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robot smith
Feb 7, 2010
Is there any way to get some kind of loan for around $3000? I owe my school that much, even after exhausting every federal resource (subsidised and unsub, plus Pell Grant).

I tried to apply for a private loan and even with a co-signer I was denied, because both of my parents have lovely credit.

I really like school, and I'd like to continue liking it for the rest of the semester, but I can't do that unless I can pay my school the rest of this money.

Currently I'm unemployed, and hoping to get into work-study. However I don't think they start paying until October.

What can I do?

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No. 9
Feb 8, 2005

by R. Guyovich

No. 9 posted:

Is there a smart course of action for lowering payments? I freelance and haven't been making much lately -- I pay nearly $600 in total a month tot for my loans and I really can't pay that much each month.

There seems to be so many options and it's a bit overwhelming.

Just echoing this for the new page.

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
jkyuusai, since your balance really isn't that high, ARE you interested in consolidation? If your plan is to hit the hell out of them with payments it honestly may be better to just leave them where they are and hit the hell out of them with payments. The only benefit to a consolidation would be having all three in one place, but if you're clear about where they are and can afford the separate payments, it's probably best to just stick with status quo.

No.9, you're right, there's a TON of options. The best thing to do is contact your servicer and ask. Just off the top of my head, we have: income-based repayment (the mystical IBR you might have heard of that only Direct used to have, has a built-in automatic debt forgiveness after a certain number of years), income-sensitive (you pay interest only for the first so many years and then the payment jumps up to include principal), graduated (you pay less for the first so many years and graduate each year to a higher payment which includes more principal), and extended repayment (exactly what it sounds like - consolidation repayment term without consolidating, but you need a high balance to qualify).

The drawback to any plan is that you're only hitting interest. The good news is that you can still make any amount of payment at any time without penalty. There's also deferments/forbearances available if you just want to pause the payments for a while.

Thanks for carrying over the question!

robot smith, unfortunately your only other options are to try for a PLUS loan (if applicable), and try for another private loan with a different co-signer. There's no other magic loans out there beyond federal and private loans, and private loans now have ridiculously high qualifiers to even get one. You can also try talking to the financial aid office and begging for some kind of assistance on their end. It can't hurt to try, anyway.

jkyuusai
Jun 26, 2008

homegrown man milk
I was planning on consolidating, but honestly only because my dad was going to help me keep things organized (he did it for my brother and sister so it's sort of become one of the last "things" he likes to help with before turning us completely loose) and he prefers just having to keep track of a single payment.

I think just for the sake of sanity I would still like to consider consolidating just to keep him from driving me crazy trying to handle 3 different payments. What would be the downside, increased interest rate? If I'm trying to pay them off aggressively and assuming I'm able to keep doing so, that wouldn't have as much of an impact, right? Not trying to argue with you, I'm not set on any path yet, just trying to work out the different options.

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
Well the interest rate is a weighted average of whatever rates you have, so the ones with 5% would go higher while the 6.8% would be slightly lower. Otherwise there's no drawback, per se. You can still pay them off as early as you like.

some_weird_kid
Mar 16, 2004

My popcorn is cautiously and provisionally RDY
I know this question has likely been asked before, but I didn't find it in the OP or the last few pages. I graduated in May, and my grace period is about to expire. I should be fine for the payments, but just wanted an idea of what to budget since I haven't gotten any payment information yet from the lender.

I have Unsubsidized, Subsidized, and GradPLUS loans totalling about $60,000. I haven't consolidated yet, because I don't want to bump up the rate on the Staffords by rolling them in with the GradPLUS, and money isn't a problem. How many different payments will be due monthly? Is it 1 for each different type of loan (3 total), 1 for the Staffords and 1 for the GradPLUS, or 1 for each disbursement(which seems crazy to me)?

robot smith
Feb 7, 2010
I ended up dropping a class and now I'm going half-time because I just couldn't get any loans. It's really not that big a deal for me, plus I'm getting some money back from the school. Hopefully I can get a job in the near future and save up some cash.

