Student Loan Consolidation » U S Department Of Education

College Scholarships vs Student Loans

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:00:33 +0000

There is no way you can compare the value of college scholarships against student loans. Who wouldn’t want a college scholarship that would provide grant money that did not have to be repaid versus paying back money borrowed plus interest. Simply put, a scholarship is your money to spend on college. A student loan is just that: Borrowed money that must be repaid.

A college scholarship is real money that a student is granted to use for such things as college tuition, room and board and other expenses as allowed by the stipulations of the college scholarship. A student loan is money loaned to students for college tuition and other expenses, but students pay interest immediately as soon as the check is used

The best type of college scholarship is one that is granted for all four years of college. These scholarships are called “renewable.” On the other hand, a student loan is typically taken out each year from a loan granting institution or sometimes from the college itself. The interest rate on the loan will vary.

Some loans are called “subsidized” loans. Students who are eligible for subsidized student loans, based on family income, can take a Stafford student loan. The beauty of this loan is that the U.S. Department of Education pays the interest that accrues while the student is in college and for six months after graduation.

Other loans are called “non-subsidized” student loans. These loans are not given based on need, and any student can request an unsubsidized student loan. With a non-subsidized loan students are charged interest from the day the check is delivered. For both loans the principal payments will begin 6 months after graduation, but as mentioned, the non-subsidized student loan would have interest payments due from day one of the loan.

Therefore, it is always in a student’s best interest to take the time to search for college scholarships. This means searching for awards even after they are accepted to a school, and searching for scholarships during college. The goal is to have a student graduate with the smallest amount of debt in student loans as possible. This means taking advantage of college scholarships as much as possible, and covering extra expenses with loans or job income.

By: Phillip Walters

How to Fix Defaulted Student Loans and Wage Garnishments

admin — Sun, 23 May 2010 05:51:58 +0000

In this tough economy, an increasing number of college graduates (and college drop-outs) are falling behind on their student loans. According to the Department of Education, federal student loan defaults were up to 6.9% in 2009, well above their 2008 of 5.2%. For those carrying private loans, defaults hit 3.37% in 2008 versus 1.47% in 2006, according to Sallie Mae, one of America’s largest providers of private loans.

As you probably already know, defaulting on a student loan is a very serious matter. A federal college loan falls into default status if you are supposed to make monthly payments, but have not done so for 270 days. For those whose student loan payments are less frequent, a default occurs once you haven’t made payments for 330 days. In either case, the government has the right to take your federal tax refund check or garnish up to 15% of your disposable pay in order to collect on a defaulted federal student loan. Defaulted student loans also negatively impact your credit.

Appealing a Wage Garnishment

The good news is that you can appeal a wage garnishment and request a hearing on the matter in order to demonstrate why it is that you can’t afford that the payments and wage garnishment your lender or guaranty agency is seeking. The U.S. Department of Education Debt Collection Services Office (DCS) holds the hearing after you fill out a “Request for Hearing” form regarding your wage garnishment, and send it to the Department of Education.

Your hearing can be done in-person, over the telephone, or in writing; the choice is up to you.

IMPORTANT NOTE: When you submit your Request for Hearing, make sure you also send another EXTREMELY IMPORTANT document. It is the “Financial Disclosure Statement,” a 3-page document in which you must document your income and itemize all your expenses.

The “Financial Disclosure Statement” form will be critical in the hearing/appeal process, and will be closely evaluated, so take the time to carefully list all your bills, and provide copies of those bills as requested.

On page 3 of the Financial Disclosure Statement, you will notice a line that says: “Based on this Statement, I think I can afford to pay $____ per month.” This is where you have an opportunity to essentially offer a counter-proposal to the Department of Education about your student loans. Regardless of what you’ve been asked to pay in the past, here is where you should realistically evaluate your budget and come up with a number that you can undoubtedly pay (without a huge financial strain) month after month.

The Department of Education will make a decision about your case within 60 days after your hearing. But in the meantime, any wage garnishment that has already started will continue to be in force.

