Student Loan Articles
Free student loan articles covering a wide array of financial aid related topics

• Student Loan Consolidation: Turn Your Variable-Rate Student Loans Into One Fixed-Rate Loan
  Although Federal PLUS Loans and Stafford Loans are currently issued at fixed interest rates, PLUS and Stafford loans issued prior to July 1, 2006, are variable-rate student loans. The interest rate on these college loans adjusts every year on July 1.
• With PLUS Loans From NextStudent Parents Have Access to College Financing Throughout the School Year
  As the fall semester draws to a close, families who still need money for college for end-of-semester expenses or for the upcoming spring semester may be able to get the help they need with a Federal PLUS Loan from NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company. PLUS loans give parents of undergraduates a low-interest financing option that they can apply for throughout the school year (depending on the final deadline set by the school’s financial aid office). And PLUS financing is available even if your student doesn’t qualify for need-based grants or student loans.
• Recent Graduates Having Trouble Making Their Student Loan Payments Should Consider Looking Into Their Deferment and Forbearance Options
  If you graduated in May with federal Stafford student loans, you may be facing the prospect of adjusting your budget to accommodate new monthly student loan payments as your six-month grace periods end sometime this month. If you’re still doing temp work, looking for a job, or if you just got stuck with a lower-than-expected entry-level salary, it’s entirely possible that you’re not sure how you’re going to come up with the money you’re going to need each month to a meet a new monthly expense from student loans going into repayment.
• Federal Student Loan Consolidation Could Help Make Recent Graduates’ Student Loan Repayment Easier to Manage
  If you graduated in May with student loans, you may be facing six-month grace periods that are ending sometime this month. Once your grace periods are over, you’ll be entering repayment on those student loans that were in grace.
• A NextStudent Guide to Deferment and Forbearance
  Sometimes life can put a dent in your budget, making it harder to pay your everyday living expenses and monthly bills. When faced with the loss of a job, going back to school or sudden unexpected expenses like medical bills or car-repair costs, even the most responsible borrowers can find themselves struggling to make their student loan payments.
• A NextStudent Guide to Responsible Borrowing
  How you handle your finances while you’re in college and graduate school can have repercussions for years after you graduate. Every time you go over your limit on a credit card, apply for a new credit card, or miss a payment—whether it’s on your card, on your car, or on your student loan—it can count against your credit score. And a credit score can drop a lot faster than it’ll go back up: It can take years to repair damaged credit and a low credit score. Bad credit can keep you from being approved for a car or home loan, it can make a landlord choose not to rent to you, and it can even affect whether a potential employer decides whether or not to hire you.
• A NextStudent Guide to Understanding the Different Types of Financial Aid
  Here at NextStudent, we know that the world of student loans and college financing can be overwhelming and confusing, especially when all the financial aid literature throws around terms like “consolidation” and “subsidized,” and alphabet soups like FWS, EFC, PLUS and FAFSA. We always want our customers to feel comfortable with their education financing decisions, and we believe you should be informed about all your financial aid options. So to help you decipher your financial aid award letters and understand your school financing options, NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, offers this quick guide to the different types of financial aid.
• A NextStudent Guide to Understanding Your Student Loan Repayment Options
  Whether you’re a recent graduate with grace periods about to end, or a new student or parent of a new student just taking out your first student loan, you may have questions about repayment—what your options are, how long you have to repay, what happens if you have trouble making your payments.
• Stafford Loans From NextStudent Provide Graduate Students With up to $20,500 a Year for Graduate Study
  Graduate and professional degree students looking for ways to finance their graduate studies could get some of the financial aid they need with Federal Stafford Loans from NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company.
• Undergraduate Stafford Loans From NextStudent Can Help Students Paying Their Own Way Through College
  Whether they still have time before their school’s fall financial aid deadline or they’re looking ahead to their tuition bills for the spring semester coming up, undergraduates searching for ways to meet their college expenses themselves could find some of the financing help they need with Federal Stafford Loans from NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company.
• Grad PLUS Loans From NextStudent Expand Educational Financing Options for Graduate and Professional Degree Students
  As the fall semester gets underway, graduate students may be struggling with meeting their tuition bills, program fees and other education-related expenses. Even after grants and Stafford loans, some graduate and professional students may still be left with educational expenses to cover. For those students who need some help meeting the costs of their graduate or professional degree program, Federal Grad PLUS Loans from NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company, could provide the financing they need.
• PLUS Loans From NextStudent Can Help Parents Meet Children’s College Expenses
  With the school year about to begin, parents reviewing their college-aged children’s financial aid award letters may find they’re having trouble meeting their expected family contribution. For situations like these, when parents need some help meeting their undergraduate’s educational expenses, a PLUS loan could provide the financing they need, says NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company.
• Supplementing an Educational Financial Aid Plan With a NextStudent Private Loan
  At this time of year, parents and students alike are usually finalizing their budgets and financial plans for the upcoming school year. As parents and students review financial aid award packages, they may be finding that even after taking into account grants, scholarships, work-study, and state and federal student loans, there are still some educational expenses left to cover. For those remaining educational expenses, a private student loan might be the answer, according to NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education company.
• Consolidation Can Help Make Federal Student Loan Debt Easier to Manage
  In today’s competitive job market, recent college graduates may find that paying off their student loan debt may be more difficult than they had originally anticipated. Some students may find themselves living paycheck to paycheck, sometimes for years, just to get their foot in the door of their chosen careers. That’s why recent graduates with multiple federal student loan payments may want to consider combining them into one easy payment with a Federal Consolidation Loan, according to NextStudent, a leading Phoenix-based education funding company
• NextStudent Encourages Students to Take Advantage of Federal Work-Study Opportunities
  Since some colleges start posting available work-study positions as early as the summer, students looking to get their first choice of campus jobs in the fall may want to get a head start by already having their résumé and cover letter written and polished. The Federal Work-Study Program provides part-time jobs for both undergraduate an