Student loan debt consolidation: is it right for you?
Student loan debt consolidation is an attractive option for many people who are stuck with lots of college debt. After graduating from college or graduate school, it’s not uncommon for individuals to be paying off student loans well into their 30s, 40s and even 50s. Student loan debt consolidation can help to lower your monthly student loan repayment and bring more stability and simplicity to your finances.
But debt consolidation isn’t for everyone — often there are other student loan services that provide a more effective way to manage college debt. And unless you approach student loan debt consolidation carefully, you may not actually save money or – worst-case scenario – you may end up owing more.
For help evaluating your student loan debt consolidation options, call American Consumer Credit Counseling (ACCC). As a nonprofit organization, we offer free credit counseling to individuals and families who want to find their way out of debt. Our certified credit counselors can help you explore all the options for student loan relief, and determine whether student loan debt consolidation is right for you.
Get the facts about student loan debt consolidation from ACCC.
At ACCC, our mission is to help you regain control of your finances and make a plan for a debt-free future. In addition to free credit counseling, we offer lots of educational materials (including a student loan calculator) to help you manage money more effectively, and a low-cost debt management program that can help reduce debt more easily.
Our credit counselors are available six days each week, over the phone and in person.
During your free counseling session, we’ll review your current financial situation and look at all the options available to you for paying down your student loans. Our counselors can explain the pros and cons of student loan debt consolidation and walk you through alternatives that may be more advantageous, depending on the types of loans you have and your financial situation. Finally, we’ll help you make a plan and budget to pay down your debt as quickly as possible and avoid debt in the future.
Alternatives to student loan debt consolidation.
Student loan debt consolidation can be a helpful way of reducing student debt, but other options may be equally or more effective. These include:
- Repayment plans that lower your monthly payment or tie payments to income.
- Deferment or forbearance arrangements that let you suspend payments for a period of time.
- State or federal student loan forgiveness programs where your loans are forgiven when entering fields such as teaching or the military.
Learn more about student loan debt consolidation, and about federal student loan relief and student loan default help.