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
some_weird_kid, you can google for amortization schedules to try and budget your payments. You can also call the servicer of your loans to ask about what your payments will look like. Your federal loans will all default to a 10 year repayment schedule (which consequently makes monthly payments higher, hence why people consolidate). The system will show that you have a payment due for each individual loan however the servicer SHOULD align all of your due dates so that you only receive one bill from them a month. If your payments are not already aligned, you can request this be done after the fact too!

Regarding consolidation, it is possible to consolidate certain loans rather than everything. So you have the option of consolidating just your Staffords without including the GradPLUS, for instance.

Pelafina
Jan 1, 2010

"Well done, android. The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that Android
Hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."
Alright, I apologize ahead of time if my questions are simple or obvious, but student loans scare the poo poo out of me and I really want to be sure about everything.

My parents are paying for my tuition with a PLUS loan, and I've taken my max in subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans through my school (VCU). However, I can not find a job in Richmond and my current loans are not enough to pay for rent, insurance, food etc.

So, I guess my only choice is to take out a private student loan but I just don't know how to go about it. It seems as if companies can gently caress you for life with loans like this, and I just don't want that to happen. How do I know if I can trust a private lender? Does anyone have really simple step-by-step instructions on how to go about finding the right private loan?

I'm planning on getting a Doctorate and I feel like it's hopeless to try and save money on my loans since I'll be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt by the end anyways.

EDIT: Also, I have no credit. Never had a credit card or anything. How is this going to affect my loan-getting experience?

Konstantin
Jun 20, 2005
And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.
If you don't have any credit you'll need a cosigner, probably your parents, on the private loan. The thing about private student loans is that they never, ever go away. Regardless of what happens to you, you will be responsible for that payment. Even if you declare bankruptcy, even if you become disabled, no matter what, you have to pay those private student loans. If you are in a situation where you can't make payments, you're pretty much hosed, in that the lender will take you to court, get a judgment against you, and garnish whatever they can from any money you make, for as many years as it takes, until they get that money back, with interest and penalty fees. If your parents cosign the same conditions apply to them as well.

Sundae
Dec 1, 2005

Pelafina posted:

Alright, I apologize ahead of time if my questions are simple or obvious, but student loans scare the poo poo out of me and I really want to be sure about everything.

My parents are paying for my tuition with a PLUS loan, and I've taken my max in subsidized and unsubsidized federal loans through my school (VCU). However, I can not find a job in Richmond and my current loans are not enough to pay for rent, insurance, food etc.

So, I guess my only choice is to take out a private student loan but I just don't know how to go about it. It seems as if companies can gently caress you for life with loans like this, and I just don't want that to happen. How do I know if I can trust a private lender? Does anyone have really simple step-by-step instructions on how to go about finding the right private loan?

I'm planning on getting a Doctorate and I feel like it's hopeless to try and save money on my loans since I'll be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt by the end anyways.

EDIT: Also, I have no credit. Never had a credit card or anything. How is this going to affect my loan-getting experience?

Please, for the love of God, do everything you can to steer clear of private student loans. Beg your parents to get a larger PLUS loan and promise to repay the difference to them when you're wealthy. Change schools. ANYTHING to avoid private student loans.

Private student loans have all the bankruptcy protections of federal student loans, but none of the obligations of leniency toward you. Unless stated specifically in your loan agreement with the bank, you have no guarantee of deferment, forbearance, etc. The fact that you want to go back for your doctorate is reason enough to stay away from them. I had a small set of private loans (only $2500) through Citigroup, which I was required to make payments on through grad school, because they refused an in-school deferment request. Federal student loans guarantee a deferment while you're in school, grad-school or not.

They (private loans) will make your life a living hell, and they have no reason not to, because you can never be free of them except by payment.

Once you make it to grad school, you should be set on your stipend at least. If you do need to take out loans for some reason, the Grad PLUS loans are available to you now, and you won't need to touch anything private at all.

Pelafina
Jan 1, 2010

"Well done, android. The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that Android
Hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance."
Well, I am not in Graduate school just yet. I am starting my junior year now and hoping to get my bachelors within 2 i/2 years. Then off to 6-7 years of Grad school for a psych degree.

