Refinance Student Loans Articles

Discharge for Spouses and Parents of 9/11 Victims and Public Servants

Spouses and parents of 9/11 victims who died or became totally and permanently disabled may qualify for discharge of remaining federal student loan debt.

Alternative Repayment Plans

Find out more about alternative repayment for federal student loans. If other repayment plans are unsuitable, modifications can be made to meet your needs.

Bankruptcy Discharge of Student Loans

Student loans are almost impossible to discharge in bankruptcy except if the borrower can demonstrate undue hardship in an adversarial proceeding.

How Student Loan Default Affects License Renewals

The federal government can block the renewal of professional licenses for borrowers who default on federal student loans. Find out which licenses are affected.

How to Calculate the Weighted Average Interest Rate

This step-by-step tutorial will help you calculate the weighted average interest rate on a new federal consolidation loan so you can estimate your payments.

Closed School Discharge

Federal student loans may be discharged if the student's school closed while the student was enrolled or within 120 days of the student's withdrawal.

Collection Charges

In addition to paying late fees, the principal balance and accrued but unpaid interest, borrowers with defaulted federal education loans must pay reasonable collection costs, which include attorney's fees, collection agency charges and court costs.

Dealing With Financial Difficulty

Student loans provide numerous options for dealing with financial difficulty, such as temporary suspensions of the repayment obligation, alternate repayment plans and more permanent cancellation of the debt through loan forgiveness and loan discharge.

Death Discharge

Federal education loans are discharged upon the death of the borrower or the student on whose behalf a Federal Parent PLUS loan was borrowed.

Consequences of Defaulting on Federal Student Loans

The U.S. Department of Education has significant power to force borrowers to repay defaulted federal education loans. Borrowers should learn about the potential consequences of default before taking out the loans.

Federal Student Loan Deferment Options

A deferment is a temporary suspension of payments on a federal student loan. Learn more about the terms and conditions of different deferment options.

Total and Permanent Disability Discharge

Borrowers who are totally and permanently disabled may be eligible for a discharge of their federal education loans and, perhaps, private student loans.

Student Loan Discharge

Loan discharge cancels a debt because the borrower is unable to repay the debt (e.g., due to death, disability or bankruptcy) or because the borrower demonstrates that he or she is not responsible for repaying the debt (e.g., due to identity theft, unpaid refunds or other false certifications).

False certification discharge for federal loans: what you need to know

Learn about the five types of false certification discharge for federal education loans, including identity theft and ability to benefit.

How to Consolidate Federal Student Loans

Learn about Direct Loan Consolidation including which loans are eligible. Compare to private student loan consolidation as an alternative to find the best option for you.

Federal Student Loan Forbearance

A forbearance temporarily suspends or reduces a student loan payment. Learn about forbearance types and eligibility requirements for federal student loans.

Student Loan Forgiveness: How to Get Student Loans Forgiven

Learn how to get student loans forgiven, such as Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and Teacher Loan Forgiveness.

Interest Rates on Federal Consolidation Loans

Interest rates on federal consolidation loans are fixed for the life of the loan. The rate is determined by calculating the weighted average of the loans being consolidated. Find out what your interest rate will be if you consolidate your federal student loans.

Locating Student Loans and Loan Servicers

Borrowers sometimes lose track of their student loans and loan servicers. There are several tools that borrowers can use to find a list of their loans, lenders and servicers. These tools can also be used to check the status of the loans or gather information for student loan refinancing or consolidation.

Military Student Loan Forgiveness

As a member of the military, you have a few options if you are considering military discharge or loan forgiveness as there are special student loan benefits, forgiveness, and repayment options available to you.

Parent PLUS Loan Forgiveness

Public Service Loan Forgiveness is an option to Parent PLUS Loan borrowers who consolidate their student loans with a Direct Consolidation Loan. Learn how to qualify for this program.

Federal Student Loan Repayment Plans

Before you borrow, it’s important to consider how to pay back student loans. This repayment guide will help you understand the options for paying back your federal student loans, including Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans, and PLUS Loans, even if you’ve already graduated.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Nurses

Nursing school can be costly but thankfully there are several programs to help with the cost, including some that will forgive all or part of your loans.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers

Teachers may be able to have all or some of their student loans forgiven if they apply and are approved in select programs.

