Repay Student Loans

Unlike loans, grants do not usually have to be repaid. However, there are two reasons why you may have to repay part of a Federal grant:

1) The amount given to you was more than you were eligible to receive (this is called an over-award). This can happen if the school makes an error when calculating your eligibility for financial aid, or if an audit of your financial records reveals that some of the information you provided was incorrect (for example, your income was higher than what you reported on your application for financial aid).

2) You withdrew early from the program for which the grant was given to you.

Source: US Education Department

By Richard Shelmerdine

The Direct Consolidation Loan Program offers four repayment plans with various term selections:

• Standard Repayment Plan – Under this plan, you will pay a fixed amount of at least $50 each month for up to 10 to 30 years, based on your total education indebtedness. This plan may result in lower total interest paid when compared to repayment under one of the graduated plans.If you have not selected a repayment plan by the time repayment begins, your loan(s) will be placed on the Standard Repayment Plan.
• Graduated Repayment Plan – Under this plan, you will pay a minimum payment amount at least equal to the amount of interest accrued monthly for up to 10 to 30 years, based on your total education indebtedness. Your payments start out low, and then increase every two years. Generally, the amount you will repay over the term of your loan will be higher under the Consolidation Graduated Repayment Plan than under the Consolidation Standard Repayment Plan. This plan may be beneficial if your income is low now but is likely to steadily increase.
• Extended Repayment Plan – To qualify for this plan, your Direct Loan balance must be greater than $30,000, and you will have up to 25 years to repay your loan(s). Plan options include:
  • Fixed Monthly Payment Option – You will pay a fixed amount of at least $50 each month for up to 25 years. Repayment under this plan will result in lower total interest paid when compared to graduated plans with similar terms.
  • Graduated Monthly Payment Option – You will pay a minimum payment amount of at least $50 or the amount of interest accrued monthly, whichever is greater, for up to 25 years. Your payments start out low and then increase every two years. Repayment under this plan may provide lower initial monthly payments, although the total interest paid may be greater when compared to plans with similar terms with fixed payments. This plan may be beneficial if your income is low now but is likely to steadily increase.

  **Extended repayment terms are available to Direct Loan borrower with no outstanding principal or interest balances as of October 7, 1998 and with more than $30,000 in Direct Loans.

• Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) Plan – payment amount is based on your income (and your spouse’s income, if you are married), loan balance and family size, and can vary year-to-year for up to 25 years.

Source: U.S Department of Education

After you graduate, leave school, or drop below half-time enrollment, you have a period of time before you have to begin repayment. This “grace period” will be

* six months for a Federal (FFEL) or Direct Stafford Loan.
* nine months for Federal Perkins Loans

The repayment period for all PLUS loans begins on the date the loan is fully disbursed, and the first payment is due within 60 days of the final disbursement. However, a graduate student PLUS loan borrower (as well as a parent PLUS borrower who is also a student) can defer repayment while the borrower is enrolled at least half time, and, for PLUS loans first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008, for an additional six months after the borrower is no longer enrolled at least half-time. Interest that accrues during these periods will be capitalized if not paid by the borrower.

Parent PLUS loan borrowers whose loans were first disbursed on or after July 1, 2008, may choose to have repayment deferred while the student for whom the parent borrowed is enrolled at least half-time and for an additional six months after that student is no longer enrolled at least half-time. Interest that accrues during these periods will be capitalized if not paid by the borrower.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

Under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, after your student loan is placed in default by the holder of the loan, an insurance claim for the amount of the loan is paid by the guaranty agency (the organization that administers the FFEL Program for your state) to the holder of the loan. To find out more about your repayment options for your loan held by a guaranty agency, please call the agency servicing your loan.  You can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243), to find out which guaranty agency holds your loan.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

*  Your student loan may be discharged (forgiven) if you become totally and permanently disabled. If a physician (doctor of medicine or osteopathy) certified that you are totally and permanently disabled and you meet other requirements during a 3 year conditional discharge period your loan(s) may be discharged. It is important to note that: You may receive Social Security, VA or other disability benefits and still not meet the definition of total and permanent disability that applies to student loan discharges.

* You do not qualify for discharge if the medical condition or impairment existed at the time you applied for the loan, unless after that time, the condition significantly deteriorated and then you became totally and permanently disabled. In other words, an individual who was already totally and permanently disabled when he or she applied for a loan cannot have that loan discharged for that condition.

Note that PLUS loans obtained by a parent on behalf of a student are not dischargeable on the basis of the student’s disability.