Is there no other option then? I'd ask my parents for more from their PLUS loan, but they're not well-off financially. They're paying the loan as it comes, and they're already in the hole for it. Can their PLUS loan be on hold until I graduate/drop under half time though? How would I go about doing this?

So, if a private loan is something to avoid, what other options do I have? Is there a way to receive more Federal loans after you reach your yearly limit? What can I do to avoid becoming homeless? (Within 1 or 2 months I won't be able to pay my rent)

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!

Pelafina posted:

Can their PLUS loan be on hold until I graduate/drop under half time though?

Potentially yes. You will need to have them contact the servicer of the PLUS loan(s) and as for a PLUS dependent in-school deferment. If it's an older loan, tell them to ask for the PLUS etc. forbearance (instead of deferment). the servicer will need a copy of your verification of enrollment, which you can get from the registrar, in order to apply either. If your school updated to the National Student Clearinghouse the servicer may also be able to pull the information from there to apply the deferment/forbearance. The only big warning here is that interest will continue to accrue and will cap once the deferment/forbearance expires, so if they or you can afford to make ANY payments toward the interest, highly suggest that you do!

As for other options, there really aren't any. It's grants/scholarships, then federal loans, then private loans.

KungPowAction
Jul 13, 2006
Like a blur
I read through about a quarter of the thread and didn't see this asked, so here goes. I currently have $16k in unsubsidized and $4k in subsidized Stafford loans from my undergraduate degree. I'm in a graduate program, getting a good stipend (enough to cover all of my expenses) as well as waived tuition, so I don't need any more loans.

Technically, however, I do have costs associated with my schooling. I pay $6800 a year in rent, as well as books/etc. Is there anything stopping me from taking out $8500(or however much my costs justify) in subsidized Stafford loans, technically using that money to pay for rent/etc, and then using my saved stipend money to do one of the following:

1. Pay off principal on my unsubsidized loans.
2. Pay off interest on my unsubsidized loans.
3. Stick the money in a savings/money market account and collect interest on it until repayment begins.

I'm not sure if the government would get upset if you took out a subsidized loan and immediately turned around to repay an unsubsidized loan, although I can't find anything that says you can't. Please advise.

mute
Jul 17, 2004

First: I've learned so much that would have been useful to 20-year-old me by reading this that it makes me weep for my innocence.
I have two questions:

First, easy-ish and I think answered by the response to some_weird_kid: I have ~50k in Stafford Loans (mixture of Sub/Unsub) being serviced by ACS, SM, and BoA and ~3.5k on a private loan with SM.

I know I can't consolidate the private loan with the Federal loans, but when I do consolidate, do I just omit the private loan on the forms for listing out the loans and does this mean I (as I assume) then have just a 3.5k being managed through SM, and everything else managed through Direct?


Second: Do I have to be enrolled in a degree-seeking program to qualify for deferment, or just be enrolled in 6 hours (half time) of classes for ANYTHING? I'm on track to pay off both my car and credit card in 2011, but for the time being, it's more manageable to let interest accrue and pay for 2 classes in Fall/Spring at a federally accredited community college than it would be to enter repayment.

Yes, that costs me more in the long run, but it will allow me to afford to pay my bills and swap the car/CC payment onto loans when they're paid off.


Thanks again for all the great information!

Daggerpants
Aug 31, 2004

I am Kara Zor-El, the last daughter of Krypton
I currently have the following in repayment:

Stafford-UNSUB SALLIE MAE TRUST - LSC/FL
$5,167.67 @ 2.47%
Stafford-UNSUB SALLIE MAE TRUST - LSC/FL
$5,077.28 @ 2.47%
Stafford-UNSUB CAVALIER FUNDING 1 LLC
$5,210.70 @ 6.80%
Stafford-UNSUB CHASE-JPMORGAN CHASE BANK
$9,367.14 @ 6.80%
USDeptEdu-UNSUB
$6,284.03 @ 4.75% (fixed)

Is there any advantage to consolidating these?

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
KungPowAction, once the money is yours you can literally do whatever you want with it. You can put it away, splurge on a Europe vacation or pay for a wedding. Anything you like! The government doesn't track it nor care, so long as you eventually pay the loans back.

mute, don't get me started in the horrors of not educating kids about these loans. It's sad how many borrowers would not be delinquent/in default if they knew about their options. Sigh.

