particularly having regard to the fact that they are completely unsecured. The thing to be wary of is that such may lock the student into a long-term relationship with the lender that may not be the most advantageous one.
Student Debt
Students leaving college today average about £14,000 in debt. More than two thirds of all students must borrow and the vast majority of this debt takes comes from special provided by the Student Loan Company. Once the student begins working, the will be repaid, but the interest rates are capped at the highly attractive rate of 1% above base rate. This is very low compared to most sources of credit available.
The rules for repayment are simple. Beginning in the April after graduation, 9% of all earnings above £15,000 are automatically taken to repay the Student Loan Company. The are therefore very safe, as they are only due once you join the workforce and begin to earn a steady salary.
Graduate Loans
Graduate on the other hand, are far more expensive than student loans. These are generally offered on graduation, when student are no longer available, to cover the costs of transition from student life to working life. This may include finding a new place to live, buying work clothes etc. Graduate will also be used to pay off student overdrafts, which are offered to all students as standard features of their bank accounts. The point to remember is that while graduate are relatively cheap when compared to personal loans, they are far more expensive than student loans.
Employment
If you have a job lined up, you may be able to borrow money from your new employer at a far better rate. This is one alternative to graduate loans. Another alternative is career development loans, which are available to those studying for certain professional qualifications
It?s July 23rd, Do you know where your loans are?
Did you know that because nearly all private student loans have variable APRs, your interest rate could have changed several times in the past 2 years?<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/W35fIg6RTdE" height="1" width="1"/>
Confused about reform and consolidation?
If you’ve heard the word about the reform currently in progress across the country, you probably are aware of the end of the FFEL program and exclusive federal consolidation returning to the Department of Education. If not, read this page on upcoming changes to get acclimated.
One question we get a lot is, “If FFEL is [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/gtij4UUkuQQ" height="1" width="1"/>
New Grads, Start Thinking About Consolidation
Consolidation has two main benefits that can be of enormous financial help to you both in the present and the future: the improvement of your credit rating and lower net monthly payments.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/IRMnvwwn14w" height="1" width="1"/>
What NOT to do when Consolidating your Student Loans
There are a great many benefits to consolidating your student loans, such as the convenience of making one or two monthly payments as opposed to six or seven, the lower monthly payment. But there are some cases where you have to be careful.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/hVsxcx5MHFg" height="1" width="1"/>
Graduating? Consider student loan consolidation.
Depending on the amount (and type) of loans you took out for school and the repayment plan you selected, the monthly payments may still be out of your reach by the end of your grace period.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/TfWhN3LYYvM" height="1" width="1"/>
Should I Consolidate my Private Student Loans?
Federal student loan consolidation is fast, easy, free and highly recommended to lower your monthly payment. Private student loan consolidation is a bit trickier. Here are some notes to remember if you choose to go down this road.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/pI-n1mZXjYQ" height="1" width="1"/>
How to Get Your Student Loans Forgiven
Imagine waking up tomorrow and discovering you don't need to pay back your federal Stafford, PLUS and Perkins loans. For many Americans, that dream is a reality, thanks to a number of programs that allow you to have some, if not all, of your loans forgiven.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/_jiatW1gU4M" height="1" width="1"/>
From Our Forums: Consolidation Question Quartet!
There was a great question in our loan consolidation forum this week from a new user with lots of loans from medical school. James recently finished his Master’s degree as a physician assistant (congratulations!) and wrote to us looking for some consolidation advice:
I have the following types of federal loans:
Subsidized Stafford
Unsubsidized Stafford
Grad PLUS
Previously consolidated federal [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/VhRoT8EQlBg" height="1" width="1"/>
Have a Consolidation Question?
If you aren’t already familiar with our Financial Aid Forum, it is an awesome resource for answering questions about virtually every kind of financial aid or loan a student can take out toward their education.
We have three dedicated Student Advocates (myself included) that are available Monday-Friday to help out and an informed user base of [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/fVbQFYIEPhQ" height="1" width="1"/>
Did you know you can get IBR on a Federal Loan Consolidation?
It’s true! If you are unfamiliar with Income Based Repayment (IBR), I would recommend reading my blog and then consulting the Student Loan Network’s handy payment estimator chart under the new repayment plan.
Why is IBR better than the normal plan?
There are a couple reasons why. First, IBR takes your income into account when it computes [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/StudentLoanConsolidationHotTopics/~4/2ZG78P0peWg" height="1" width="1"/>
such as medicine or law. Many high street lenders offer these.
It can be very easy to lose control of debt while studying. The credit is very easy to obtain and repayments so far into the future that they don't seem real. However, high student debt can seriously hamper attempts to buy a home once you enter the workforce, or save for a pension. The trends show that while student debt continues to increase, graduates are faring better, relying less on borrowing and more on salaries, to meet their needs.
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