How to Avoid Student Loan Forgiveness Scams

Student loan forgiveness can be achieved but beware of student loan forgiveness program scams. Learn what red flags to watch out for.

5 Reasons to Refi Your Student Loan

Student loan refinance can save money, lower your monthly payments, release a cosigner and more. Learn why you might want to consider refinancing your student loan.

Best Student Loan Refinance Companies for May 2025

The best student loan refinance company for you is the one that offers terms that align with your goals. Current interest rates are as low as @LowestRateRefi. Compare student loan refinancing lenders.

Can I Consolidate Student Loans with Bad Credit?

You may consolidate federal student loans even if you have bad credit, however consolidating private student loans with bad credit will be more difficult and will require a creditworthy cosigner.

Is Private Student Loan Forgiveness Real?

Does private student loan forgiveness exist? Or is this an urban legend? Get the facts and learn how you can get a handle on your private student loan debt.

How Long Does It Take to Pay Off a Student Loan

You can expect to be paying student loans off for 10 to 25 years, depending on the kind of loan you choose, and the repayment terms you and your lender agree to.

How to Apply for Student Loan Forgiveness

Student loan forgiveness isn’t available to everyone, but for those who qualify it can remove some if not all of your student loan debt. Understanding program eligibility requirements and various application processes can be confusing, learn how to navigate the process.

How to Refinance Parent PLUS Loans

Can you refinance a parent PLUS Loan? Yes! You can refinance for a lower interest rate, to consolidate loans, or to transfer a parent PLUS Loan to the student.

How to Refinance Student Loans

Private Student loans can be refinanced to offer lower interest rates, different repayment terms, and other revisions to help manage student loan debt.

Should You Refinance Federal Student Loans?

The decision to refinance federal student loans requires thoughtful consideration of all the pros and cons. What you decide to do ultimately depends on what best suits your needs.

Should I Refinance Student Loans with a Cosigner?

Having a cosigner when you refinance your student loans may help you qualify for a more competitive interest rate. Understand what it means to ask someone to cosign. Look for options like cosigner release.

Student Loan Refinancing and Consolidation: What You Should Consider

Why should you refinance or consolidate your student loans? You could lower your monthly payments, and you may even qualify for a reduced interest rate. Cosigners can also be released through a refinance. We work with top lenders to offer you the right solution.

Student Loan Repayment Options

Your student loan repayment options available to you will depend on the type of student loans you have, federal or private. There are quite a few options to choose from. While it’s great to have choices, it may feel overwhelming to understand which one is best for you.

How to Transfer a Parent PLUS Loan to a Student

You took out loans to help your child pay for college, but now that they are independent, you’d like them to assume responsibility for paying the money back. We explain your options.

13 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Repaying Student Loans

Borrowers should avoid these 13 common errors when paying back federal and private student loans.

Student Loan Discounts

Some lenders offer discounts, such as interest-rate reductions, to borrowers who make their monthly loan payments automatically through a direct debit from the borrower's bank account. Not only do automatic payments yield auto-debit discounts, but they help borrowers avoid being late with or missing a payment.

Administrative Forbearance Options for Student Loans

Forbearances are temporary suspensions of the obligation to repay a loan, often appropriate for short-term financial difficulty. However, interest continues to accrue during the forbearance period and will be capitalized if unpaid, increasing the size of the debt. Some private student loans offer partial forbearance as an option, where the borrower makes interest-only payments during the forbearance period to keep the loan balance from growing larger.

How to Consolidate Student Loans

For students with multiple loans, consolidation can help simplify the repayment process. Learn the steps and considerations of student loan consolidation.

How to Pay Off Student Loans Fast

There are many ways you can pay off your student loans faster. Make more than the minimum payment, enroll in automatic payments, make bi-weekly payments and among other strategies.

Repayment Plans for Private Student Loans

Repayment plans for private student loans include everything from interest only payments to a flexible number of years to repay. Our lender partners provide multiple options to choose from.

How to Save Money on Student Loan Payments

Borrowers can reduce the amount of money spent on student loan payments by following several strategies before taking out loans and during repayment.

How Long is Federal Student Loan Grace Period and How It Works?

Most student loans have a six-month grace period. During this time, you do not need to make payments on your loans, however interest will still accrue.

When are Student Loans Due

Most student loans enter repayment six-months after you graduate or drop below half-time attendance. You can expect your first monthly payment to be due at the end of your grace period.