What to Do:

If you believe you qualify for a disability discharge, you and your doctor must complete, and sign, a discharge application form. You can request this form from the party that holds your loan, or you can download it now. Check a recent demand letter or bill for this loan; if the address to which you are requested to send payment is the National Payment Center in Greenville, TX, you should submit your completed form to:

U.S. Department of Education
P.O. Box 5609
Greenville, Texas 75403-5609

You may request a copy of the discharge application form by calling 1-800-621-3115. Note: in order to guard against fraud, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) will contact your doctor directly to confirm the nature and severity of your disability if you apply for a disability discharge.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

Yes and No. Effective for Direct Consolidation Loan applications received on or after July 1, 2006, borrowers who are enrolled in school cannot consolidate loans that are in an in-school status. These are loans that have not yet entered or used up the 6-month grace period entitlement.

Borrowers still can consolidate loans that are in grace, repayment or deferment

Borrowers can add loans to an existing consolidation for up to 180 days after the Direct Consolidation Loan was first disbursed. If more than 180 days has passed, borrowers can apply for a new Direct Consolidation Loan. The new consolidation loan can include the original Direct Consolidation loan and must include another eligible outstanding Federal education loan.

Example: A borrower who has education loans stopped attending school for a year and the loans used up the 6-month grace period and entered repayment. The borrower returned to school and obtained a new loan. While enrolled, the borrower applies for a Direct Consolidation Loan. The Direct Consolidation Loan can include the first group of loans the borrower received, but not the newly received loans. Once the borrower leaves school again he or she can add these new loans to the existing consolidation loan or submit a new Direct Loan Consolidation application to combine the original consolidation loan and the other remaining loans.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

It is possible to consolidate Perkins Loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan if borrowers include at least one Direct Loan or Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) in their request. Perkins Loans cannot be included in a Direct Consolidation Loan by themselves. Furthermore, all Perkins Loans consolidated into the Direct Loan Program will be included in the unsubsidized portion of the Direct Consolidation Loan.

Borrowers should carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of including a Perkins Loan in a consolidation loan. While the borrowers gain the benefits of the Direct Consolidation Loan Program, they also lose the benefits associated with the Perkins Loan Program.

We recommend that you consider the following points prior to making a decision:

Perkins Loans are eligible for additional cancellation benefits, such as performing certain kinds of public service. This benefit is lost when a Perkins Loan is included in a Direct Consolidation Loan.
Perkins Loans have a grace period of 6-9 months. When a Perkins loan is consolidated, any remaining grace period is lost.

Interest does not accrue when a Perkins Loan is placed in deferment. Since a Perkins Loan is included in the unsubsidized portion of a Direct Consolidation Loan, borrowers are responsible for interest that accrues throughout the deferment period.

Perkins Loans generally have a lower interest rate but have a less flexible repayment period of 10 years.

The Direct Consolidation Loan Program offers standard, graduated, extended and income contingent repayment plans which may lower monthly payments.

NOTE: Lower payments and extended repayment terms can increase the overall finance charges incurred over the life of loan.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

The Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 eliminated the provision that allowed a FFEL or Direct Loan borrower who is enrolled in school on at least a half-time basis to request to enter repayment early on his or her Stafford Loans if the lender approves. Repayment is now defined as not beginning until 6 months and one day after the date the student ceases to carry at least one-half the normal full- time academic workload, as determined by the school. Therefore, a FFEL or Direct Loan borrower who is still enrolled in school at least half-time may no longer request to enter repayment early to apply for a FFEL or Direct Consolidation Loan.

To apply for a Direct Loan Consolidation or an FFEL Consolidation the borrower must contact the lender and complete an application. Most lenders provide borrowers with the ability to apply on-line or request an application over the telephone. Once an application is completed and submitted, the lender will request information from the borrower’s other lenders or from its own system to determine the amounts outstanding on the borrowers loans. The borrower will then receive notification about the consolidation loan, normal consumer disclosures, the amount owed, and if appropriate, where to make payments.

Source: Department of Education

Repayment of Consolidation Loans begins within 60 days of the disbursement of the loan. The payback term ranges from 10 to 30 years, depending on the amount of education debt being repaid and the repayment option you select. Education loans not included in the Consolidation Loan are considered in determining the maximum payback period. You may elect to repay your loans under a shorter period than the maximum allowed.

All the FFEL repayment plans are available to FFEL Consolidation Loan borrowers. For Direct Consolidation Loan borrowers, most of the Direct Loan repayment plans are available, except that Direct PLUS Consolidation Loans are not eligible to be repaid under the Income Contingent Repayment Plan and might not be eligible for some discharge/cancellation benefits. Check with the holder of your loan.

Fees – Borrowers who consolidate will not pay any application fees or prepayment penalties.

Credit checks – Under FFEL Consolidation Loans, no credit checks are required, even for PLUS borrowers. Under Direct Loan consolidation, PLUS borrowers are subject to a check for adverse credit history.

Source: U.S. Department of Education