A loan offered to students which are used to pay off education-related expenses, such as college tuition, room and board at the university, or textbooks. Many of these loans are offered to students at a lower interest rate, such as the Perkins loan or Stafford loan. In general, students are not required to pay back these loans until the end of a grace period, which usually begins after they have completed their education. Sallie Mae is the largest source of education loans and handles the two major types, the Stafford loan and the Perkins loan. One of the major benefits of these types of loans is that they come with low interest rates and do not require collateral or a credit check.
Student Loan Forgiveness
Loan forgiveness is the cancellation of a loan’s remaining balance or a portion of the balance. Loan forgiveness happens when the forgiving party determines that the borrower has given back to the community in a way they’ve specified, like through teaching or public service. Special repayment programs can act as a form of forgiveness as well. Federal and governments, as well as organizations, offer these programs to promote service in needed fields or high-need areas.
Articles that might be of great help:
- Debt Forgiveness: How to Get Out of Paying Your Student Loans by Bobbi Dempsey at Investopedia.com
- Student Loan Forgiveness: Is That Deal Smart or a Scam? by Dan Caplinger at Dailyfinance.com
- Get Rid of Student Loan Debt Without Paying for It by Kelsey Sheehy at Usnews.com
- Here Comes The Student Loan Forgiveness by Jeffrey Dorfman at Forbes.com
- Obama announces changes for student loan repayment by Roberta Rampton at Reuters.com
- Obama’s Student Loan Forgiveness Program by Tim Lavelle at Forgetstudentloandebt.com
- 24% of millennials expect student debt forgiveness by Amy Langfield at Cnbc.com
- Student loan forgiveness: What you don’t know (but should) by Emily Atteberry at Usatoday.com
- How to Get a Student Loan Forgiven by Kali Hawlk at Magnifymoney.com
- The Problem With Student-Loan Forgiveness by Sophie Quinton at Nationaljournal.com
Student Loan Consolidation
Debt consolidation is the combining of several unsecured debts into a single, new loan that is more favorable. Debt consolidation involves taking out a new loan to pay off a number of other debts. The new loan may result in a lower interest rate, lower monthly payment or both. Consumer can use debt consolidation as a tool to make it easier to get out of student loan debt, credit card debt and other types of debt that aren’t tied to an asset.
Some informative articles on Student Loan Consolidation:
- Student Loan Debt: Is Consolidation The Answer? By Katie Adams at Investopedia.com
- Student-Loan Borrowers Have Chance to Refinance at Lower Rates by Annamaria Andriotis at Wall Street Journal
- Student Loans: What to Consider Before Consolidating by Kelsey Sheehy at Usnews.com
- FAQs on student loan consolidation by Andy Weber at Bankrate.com
- What are Consolidation Loans by Enlightenme.com
- Beware of the student loan consolidation temptation by Jan Miller at Deseretnews.com
- Beware: Student Loan Scams Victimizing Students and Graduates by Robert Farrington at Forbes.com
- The Truth about Debt Consolidation by Dave Ramsey at Daveramsey.com
- Should I Consolidate My Loans? By Ryan Zurowski at Nerdwallet.com
- What’s the Best Way to Consolidate Student Loan Debt? By Kaitlin Butler at Huffingtonpost.com
Student Loan Discharge
Student loan discharge is the release of a borrower from the obligation to repay the loan. It is the cancellation or forgiveness of a debt. Loan discharge results in taxable income to the debtor unless the forgiveness is a gift or bequest. Discharge is granted under very rare circumstances, like permanent disability or death. It is generally awarded by a judge and can apply to both Federal and private student loans.
- White House Floats Bankruptcy Process for Some Student Debt by Josh Mitchell at Wall Street Journal
- Obama announces changes for student loan repayment by Roberta Rampton at Reuters.com
- 4 Out of 10 Actually Were Able to Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy — But Most Never Try by Steve Rhode at Huffingtonpost.com
- Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Discharge by Tim Lavelle at Forgetstudentloandebt.com
- Biggest economic threat? Student loan debt by Suze Orman at Usatoday.com
- Permanent Disability Loan Discharge and Tax Debt by Demetrios Sourmaidis at Studentdebtrelief.us
- Your options When You Can’t Repay Student Loans by Findlaw.com
- The Ultimate Guide to Dealing With Student Loans You Can’t Afford by Steve Rhode at Getoutofdebt.org
- How Does Student Loan Discharge Affect Credit? by Brenna Davis at Legalzoom.com
- Why Can’t You Discharge Student Loans in Bankruptcy? by Kayla Webley at Time.com
Student Loan Repayment
The act of paying back money previously borrowed from a lender. Repayment usually takes the form of periodic payments that normally include part principal plus interest in each payment. Students are needed to repay their loans regularly in order to get them forgiven or discharged if they are facing economic hardship.
Here are some of the articles that would prove to be of immense help as far Successful Loan Repayment is concerned:
- 15 Ways to Pay Back Student Loans Faster by Meg Favreau at Wisebread.com
- How to Start Paying Off Student Loans by Katy Hopkins at Usnews.com
- How You Can Hack Away at That Massive Student Loan Debt by Jason Notte at Mainstreet.com
- Top 10 Reasons You Should Stop Paying Your Unaffordable Private Student Loan by Steve Rhode at Huffingtonpost.com
- Repayment strategies for your student loans by Kelley Holland at Cnbc.com
- How I Paid off $34,579 in Student Loans in Under 4 Years by Stephanie Halligan at Empowereddollar.com
- Student Loan Forgiveness (and Other Ways the Government Can Help You Repay Your Loans) by Ed.gov
- The 5 fastest ways to repay your college loans by Gary M. Stern at Bankrate.com
- The fast-forward way to pay off your student loans by Nerd Scholar at Usatoday.com
- There’s a way to dramatically lower student debt payments, but hardly anyone uses it by Danielle Douglas-Gabriel at Washingtonpost.com
Student Loan Forbearance
Students can receive a deferment or forbearance that allows them to temporarily postpone or reduce their federal student loan payments. Postponing or reducing payments may help students avoid default but that would only be possible if a student is facing circumstances outlined in the Student Loan Forgiveness Act.
Here are some of the articles helping students who opt for Student Loan Forbearance:
- How Student Loan Deferments Affect Your Credit by Deanna Templeton at Credit.com
- The Dark Side of Student Debt by Jane Bennett Clark at Kiplinger.com
- Student Loans: Cancellation, Deferment, and Forbearance by Nolo.com
- Deferment and Forbearance by Direct.ed.gov
- Understanding Your Loan Repayment Options by Guidetoonlineschools.com
- Will Deferment and Forbearance Ruin My Credit? by Ciele Edwards at Zacks.com
- What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Student Loans by Cecillia Barr at Debt.org
- How to Defer Your Student Loans – 5 Options to Extend or Postpone Paying Back School Loans by Kalen Smith at Moneycrashers.com
- What to Do if You’re Struggling With Student Loan Payments by Alden Wicker at Learnvest.com
- Solutions for Borrowers Who are Having Trouble Repaying Education Loans by Finaid.org