Refinancing is the process of paying off one loan by obtaining another loan which is usually at a lower interest rate or with better terms. When it comes to student loans it's generally done to reduce monthly student loan payments. There are several ways to accomplish this through student loan consolidation programs through banks or programs through the government.
When refinancing your student loans there are several things to consider. If you have both federal student loans and private loans, you will have to refinance them separately. With federal loans, you can usually receive a lower interest rate than with private loans. Private student loans are personal loans based on the assumption that the income level will increase with more education. Therefore, refinancing is rated at a much higher level. If you were to mix the two together when you refinance, you would wind up paying a higher interest rate on the combined principal than you would if you financed the two loans separately.
Shop around because student loan rates vary by lender. Check out your credit scores prior to applying. Rates are based on your credit history. Before refinancing make sure your credit history is in good shape. By contrast, rates for refinancing federal student loans change only once a year on the first of July. While currently pretty low, they are subject to annual fluctuation.
Lenders have different qualifications for refinancing, although most require that none of your loans have an "in-school" status which means that you can't be paying for a student still enrolled in college. With some lenders there is an arbitrary, minimum balance for application.
When refinancing look for a couple options to make your repayment life easier. Reduce your monthly payments by either negotiating a lower interest rate or extending the duration of the loan. Getting a lower interest rate is the better course as you are also reducing your long-term
When figuring out how-to refinance student loans, remember that you can reduce your monthly payments either by getting a lower interest rate, or by extending the duration of your loan. Of the two methods, getting a lower interest rate is preferable since you are also reducing your long-term student loan debt rather than just spreading out repayments.
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