What is Student Loan Refinancing?
Student Loan Refinancing is a strategy which involves replacing your existing Student Loan(s) with a new one, with new interest, and repayment schedule or plan. So, you now have to pay your new lender according to the agreed repayment plans, and schedule.
As a student in need of cash, you obtain a loan(s) from either the Government (Federal Loan) or a Private Firm (Private Loan). When you are done with school you will have to start repaying these loans, that is where a student loan repayment plan comes to play.
How Do I Qualify For Student Loan Refinancing?
- You must have a Credit Score as high as 600s or higher.
- A steady paying job and income.
- Your Student Loan Debt must be above $5,000.
- You must have a college degree from an accredited university.
- Some lenders require that you have a low debt-to-income ratio. This means that your monthly income must be higher than the debt paid per month.
- Good on-time payment history.
- If you do not have a good credit score or a steady income, then you may require a co-signer or a guarantor.
Is It Worth It To Refinance Student Loans?
You can refinance any loan whether Federal Student Loans or Private Student Loans, but is it worth it? Does it bring all the benefits mentioned? Most lenders will sometimes warn you about refinancing a federal student loan because it affects the benefits.
Some of the benefits that come with refinancing student loans are:
- You pay lesser loan interest.
- Payoff Student loans faster
- You may also get an extended payment duration if you desire.
- Refinance a parent loan in the child’s name.
- Reduce the payable amount monthly.
- Ability to drop co-signer.
- You can choose your desired loan term.
Whatever has an advantage must have at least the tiniest disadvantage, and for our case, the
disadvantages are:
- You Lose out on Federal student loan benefits such as free and easy loan consolidation. This is why you are advised against refinancing Federal Student Loans.
- There is every chance that you will lose your eligibility for loan forgiveness.
The benefits and demerits should help you decide if it’s worth it because it all comes down to your choice. However, if you are not depending on federal loan benefits, then you should proceed.
What Are The Best Companies to Refinance Student Loans?
The best refinancing lenders should come by choice and personal reference too. You may value the interest rates or benefits of one over another and you end up picking your own best. But then, we have listed good companies and lenders that would offer you a good refinancing ratio and benefits. They are:
- Earnest
- Education Loan Finance
- Commonbond
- PENFED
- LendKey
- SoFi
- Citizens One
- Wells Fargo
- Discover
- Laurel Road
What Credit score do I need to refinance student loans?
When you have bad credit, it becomes quite difficult to refinance your student loan. At this point, getting a co-signer becomes the only feasible solution. You need at least a credit score of 600s and above to be eligible for student loan refinancing.
Most lenders require credit scores ranging from 650 to 680. If your credit does not match a lenders’ minimum requirement, you either find other alternatives or try to boost your cash flow.
Does Refinancing Student Loans Hurt Your Credit Score?
Refinancing Student Loans is no doubt one of the smartest ways to Pay-off your Student Loan Debts faster. It comes with a lot of advantages and disadvantages too but does not cause any damage to your credit.
When you refinance student loans, and you noticed a drop in your credit score, then it could be that the average age of your loan account may have been lowered. When you refinance student loans, you pay off the old debt and close your longstanding accounts of the old loans and open a new one.
This step reduces the average age of your accounts which could affect your credit score. Having an account with a positive history opened for a long time has a great positive impact on your credit score.
When Is The Right Time To Refinance Your Student Loan?
If you must refinance student loans, then plan on getting a steady income job first. If you can get a lower interest rate immediately you can save thousands of dollars in interest payments and pay off the loan quicker.
You know you have loans with high-interest rates, then you probably should consider refinancing your student loan earlier than later because it will help you save interest. Some people have not just one loan, but probably three or four expensive loans.
when you have loans worth above $15,000 then you should actually look to refinance your student loan. When your grace period has elapsed, then refinance should provide you a good option to extend your repayment period.