Anyway, when we used to process consolidations we would have the person list their entire balance including private loans because this will help determine the length of your repayment schedule. Otherwise it is not included. I have actually never seen Direct's application but I assume it is similar. If they ask for a full balance, make sure to include everything including the private loan, and provide documentation of said loan if asked.

You only need to be considered at least half-time by a school which can participate in the federal loan program. They don't even have to participate, they just need to be eligible to.

Daggerpants, the only potential advantage I see is lowering the 6.8% rates. Considering one of those is your highest balance that MIGHT be a savings benefit. I would suggest contacting Direct and asking what your interest rate would become post-consolidation, then googling for an amortization schedule and playing around with the numbers.

seacat
Dec 9, 2006
So it looks like Citibank is selling off its entire student loan division to Discover:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/The-Student-Loan-Corporation-bw-2386269840.html?x=0&.v=1

It looks like a large number of their loans will go to Sallie Mae, so I'm sorry (I believe I've recommended Citibank for private loans in this thread). The wording of the article seems to imply it will just be the federally-backed loans going to SLM though.

This makes me pretty nervous. Citibank a financial monster. Are they starting to see that, even with no bankruptcy protection, student loans are a horrible financial investment to make? Do they know something the others don't...?

Konstantin
Jun 20, 2005
And the Lord said, "Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

antwizzle posted:


This makes me pretty nervous. Citibank a financial monster. Are they starting to see that, even with no bankruptcy protection, student loans are a horrible financial investment to make? Do they know something the others don't...?

My guess is it's the opposite. Citibank wants to pay off their TARP money, so they are selling off their solid assets to get cash.

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
When treated correctly, student loans USED TO BE one of the best possible financial decisions a private company could make because of the default protection that comes with them. Our company, for instance, was paid around 98% of the principal on any defaulted loans, and Uncle Sam would foot that bill.

Now there's no money in just servicing them unless you service for several other companies. I suspect over the next few years there will be a ton of buyouts/conversions from smaller companies to the larger remaining ones because this is the only way to make money on these loans anymore. Our company just finished a huge conversion in a similar vein, taking all federal AND private loans under our wing. It's nothing for the students to worry about except to say you need to be very diligent about opening every drat piece of mail the servicer sends you; one of those might be a conversion notice telling you where your money is going.

Handsome Ralph
Sep 3, 2004

Oh boy, posting!
That's where I'm a Viking!


Quick question, I have about 17 grand in separate loans I'm looking to consolidate. My only issue is, if I consolidate those loans, am I still able to seek a deferment if need be or does doing so severely limit my options?

thebehaviorist
Jan 11, 2009

I just graduated with my master's degree in August and have 60k in sallie mae loans and another 50k in federal loans. I took the advice here and applied to wells fargo to consolidate my private loans. I have excellent credit; however, wells fargo denied my application unless I have a cosigner. I have no way of obtaining a cosigner. Everyone I know has said no. Am I just screwed? Also, I am not making enough money to even pay back the minimum payments that are going to be due in December. Is there anything I can do? I have no idea what to do. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
Boondock Saint, you can indeed get a deferment. Federal loans don't lose any of their deferment/forbearance time upon consolidation.

lunarian, congratulations on graduating! There's a possibility another company is consolidating private loans, I'm just not personally aware of any. Sallie Mae might be one ( :( ) . You can always try googling and see what comes up! Unfortunately, if they won't take you without a cosigner, you wouldn't be able to apply alone.

thebehaviorist
Jan 11, 2009

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep looking.

Miranda
Dec 24, 2004

Not a cuttlefish.
Just thought i'd update and lament :(

So I applied for a loan with Wells Fargo with the boyfriend as a co-signer. As expected, we were declined as he has no credit history. He's going to start building credit ASAP but it doesn't help us now. I was thinking of applying to Sallie Mae for just an $8000 loan for Spring semester 2011 (still with him as a co-signer) but not sure that would make a difference as he just isn't credit worthy.

