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Student loan articles NextStudent is proud to offer free student loan articles covering a broad range of financial aid topics. If you use newsfeeders, feel free to add our student loan articles to your feeder and get up to date student loan articles as soon as we publish them!
Most student loan borrowers are unaware that as of July 1, 2006, the Department of Education placed an extension on the deadline. The extension allows student loan borrowers to receive pre-July 1, 2006 interest rates if they have a partially completed application on file with a lender. There are some people who think a college education is not worth the effort or the price. Higher education costs are on the rise and seem out of reach to many prospective college students. As most people cannot afford the cost of college, there are a variety of student loan options available, according to NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company. After exhausting all forms of “free money” for college, such as scholarships and federal grants, the next best thing for students are federal student loans to help them pay for school. Federal Stafford loans have low interest rates and are more appealing when they feature benefits and incentives, according to NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company. Some parents think they need to dip into their savings to help pay college costs for their children. After years of putting away hard-earned funds into a savings plan that should be geared toward emergencies and the future, parents should think twice. NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, offers PLUS Loans – Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students, a smart alternative for parents. Some student borrowers may have missed the July 1 deadline to consolidate their federal student loans before the interest rate increase, but there still is time to consolidate at low rates especially if students are in their grace period. NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, advises students with federal Stafford loans issued prior to July 1 to consolidate and automatically receive a .6 percent reduction on already low rates. As tuition at state colleges increases every year along with the increasing inflation rate, students and their parents often wonder how to pay for the entire cost of college. Oftentimes, federal student loans do not cover the full cost of tuition. However, NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, has a variety of ways to make it possible to receive that college degree. With the approaching fall semester, many college-bound students still are in need of essential funds for school. Whether students need funds to cover the full cost of their tuition and expenses or funds to supplement the financial aid they received, NextStudent, the premier education funding company, can help students through its Private Student Loan Program. College students who have not secured their funding for college or who were unable to cover their total education costs with federal aid have another option. NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company, offers private student loans for undergraduate and graduate students. Numerous graduate students who are starting classes this fall now are scrambling for the funds needed for their tuition and other educational expenses at graduate school. With the high cost of graduate school and the fall semester just around the corner, graduate students still have time to get the funds needed to help cover the full cost of their education, according to NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company. For college students who desire to attend graduate school but do not think it is in their financial reach, there is an alternative. Students can easily actualize their goals through a program that features the benefits of a parent student loan but funding that is distributed directly to the student, according to NextStudent, the Phoenix-based premier education funding company. Student loan borrowers in less than three weeks will come face to face with new legislation changing rules and regulations and increasing interest rates affecting federal student loans. Most notable is that federal student loan interest rates on
July 1, 2006 will increase 1.84 percentage points, the second-largest interest rate hike in the history of the program. After weeks of speculation about the upcoming expected interest rate increases, student borrowers now know that their federal student loan rates will jump 1.84 percentage points on July 1, 2006, less than five weeks away. The road to student loan consolidation is about to take a sharp turn, as interest rates and rules are slated to change on July 1, just about five weeks away. Interest rates on federal student loan consolidation are expected to increase approximately 2 percentage points, making payments much more difficult for student loan borrowers. In a little more than six weeks the interest rate on federal student loans is expected to increase. Recently short-term interest rates increased by 25 basis points, and the new target rate for federal funds is 5 percent. With the anticipated rate hikes so close, student loan consolidation is advisable for student borrowers who want to lock in rates before the July 1 deadline. There roughly are seven weeks remaining until interest rates on student loans are expected to greatly increase and rules and regulations will change. College and graduate students alike will feel a major pinch unless they now take action to consolidate their student loans. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, S. 1932, that was signed into law on Feb. 8 by President Bush continues to come under fire. Another lawsuit to declare that the legislation is unconstitutional was filed April 28 by Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-MI, ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee, who was joined in the suit by 10 Congress members including Rep. George Miller, D-CA, ranking member, House Committee on Education and the Workforce. NextStudent Inc., through its affiliate companies, last week completed its first securitization of student loans when the NextStudent Master Trust I issued $571 million in Auction Rate Student Loan-Backed Notes in a nonregistered private offering In an effort to cut the interest rates in half on student loans before they increase on July 1 and to provide better access to college, Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-IL, who also serves as assistant senate Democratic leader, in conjunction with Rep. George Miller, D-CA, senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, introduced April 13 the Reverse the Raid on