Four Options to Cure a Defaulted Student Loan

Now, in order to get your student loan(s) out of default, you have four options:

• Consolidate the loan(s)
• Enter a loan rehabilitation program;
• Pay the loan(s) off completely
• Get the loan(s) totally discharged or cancelled

The last two are probably not realistic options. I know you don’t have the money to pay off the loan(s). That’s why you’re in this predicament; and loan cancellations are rare (though they can be obtained). You’ll likely have to “rehabilitate” your loan(s) or consolidate.

Should You “Rehabilitate” Your Loans or Consolidate?

Before you can consolidate, you have to bring your loan(s) out of default status. You do this by making just three monthly payments – on time, and in any amount that you and your lender agree upon. To find out if you qualify for loan consolidation, contact the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Info Center at 800-557-7392 or go online to http://loanconsolidation.ed.gov. If you call, the staff there should be able to tell you what your monthly payment will need to be for those three months while your loan is in repayment. The one drawback to consolidation is that your credit remains tarnished. Even though your loan will be paid off and listed as “paid in full” on your credit report, you’ll get a new loan through consolidation and that previous default still shows on your credit report for seven years.

An alternative, to fix your credit, and have all past negative information about your student loans completely deleted from your credit file is to go through loan rehabilitation.

In a nutshell with rehabilitation you make 9 or 12 on-time payments on your student loans in an amount you can afford. You make nine monthly payments on Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loans, or 12 monthly payments on Perkins Loans. This, in my opinion, is the preferred route as it will help you restore your credit in a big way, so your past default won’t haunt you for years to come.

For more details about various alternatives to cure your student loan delinquency, check out the Department of Education’s guidebook called “Options for Financially-Challenged Borrowers in Default.”

Get Help From an Ombudsman

Additionally, you should know that if you ever have a dispute with your lender or loan servicer about anything related to your federal student loans, there is a government agency that may be of assistance in resolving that dispute. It’s called the Federal Student Aid Office of the Ombudsman. Always try to work things out first with your lender by using the online “Self Resolution Checklist” from the Ombudsman’s office. But let’s say you think your loan was mistakenly placed in default by your lender – maybe you were in school at least half-time, you had a loan deferment or forbearance, or you actually made payments on your loan – and you can’t get a satisfactory resolution of the issue, then it’s time to reach out to the Ombudsman’s office.

No matter what economic challenges you’re facing, you don’t have to live with wage garnishments and blemishes on your credit report because of defaulted student loans. Reach out for help today, and start the process of turning that college debt problem around.

By: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox

Student Loans 101

admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:19:41 +0000

When it comes to furthering your education, you must have student loans to do it. It is rather simple to get extra funding to cover your school costs when scholarships and grants do not add up to enough funding. There are student loans out there for you to apply for as well as private loans and loan consolidation if you need it.

Student loans are available through the federal government and they are the biggest source when it comes to education loans. The most popular federal loans are Federal Stafford loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students or PLUS. The Federal Stafford Loans are available to both graduate and undergraduate students. The Federal Perkins Loans are given by colleges to those who need it the most and these loans require no payment of interest while the student is attending school. PLUS student loans are low interest and are available through the financial aid office of the school your student is attending or through the Sallie Mae foundation. This student loan covers all expenses, including room and board and books, which you as a parent were going to be financially responsible for. Two programs are responsible for federally funded loans. One is the Federal Family Education Loan Program in which the lender can be your school or bank. The other program is the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program where the lender is the U.S. Department of Education.

Private student loans are available to you when a scholarship, grant, or federal loan falls short of your tuition costs and other expenses like books or living. They are also called alternative loans. A private student loan is not sponsored by the government and therefore no federal papers will be needed to be signed by you. It is a loan that is offered through a bank or other financial institution. To obtain this type of student loan, credit is reviewed by each lender from you, your parent(s), and in some cases, a co-signer may be needed. The Sallie Mae program offers a private loan program for both graduates and undergraduates. Other private student loans include MEDLOANS and MBA LOANS. Loan consolidation is a great move when you have several loans to pay off. When you consolidate, your student loans with their various repayment schedules can be condensed down into one simple payment. An FFEL consolidation loan will give you a one-month payment option and they will contact credit bureaus and notify them that you have a zero balance. You must be in repayment of your defaulted loan with three on time payments to be able to obtain a FFEL student consolidation loan.

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By: Natalie Aranda