It looks like the only other option is my poor mum back in Aus getting a loan of $8000 to pay for Spring and I'll start paying her back asap. Poor mum :(

Unless anyone has any bright ideas?

Kommienzuspadt
Apr 28, 2004

U like it
Does anyone know of any credit unions (or any good banks) that offer private student loans with FIXED APRs? I just applied for one from wells fargo but they had a 7.6% variable APR with no cap. It was ridiculous.

Insane Totoro
Dec 5, 2005

Take cover!!!
That Totoro has an AR-15!
Where to begin?

Okay, I have three semesters of graduate school left. The cost will total about $18,000. I currently have $18,000 banked and am saving $800/mo due to LIVING IN MY PARENTS' BASEMENT (no WoW, I promise you). However, I am getting married in May and this will cost me $3000, in addition to any costs of NOT living in my parents' basement, so I will probably only be saving around $100/mo.

Should I pay off the tuition in cash?

Or should I get a loan? My friend who works as financial advisor told me to "get a loan and deduct the interest on your taxes." How the heck does that work? Or was he talking out of his rear end?

My concern is basically being able to maintain an emergency fund post-marriage.


Thanks in advance for any help!

Nicol Bolas
Feb 13, 2009
Hi, student loan thread. Can you help me?

I have 2 student loan groups right now--about $43k with Sallie Mae that I'm paying off (and has given me almost no trouble) and about $15k with Nelnet (through Dept of Education / Citizens Bank) which have given me no end of hell.

For a while, I had my Nelnet loans on autodebit. Then they sold one of my loans to the Dept of Education (the rest are with Citizens) and didn't tell me until a payment was late, becuase apparently autodebit doesn't apply to a loan group unless you tell it to. (Not really their fault, but annoying.) Then I tried to modify my autodebit so instead of having one $200 payment, it would be one $150 payment to the main loan group and one $50 payment to the one loan that got sold off. This change never took effect. Ever. At all. I just ended up sucking it up and paying $200 and $50. But finally, i decided to cancel my auto debit, because it was a hassle and unpredictable and I was several months ahead on my loan payments anyway (my next due date read as next February). So I tried to cancel. Then they autodebited the next month. So I cancel again. And yesterday they autodebited AGAIN.

I contacted customer service, and they confirmed that they canceled autodebit via form letter. I . . . don't quite believe them at this point.

1. I'm pretty sure that's fraud to deduct payment after I canceled. Am I right? If I had overdrafted (I didn't, but I effectively paid the loans twice this month and being out that extra $200 unexpectedly kind of sucks, I'm not daddy warbucks) what recourse would I have had? What recourse do I have if they keep this poo poo up? Should I talk to my bank about blocking those payments?

2. Would I be insane to consolidate my loans with Sallie Mae just to get these chucklefucks out of my hair and have all my loans in one place? I assume I'd lose any extra time I have for overpaying / being ahead on my payments.

3. Is there some third option that I'm missing beyond "deal with it" and "consolidate"?

Nicol Bolas fucked around with this message at 20:57 on Oct 8, 2010

No. 9
Feb 8, 2005

by R. Guyovich
This might be a stupid question, but oh well:

Everyone tells you to pay off the highest interest loan first, but how do I make sure that I do that when it seems like on the SallieMae site, I can only pay a total collective amount? I don't see any options to apply money to just a certain loan.

seacat
Dec 9, 2006

No. 9 posted:

This might be a stupid question, but oh well:

Everyone tells you to pay off the highest interest loan first, but how do I make sure that I do that when it seems like on the SallieMae site, I can only pay a total collective amount? I don't see any options to apply money to just a certain loan.
There is definitely no option to do that using SLM's online payment system, but you can send them a snail mail payment with a notice to apply it to loan X. I am not sure if they are actually required to honor that. AFAIK, they can charge you whatever they want and apply the payments however they want.

nesbit37
Dec 12, 2003
Emperor of Rome
(500 BC - 500 AD)

some_weird_kid posted:

I know this question has likely been asked before, but I didn't find it in the OP or the last few pages. I graduated in May, and my grace period is about to expire. I should be fine for the payments, but just wanted an idea of what to budget since I haven't gotten any payment information yet from the lender.

