I had student loan debt but luckily only ended owing $5,000 after I completed college thanks to family and scholarships. It took me forever just to pay that $5,000 due to all the interest on my loan. A recent study by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 50% of recent college graduate have student loans, with an average student loan debt of $10,000. The average cost of college increases at twice the rate of inflation. Here are 8 tips to help with paying off student loan debt:
1. Develop a plan. Develop a plan to pay off your student loan debt before you graduate.
2. Save your money. Each summer throughout your college education, get a job or internship. Save half the money in a high interest savings account such as www.emigrantdirect.com (5.05%) or www.ing.com (4.5%). After a few months, consult a financial advisor to earn the highest possible return on your money. After college, you can use the money saved during all 4 years to pay down your college debt.
3. Use caution with consolidation. Consolidating student loans combines your loans into one payment but may or may not provide you with a lower interest rate. Do extensive research before consolidating your student loans. In addition, you may not be eligible for various student loan forgiveness programs if you consolidate your student loans.
4. Exchange work to reduce debt. Perform volunteer work or work for the following in exchange for reducing student loan debt: teaching in certain locations with low-income students or areas with shortage of teachers, providing legal and medical services in low-income areas or working for Americorps or the Peace Corps.
5. Get a work-study job. To help pay for the costs of college get a work-study job on campus to help defray the cost of college. Go to your campus employee office to ask about their work-study program. Work study Jobs pay at least the minimum wage for that state.
6. Apply for lots of scholarships. In recent years, money has been reduced from the budget for college scholarships so it is harder to get a scholarship to go to college. You can increase your changes of getting a scholarship by completing as many scholarship applications as you can. If you complete at least 50 you should receive at least 5 scholarships. Also, go to your campus financial aid office and ask about financial aid programs that the schools provides to students. Become friendly with the financial aid office employees who will alert you to financial aid programs when they become available. You can also search the internet for scholarships. Some scholarship websites are www.fastweb.com, www.scholarships.com, www.finaid.org, www.college-scholarships.com or www.scholarshiphelp.org.
7. Apply for grants. Apply for as many grants as possible. You can also apply for federal grants such as the Federal Pell Grant (Pell Grant), the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program, Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP), and National Science Scholars Program. Some grant websites are www.scholarships-ar-us.org/grants/, www.scholarships-ar-us.org/grants/women.htm, www.careersandcolleges.com.
8. Protect your credit. Try to avoid making late payments on your student loans, if you do this will be reported on your credit report and can remain for up to seven years. If you are having financial hardship call the student loan company and inform them of your situation, ask for a hardship or loan deferment to ensure your credit is not damaged until you are able to start making payments again.
For more information visit https://www.brokescholar.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.loanForgiveness/loanForgiveness.html or http://www.finaid.org/loans/forgiveness.phtml.
Harrine Freeman
CEO, H.E. Freeman Enterprises
www.hefreemanenterprises.com
Copyright © 2007 H.E. Freeman Enterprises
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