Listly by Tom Jackson
Make Lemonade is a free personal finance website that helps consumers make smarter financial decisions with comparison tools, financial content and product reviews. Make Lemonade helps you find the best rates on your student loans, personal loans, investing, banking, mortgages, credit cards and more.
To refinance student loans, you need to refinance with a private lender. Student loan refinancing is one of the best student loan consolidation strategies. With student loan refinancing, you can lower your interest rate and pay off student loans faster. Compare the best student loan refinance lenders. Apply instantly.
Best Rewards Cards. Compare the best rewards cards. We compare the best rewards cards side-by-side so you can find the best rewards cards for you. Apply instantly and start earning great rewards.
When you consolidate student loans with the federal government, all of your current federal student loans combine into a single student loan with one student loan interest rate.
This is advantageous because you may be managing multiple student loans, each with different interest rates, monthly due dates and student loans servicers.
If you consolidate student loans with the federal government, you receive a Direct Consolidation Loan.
The interest rate with a Direct Consolidation Loan will be equal to the weighted average interest rate of your current federal student loans, rounded to the nearest 1/8%.
It is important to note that when you consolidate federal student loans with the federal government, your interest rate will not decrease.
In fact, your interest may increase slightly, since the weighted average interest rate is rounded to the nearest 1/8%.
Also, it is important to note that you student loan payment period when you consolidate student loans can vary based on your total student loan balance. For example, you could have up tot 30 years to repay student loans.
It is possible, however, for your monthly payment to decline, even if your student loan interest rate does not.
For example, if the standard repayment period is 10 years, and now a Direct Consolidation Loan enables you to repay student loans in 30 years, your monthly payment would decline relative to your current student loan payment.
However, when you consolidate student loans and have a longer repayment period, that means more interest will accrue on your student loans.
How, if at all, can you lower your interest rate on your student loans?
ConsolidateStudent Loans With A Private Lender
When you consolidate student loans with a private lender, it is known as student loan refinancing.
To consolidate student loans with a private lender means that you are issued a new student loan with a lower interest rate and monthly payment.
This is a central difference compared to borrowers who consolidate student loans with the federal government.
When you consolidate student loans with a private student loan company, the new student loan that is issued is used to pay off the old student loans.
The result is a lower interest rate, lower monthly payment, new student loan servicer and one payment date.
While the notion to consolidate student loans helps you organize your student loans, be sure to differentiate between federal student loans and private student loans because the results can be markedly different.
Make Lemonade. 501 likes. Make Lemonade provides free advice and tools to help over 44 million borrowers manage, repay and save money on their student loans.
Best Private Student Loans 2018. Compare the best private student loans side-by-side, and find the best private student loans for you. Private student loans help you pay for higher education. Compare the lowest rates and best benefits. Apply instantly.
Best Personal Loans For 2018. Compare the best personal loans side-by-side and find the best personal loan for you. Personal loans can help with debt consolidation and credit card consolidation, or can pay for medical expenses, home improvements, auto repair, weddings, engagement rings, honeymoons and other purchases.
This free student loan prepayment calculator shows you how to pay off student loans faster. See how much time and money you can save with the best student loan prepayment calculator. Calculate monthly interest savings and total interest savings.
Make Lemonade is not a lender, broker or investment adviser. We are a free, independent and unbiased website to help empower you to make more informed financial decisions. The rates and terms contained herein are estimates, net of autopay (if applicable) and may change at any time and/or differ from your final rate and terms. For disclosures from SoFi, please click here. For disclosures from College Ave, please click here. For more information, please see our Advertiser Disclosure.
This free student loan refinancing calculator helps you calculate quickly how much money you can save with student loan refinancing. Student Loan Refinance