I have Unsubsidized, Subsidized, and GradPLUS loans totalling about $60,000. I haven't consolidated yet, because I don't want to bump up the rate on the Staffords by rolling them in with the GradPLUS, and money isn't a problem. How many different payments will be due monthly? Is it 1 for each different type of loan (3 total), 1 for the Staffords and 1 for the GradPLUS, or 1 for each disbursement(which seems crazy to me)?

I was coming this thread to ask a question very similar to this. Thanks for the answer Wiggy Marie. I do have an add on, however.

My grace period ended back in January, but because I had not made any money in 2009 other than the last month of the year when I started working for a non-profit I signed up for an income based repayment plan. Since then I have only been paying $40 a month for my $500 grad plus loan back. I have ~$55k in subsidized and unsubsidized loans still that I haven't had to pay anything on this year, but I imagine that will change this coming year. My question is, with ICB is the sliding pay scale for monthly payments applied per loan or to the total debt, and does this past year and 12 "payments" of $0 count towards the 10 years/payments for public service forgiveness?

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
Miranda, I'm sorry about your troubles :( Unfortunately there's really nothing available to people with no credit now, except federal loans, and those are only available to permanent residents and citizens. If you're willing/able to wait until you at least have an Alien ID number, that would help you a lot in your goals.

Kommienzuspadt, before the credit crisis there were occasionally private loans offered for schools specifically that had fixed rates. They were still credit based, etc., but they were at least fixed interest rates. You would need to ask your financial aid office if anything like that is available. Is a PLUS loan or gradPLUS loan of any kind an option? I know you've posted here before but I can't remember your specific situation, forgive me :(

Insane Totoro, you can deduct up to around $2500 (maybe more, it's been a while since I saw the tax guide) in interest you pay over the course of the year on your federal loans. However, the amount you end up paying anyway REALLY doesn't make this preferable to just paying it all off. Think about it: if you can and do pay off your tuition as you go, you will graduate with one less type of debt riding you for at least the following 5 years. I have to say, from a personal standpoint and watching kids struggle with these things, avoid any debt that you can as long as you can.

Nicol Bolas, I'm not sure it counts as fraud only because I have no idea, but you CAN request the funds refunded to you, especially if you paid them otherwise. I know plenty of people who prefer to send payments through their own banks for personal issues with autodebit systems. Our own autodebit system sadly causes people all sorts of grief, so I feel your pain from the other side. Consolidating can't hurt, since then you'd only be dealing with one company, however if you have federal loans you HAVE to consolidate with Direct - and right now that does mean you might just be stuck with Nelnet as the servicer anyway, since they're one of the lucky companies who was chosen as a Direct servicer. Don't get me started on THAT rant.

No. 9, no worries about silly questions :) This is a safe space!

I have never seen SLMA's online system but I know ours does indeed offer people the ability to pay on certain loans instead of others. I'd be shocked if SLMA didn't offer the same service. Sidenote: they can't offer that with a consolidated loan, so that might be why you can't see it, if you have a consolidation.

The other option is to send a physical payment like antwizzle suggested and hope for the best. These types of payments are ALWAYS applied incorrectly when people try it with us, and we don't suck like SLMA does, so I can only imagine. One way to check the availability is to call (I'm sorry) and ask if you can do that. If the rep says yes, ask if there's any way OTHER than calling to do that.

antwizzle, just so you know, servicers are bound by lender contracts to repayment schedule table setups, and also to apply payments to 1. late fees, 2. interest, then 3. principal. This is why if you go a couple of months between payments you may see nothing hit your principal but the payment will still show satisfied. And since we're currently dealing with a situation where a previous servicer had their system set up incorrectly, I can assure you the late fees - interest - principal system is actually in people's benefits, suspicious as that might sound. Imagine a world where your late fee never gets paid off, so you end up rolling over past due for $50 worth of late fees. Welcome to our hell :)

nesbit37, ICB is my big weakness. I left the call center before that was instituted across the board, which means I received no training in how the hell it works. I can tell you that it's so complicated that people's eyes glaze over with pain when I ask about it. Rather than give you a faulty answer, I suggest calling your servicer and asking them those questions. You can trust them better than me on that one!