Student Aid Act of 2006, or H.R. 5150. Interest rates would be cut for student borrowers and parent borrowers alike. The U.S. House of Representatives on March 30 voted to extend for six years the Higher Education Act of 1965. The bill called the College Access and Opportunity Act, or H.R. 609, includes a student loan provision that would repeal the single holder rule. Other items include the reauthorization of financial aid through 2012, student loan forgiveness provided for service in areas of national need, and a requirement for lenders that consolidate to provide more information to borrowers. This is the last chance for borrowers to reconsolidate their student loans and receive benefits and incentives before the Department of Education ceases to accept applications, as reconsolidation no longer will be available after March 31. PHOENIX – March 28, 2006 – NextStudent, http://www.nextstudent.com/, one of the nation’s premier education funding companies offering both consolidation and reconsolidation programs, offers students their last chance to reconsolidate student loans. There only are two days left to reconsolidate, as the option no longer will be available anywhere after March 31. Borrowers now must take advantage to reduce their monthly payments and save thousands before reconsolidation is a thing of the past. Student loan reconsolidation is a prime example of how graduates can ease their financial burden after college. Many college graduates and even students still attending college take advantage of student loan consolidation, which bundles together all of a student’s loans into one easy payment at one set interest rate. With reconsolidation students can receive additional financial and program benefits. Students and concerned citizens may see some recourse after the upset of the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act, S. 1932, that was approved narrowly Dec. 21 by the Senate and then signed into law Feb. 8 by President Bush. The passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 in February brought with it major cuts to the federal student loan program. Along with cuts to other federal programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and food stamps, the student loan program was hit hardest, with a whopping $12 million in cuts. Looking for a way to pay your way through college? The William D. Ford Student Loan is the newest federal financial aid program that was established for college students in 1994. While older student loans for college forced students to apply for loans through private banks, these days students are able to receive direct loans through the U.S. Department of Education, because of the William D. Ford Student Loan Program. These loans are applied for through the FAFSA (Federal Application For Student Aid) and are then distributed directly (if accepted and applied for) to your school to pay for your education. College is a time filled with important decisions and problems that must be solved in order to ensure your future and positive results at the time of your college graduation. Everything from choosing a college to choosing your roommate to choosing your computer for college can rack your brain and make the decisions that much harder. So, why not let one decision fall squarely on the shoulders of your old standby? Your parents. With the Federal PLUS Loan Program, your parents can help you to obtain loans that will put you through college. A Stafford Loan, can help to finance your way through a college or university. Getting scholarships for college is not the hard part – but actually going out and finding scholarships that fit your requirements is! For years, high school guidance counselors used to suggest possible scholarships to students or give them large booklets filled with hundreds and thousands of college scholarships. Going through these books and actually finding a scholarship became a task all in and of itself. With the popularity of the internet though, finding a scholarship for college through a search engine has never been easier and has even been made simpler through the usage of specific search engines tailored just for college scholarships! So you’ve made the decision to go to college? Great! But the decisions are just beginning for you, as in the coming months, you will need to make dozens of decisions concerning your future. While searching for scholarships may be one of those tough decisions, make it a whole lot easier by following these 10 simple things that you will need to do before applying for scholarships. Let’s face facts. Going to college these days, especially private universities, is no cheap task and can put you well into debt before you even enter the “real world” for yourself. Most people, especially young college students, do not have the tens of thousands of dollars to pony up every year for college tuition either. Therefore, most college students choose to use student loans to put themselves through college, whereby they can pay the tuition without breaking a sweat. However, when it comes time to graduate from college and pay these student loans back, many people do not know where to begin. How about refinancing these loans before you even start anything else? Sometimes, financial aid, scholarships, and federal grants and loans are just not enough to help you pay your way through college. Also, sometimes a federal loan is just not what you are looking for, as you must abide by the strict regulations surrounding the loans and must follow specific plans to pay back these loans. In these instances, why not apply for a private education loan through a company that specially tailors a loan just for your specific educational purposes? While loans are an effective way to pay your way through college, wouldn’t it be nice to have your college education essentially paid for you by the federal government? With a Federal Pell Grant, you can receive the necessary money to attend college without worrying about paying back a loan, because a Pell Grant does not have to be repaid after you finish your college education. Still, it is important to understand that not every college student is eligible for a Federal Pell Grant while they are attending college. Do you have good credit that you would like to put towards the further education of your child? Is your child planning on becoming a student at an American college or university? Is your child a dependent and planning on attending this college or university as an undergraduate at least “half-time” during the college or university semester schedule? If these questions apply to you, then a parent PLUS loan just may be the best option for financing the education of your child. Finding scholarships for college or a major university is a lot like