Are you a student? Have you been accumulating several student loan debt burdens? Are you contemplating consolidation of the various student loans in order to manage them better? Go ahead, apply for student loan consolidation. If your application for student loan is approved then you will be benefited in the ways that your payment amounts per month will be reduced and at same time you will be provided a breather of paying out over a longer period of time. However, remember to choose the right plan.There are four types of such federal student loan consolidation plans. These are the standard student loan consolidation, extended payment plan, graduated payment plan and income contingent payment plan. In an effort to suit the requirements of different kinds of student types all these programs have been set up. The graduated and extended payment plans are the most commonly pursued loan consolidation schemes.In case of the standard student loan consolidation the student loan is provided for a maximum period of ten years. The amount of payment to be made per month is also fixed. So, this is best suited for students who can afford payment of a fixed amount per month and the interest rate does not emerge as a significant factor.The extended payment plan of student loan consolidation is quite similar to standard student loan consolidation. However, there is a longer period for repayment provided (between 15 and 30 years). The period for repayment, in this case, is also dependent on the amount of the student loan taken.Graduated payment plan is suited especially for students schooling who can repay upon completion of graduation i.e. when they have a job. The payment period here too is between 15 and 30 years. The initial payment amounts per month are low but there is steady rise in the amounts every two years. The implied reason is that over a loner period of time with rise in salary the loan takers will be able to meet the subsequent larger payments.The last and most complicated of the plans is the income contingent plan. Based upon the student’s level of income over a period of time such planning is made. Other considerations made are annual family gross income, amounts owed in other loans and various other assets and liabilities.A careful selection from among these plans is to be made keeping in mind your particular requisites. In this way you can derive the best benefit from student loan consolidation.
