WHAT IS STUDENT LOAN REFINANCE?
Student loan refinancing is when you apply for a new loan to pay off your current student loans, usually to lower your interest rate or extend your payoff timeline. If you have a federal student loan, you must refinance with a private lender. If you have private student loans, you can refinance with the same lender or choose a new one — which is why it’s so important to shop around first.
How does student loan refinancing work?
You can refinance both your federal student loans and your private student loans through a private lender, such as a bank or one of the lenders offered by LendingTree. Refinancing your loans will combine all of them into one loan with one monthly payment. Your interest rate will be based off of your credit score, so if it’s higher than when you first applied, you should score an incredibly low rate.
If you’re planning on taking advantage of federal loan forgiveness programs, you may not want to refinance your federal loans. Refinancing your federal student loans will disqualify you from any forgiveness programs. However, if you are ineligible for loan forgiveness, a refinance is the best way to lower your payments.
Pros and Cons of Student Loan
- Lower monthly payments
- You can release a cosigner from the loan
- You'll have fewer monthly payments to make
- Repayment terms can be flexible
- You could pay more in the long run
- You could lose a federal loan's advantages
- Any existing grace periods may go away