Student Loans: Advice For College Students
Student Loans: Advice For College Students
A college degree is practically a necessity in today's competitive job market. If you do not have a degree, you are putting yourself at a big disadvantage. However, paying for college can be difficult, since tuition continues to rise. For tips on getting the best deals on student loans, keep reading.
Be careful when consolidating loans together. The total interest rate might not warrant the simplicity of one payment. Also, never consolidate public student loans into a private loan. You will lose very generous repayment and emergency options afforded to you by law and be at the mercy of the private contract.
Consider using your field of work as a means of having your loans forgiven. A number of nonprofit professions have the federal benefit of student loan forgiveness after a certain number of years served in the field. Many states also have more local programs. The pay might be less in these fields, but the freedom from student loan payments makes up for that in many cases.
Keep good records on all of your student loans and stay on top of the status of each one. One easy way to do this is to log onto nslds.ed.gov. This is a website that keep s track of all student loans and can display all of your pertinent information to you. If you have some private loans, they will not be displayed. Regardless of how you keep track of your loans, do be sure to keep all of your original paperwork in a safe place.
Pay extra on your student loan payments to lower your principle balance. Your payments will be applied first to late fees, then to interest, then to principle. Clearly, you should avoid late fees by paying on time and chip away at your principle by paying extra. This will reduce your overall interest paid.
Reduce the principal when you pay off the biggest loans first. The less of that you owe, the less your interest will be. Focus on paying off big loans first. After paying off the biggest loan, use those payments to pay off the next highest one. By making sure you make a minimum payment on your loans, you'll be able to slowly get rid of the debt you owe to the student loan company.
You can stretch your dollars further for your student loans if you make it a point to take the most credit hours as you can each semester. Full-time students typically have a minimum of nine to twelve hours per semester, but some schools let you take up to fifteen or even eighteen, speeding up your graduation date. In the grand course of time, you will end up taking out fewer loans.
Too many people think that they will never be able to afford to go to college, but there are many ways to help pay for tuition. Student loans are a popular means of helping with the cost. However, it is all too easy to get into debt. Use the advice you have read here for help.