Migz
Apr 27, 2006
Stupid question prob. First year student and parents are paying out of pocket.. but for the Subsidized - 3500.00 student loan is that per semester or year? Also the semester already started, am i too late? do i have to do it before the semester starts?

Kommienzuspadt
Apr 28, 2004

U like it

Wiggy Marie posted:


Kommienzuspadt, before the credit crisis there were occasionally private loans offered for schools specifically that had fixed rates. They were still credit based, etc., but they were at least fixed interest rates. You would need to ask your financial aid office if anything like that is available. Is a PLUS loan or gradPLUS loan of any kind an option? I know you've posted here before but I can't remember your specific situation, forgive me :(


Unfortunately I don't qualify for PLUS because I am a continuing ed student (post-bac).... should I bite the bullet and go with a variable rate?

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
Migz, that total is per year. There's a separate total per subsidized vs. unsubsidized loans. Also, you may not be too late, although at this point you must contact the financial aid office to make sure they'll still process your FAFSA (most will, but there's often a delay).

Kommienzuspadt, grumble. Sadly, that's the only option available to you, loan-wise. It might not hurt to contact the financial aid office about your situation to see if you can wrangle any more aid.

Oliver C
Feb 15, 2005

When is the charity wankathon, Gareth?

No. 9 posted:

This might be a stupid question, but oh well:

Everyone tells you to pay off the highest interest loan first, but how do I make sure that I do that when it seems like on the SallieMae site, I can only pay a total collective amount? I don't see any options to apply money to just a certain loan.

I do this myself with Sallie Mae. When you make a payment, follow up with an e-mail to them saying that you want everything after interest applied to the principal of whichever loan you want to hit more (refer to it by number).

No. 9
Feb 8, 2005

by R. Guyovich
Ah, thanks. I'm always wary of emailing SallieMae because they're never helpful.

Residency Evil
Jul 28, 2003

4/5 godo... Schumi
Reposting this from my thread in BFC:

quote:

I have two years worth of Federal Stafford Sub/Unsub loans (at 6.8%), worth about 80k or so. Interest is accruing on the unsubbed portion. I have some money from a much lower interest loan (at 2%) that I'd like to use to transfer some of the loan burden. I just called Discover and found out my loans had been sold to a company called Great Lakes. I called Great Lakes, inquiring whether I could make a payment and apply it towards the principal instead of the interest. The operator told me that's not possible, and any accrued interest must be paid off first. Does that sound right? If that's the case, does it still make sense to use the 2% loan money to pay off the accrued interest?

Wiggy Marie
Jan 16, 2006

Meep!
That is indeed correct, the federal policy is that interest must be satisfied before principal. If the 2% is fixed, it can't hurt to "transfer" some funds there with a payment. However, you lose all of the perks of federal loans (such as the ability to skip payments if needed).

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Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

My wife has a number of student loans. They're all Stafford loans, but they're currently handled/administered through a couple different entities (AES, Citibank, and Direct Loans). We're in repayment for them all now, and just trying to get a handle on the best way to deal with them. So I'm hoping I can get some information/confirmation to help us out.

1) It looks like we can consolidate all of the loans with Direct Loans. We've looked into that a bit and it seems like a good idea. Our question is, does consolidating current loans have any special effect on future loans? It's possible she might want to take out another loan in the future, so we'd just like to know if having consolidated your previous loans makes any sort of difference in what you can apply for and receive. I haven't been able to find anything that indicates it would, and it even seems like if you take out further loans you can consolidate again, if you wanted.

2) If we consolidated, I know that we'd get a revised monthly payment. We're probably eligible to apply for IBR at the moment, but we also expect our financial situation to change in the spring (we're having a kid and so our family size will go up and our income will go down). Does it make sense to wait until then to consolidate and apply for IBR? I know that they will re-evaluate your repayment rate every year based on your income, but will they do it more frequently than that if your situation has changed? We can make the current payments, so I don't want to consolidate and apply now, and then get stuck at a higher payment than we would have if we waited until the spring.

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