picking an actual college. It is not an easy process or something that just happens overnight, but rather, it takes hard work, dedication, and a lot of research to find the scholarship opportunities that are best for you. On the one hand, you are putting a lot of time, work, and effort into finding a scholarship. But just think about the thousands of dollars that you can save by obtaining a scholarship for college. Before entering college, you may find yourself pondering exactly how you will be able to pay for college. Many public colleges and universities cost thousands of dollars, while private colleges and universities can cost $10,000, $20,000, $30,000, or even more just to attend. Before getting too worried about these high prices, it is important to know that help is just a click of the computer mouse away, as the internet can help you to find the financial aid option that is right for you! So you have finally got the degree, but were you surprised with what came along with it? A pile of debt and student loans that need to be paid back starting very shortly after college! Whether it is a Federal PLUS Loan or a loan obtained from your local bank, chances are that a college graduation also brings collection agencies to your mailbox, as everyone wants to be paid back for helping to provide you with a college education. But, while you are writing out all these checks to different loan agencies, have you considered and thought consolidation through yet? Better, yet, do you even know what consolidation is? Have you ever heard the old adage, “There is no time like the present”? Well, if there was ever a time that that advice was very necessary, today is the day, as when it comes to debt consolidation on student loans, today is definitely the day to consolidate. Debt consolidation on your student loans can help you to save hundreds of dollars every year, as it helps to cut down the interest rates that you are currently paying on a variety of different college student loans. By cutting down these interest rates, you pay less money to repay your student loans. And the present just happens to be the best time to complete this process, as consolidation rates are so low that you can save even more money these days by using debt consolidation on your student loans! Sometimes, when it comes down to your money, it is better off just handling it yourself and putting it into the trusted hands of someone who will make the wisest decisions with it. With that in mind, once you graduate from college, it is very likely that you will be saddled down with student loan debt and any other debt accrued during your college years (i.e. credit card debt). In situations like these, federal consolidation may either not be an option or just might not be the best option for your current needs. When this happens, think about using a private loan consolidation to get you out of dire financial straits. This can still save you money and will allow you to be less tied down by your student loan debt. A PLUS Loan can be your ticket into college, but it really has more to do with your parents than it has to do with you. What exactly are PLUS Loans? Well, basically, a PLUS Loan is a loan that must be obtained by your parents in order to pay off your educational tuition. If you are a dependent of your parents and a future undergraduate student at any college or university within the country, a Federal PLUS Loan might be the right choice for your family. Additionally, your parent’s credit history must be in good standing in order to receive a PLUS Loan for you. A no-cost student loan consolidation – doesn’t that just sound too good to be true? Think about it. You have just accrued thousands of dollars in debt through student loans after 4 years of college, or possibly even more. Then, a company offers to take all of your loans off of your hands, put them into one central loan, and do it all for free! Well, while it might not be too good to be true, it all depends around your particular situation, which could make this a “free” process, or could still work out to the benefit of the consolidation company that you are working with throughout the process. College life teaches you how to stretch a dollar, how to make a pizza cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and how to get the most out of your money. That said, when your college education is over and achieved, the student loans following it should not last a lifetime and follow you throughout your career! You have gotten all the grants and scholarships you can, but you still need money for your education. It’s time to look at loans. But which is better – federal loans or private loans? Student loans are a great source of financial aid for students who need help paying for their education. Unfortunately, students often leave college with burdensome debt. In addition, they often have multiple loans from different lenders, meaning they are writing more than one loan repayment check each month. The solution to this problem is loan consolidation. College savings plans could be the best way to help fund your childs education. Learn more about the College 529 savings plan here. If you are thinking about using loan consolidation to possibly lower your monthly student loan payments, then now is the time to start consolidating and lowering those payments. Never in recent history have the interest rates on student loan consolidations been quite as low as they are these days. What does that mean for you? Quite simply, you will be receiving the best available deals for debt consolidation when you choose to consolidate your student loans now and here. Whether you have just a small amount of student loan debt or a very large amount, consolidation can start helping you to lower your monthly payments NOW if you get started on it right away. You need some more money for college expenses this semester. Do you whip out a credit card to pay for your books or do you apply for a federal or private loan? Well consider the options Which is the better option - student loans or parent loans? Each has distinct advantages and uses, learn about them here! If savings, grants, scholarships, and federal loans don’t cover the cost of your education, it’s time to turn to private loans. But young college students can’t qualify for a private loan, can they? Wrong! This article addresses this and other myths about student loans that you may run into. Is this the price you have to pay for higher education, or can you avoid college debt in the first place? Although many people have achieved the dream of completing their college education, many of them face an unfortunate downside following graduation: paying back the inevitable student loan.
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