Have you dreamed of going to college and getting a degree, but not known how to pay for it? There are grants and scholarships you can apply for, but you can also take out a student loans. These loans can be very useful, so use the following advice to find a good loan at a great rate.
Stay in contact with your lender. Make sure you update them with your personal information if it changes. In addition, be sure to open and read all correspondence that you receive from your lender right away, whether it arrives electronically or via snail mail. Make sure you take action whenever it is needed. Failure to miss anything can cost you a lot of money.
Think carefully when choosing your repayment terms. Most public loans might automatically assume a decade of repayments, but you might have an option of going longer. Refinancing over longer periods of time can mean lower monthly payments but a larger total spent over time due to interest. Weigh your monthly cash flow against your long-term financial picture.
If you’re having trouble arranging financing for college, look into possible military options and benefits. Even doing a few weekends a month in the National Guard can mean a lot of potential financing for college education. The possible benefits of a full tour of duty as a full-time military person are even greater.
If you plan to prepay your loans, try to pay those with the highest interest rates first. If you get your payments made on the loans that have the lowest or the highest, it can cost you extra in the end.
Know how much time you have in your grace period from the time you leave school until you must begin paying back your loans. For Stafford loans, the period is six months. A Perkins loan gives you a nine month grace period. Other student loans’ grace periods vary. Know when you are to begin paying on your loan.
Try shopping around for your private loans. If you need to borrow more, discuss this with your adviser. If a private or alternative loan is your best bet, make sure you compare items like repayment options, fees, and interest rates. Your school may recommend some lenders, but you’re not required to borrow from them.
Pick a payment plan that suits your particular needs. Most lenders allow ten years to pay back your student loan in full. You can consult other resources if this does not work for you. For instance, you might secure a longer repayment term, but you will end up paying more in interest. Your future income might become tied into making payments, that is once you begin to make more money. On occasion, some lenders will forgive loans that have gone unpaid for decades.
To minimize your student loan debt, start out by applying for grants and stipends that connect to on-campus work. Those funds do not ever have to be paid back, and they never accrue interest. If you get too much debt, you will be handcuffed by them well into your post-graduate professional career.
To make sure that your student loan turns out to be the right idea, pursue your degree with diligence and discipline. There’s no real sense in taking out loans only to goof off and skip classes. Instead, make it a goal to get A’s and B’s in all of your classes, so you can graduate with honors.
If you have yet to secure a job in your chosen industry, consider options that directly reduce the amount you owe on your loans. For example, volunteering for the AmeriCorps program can earn as much as $5,500 for a full year of service. Serving as a teacher in an underserved area, or in the military, can also knock off a portion of your debt.
Make sure that you try to get scholarships when you go to college. Save money wherever possible and look into scholarships you might qualify for. Do a quick Google search to find websites that can match you up with scholarships that are available for your specific situation. Start searching right away to be prepared.
If you take out loans from multiple lenders, know the terms of each one. Some loans, such as federal Perkins loans, have a nine-month grace period. Others are less generous, such as the six-month grace period that comes with Family Education and Stafford loans. You must also consider the dates on which each loan was taken out, as this determines the beginning of your grace period.
Do not make errors on your aid application. Errors on your application can alter the amount you are loaned. Speak with a financial aid advisor if you are unsure if the paperwork is properly filled out.
If you want to see your student loan dollars go farther, cook your meals at home with your roommates and friends instead of going out. You’ll spend less on the food, and a lot less on the alcohol or soft drinks that you buy at the store instead of ordering from a server.
When you discover how much money you really owe after your education is complete, try to remain calm. It may seem like a huge balance looking at the whole thing; however, you will be paying it back gradually over an extended period of time. Work hard and remember to budget; you will be on top of your loan in no time.
To make sure that your student loan funds just go to your education, make sure that you have used other means to keep the files accessible. You don’t want a clerical error to lead to someone else getting your money, or your money hitting a big snag. Instead, keep copies of your files on hand so you can help the school give you your loan.
