Has anyone refinanced college loans?

Question

I have a college loan that i am STILL paying on. I have been told that i need to refinance b4 july 1st? Why and what do i need to do?

Answer 1

It all has to do with the interest rate increase that will affect Federal Stafford and Federal PLUS loans on July 1st.... It can get a little complicated, so bear with me...

Generally, when people refer to "refinancing" student loans, they are referring to student loan consolidation. Now, these days, there are many types of student loan consolidation -- both federal AND private -- but your reference to "July 1st" has me convinced that you are referring to federal loans. Unless you have already consolidated your student loans, they are almost definitely at a variable interest rate. Currently, if you are in repayment on a Federal Stafford loan, you are receiving an interest rate of 5.3%. On July 1st, this interest rate will increase to 7.14%.

Because this is kind of a big increase, people are recommending that students do whatever they can to "fix" their loans at today's lower rates... And the ONLY way to do this is to *consolidate* your variable-rate loans before the new, higher rates take effect.

When you consolidate, your lender takes all of your loans (Federal Stafford, Perkins, and/or PLUS) and lumps them all together into one big loan. (Essentially, your consolidation lender pays off your old loans and gives you a *new* one -- a Federal Consolidation Loan -- with new terms and a FIXED interest rate [based on the rate being offered at whatever time you complete your consolidation application].)

Now, even if you have only one loan, you can still consolidate. When you do, your lender will "fix" your interest rate and usually extend your repayment period beyond the standard 10-year term.

Naturally, there are pros and cons to any financial decision, and student loan consolidation is no different... So, what are the "cons" of consolidation? Generally speaking, any time you lengthen your repayment term, you run the risk of paying more in interest. *But* fixing the interest at a rate that's almost 2% lower might actually balance out. If you are at all concerned about the overall costs of the loan, just ask that they NOT extend your repayment term. Or, get a loan with a longer term but continue to pay a little bit extra towards the principal of the loan.

A few notes:

* Make sure you're getting a *Federal* Consolidation Loan. Beware of scam artists out there. You may encounter private companies out there that claim to be able to "reconsolidate" your loans for rates that sound too good to be true. DON'T DO IT. They're in business only to make money off of you. Many of them don't even deal in Federal Consolidation Loans, so you could end up with a private loan with horrible terms and none of the benefits and security of the Federal student loan that you started with. Go with a well-known consolidation lender -- e.g. Sallie Mae or Citibank -- or stick with the lender that you have right now.
* You can only consolidate the same loans *once* -- so, if you have *already* consolidated, you won't be allowed to "reconsolidate" (or refinance) that consolidation loan.

Answer 2

Do a web search for student loan consolidation. There are a dozen or more companies that do this. Call around and see who will give you the best interest rate. Some will give you a better rate if you have you payment automatically deducted or pay on time for 6 months or more. Have your loan amounts and lender name ready when you call.

Answer 3

yes, shop around, many good rates still out there.