Consolidating federal graduate student loans
25-Jun-2020 02:42
Given that PSLF is a 10 year program, if you re-consolidate, you just add to the time necessary if you would have paid them off sooner.
Second, if you can't manage multiple loan servicers, and need to have your loans in one place (with one loan). In this case, you can consolidate, but make sure you don't do any of the big "no-nos" listed above.
By consolidating your old FFEL loans, you can now qualify for PSLF going forward.
If you refinance your student loans, you now have a private student loan that does not have access to these programs.
However, the best places to refinance student loans do typically offer lower interest rates that could save the qualified borrower money.
Second, for your Federal loans, you never have to pay a third party company to consolidate your loans.
If you're able to manage your money effectively - whether at one lender or multiple, you don't need to consolidate.
For the most part, consolidate brings convenience, but does add potential risk.
It's the process of combining multiple loans into a single new consolidation loan. Student loan consolidation is one of the leading causes of borrower issues.