Education is of vital importance to the success of any economy, local or federal. A higher level of education will drive the overall skill set of a labor force. This helps to stimulate job growth.
A higher skilled work force will also increase employment and wage rates. However, a college education is extremely costly. According to the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the average annual cost to attend a college was $22,261 for an in-state public school, and $43,289 for a private school. In a stagnant economy, these prices can seem very daunting, and the ability to attain an education may not be thought as possible. However, the federal government also recognizes this problem, and as a result, has constructed a student loan program that offers a variety of benefits and breaks for people wanting to get a college education. This has enabled countless individuals to successfully meet their educational goals, and obtain the college degrees that they desire.
Benefits of taking a Student loan
There are five major benefits that generally come with taking out a student loan. The first of these benefits is that a federal loan has a fixed interest rate. This means that the interest rate of the loan will not fluctuate during the fixed rate period of the loan, no matter what condition the economy may be in. This allows borrowers to accurately predict their future payments, enabling them to financially budget their future efficiently.
A major concern amongst borrowers is that if they are disabled or pass away while they have an outstanding loan, that their debt will be transferred to their family members. This is not be a concern among people who have a federal student loan, because the second major benefit to a federal student loan is that the government provides free loan insurance. This means that in the unfortunate event that an individual either dies or becomes disabled while their loan is still outstanding, that the federal government will cover the cost of their debt.
Another common concern amongst borrowers is that they will not be able to financially balance their loan payments while they also attend their college classes. This brings us to the third benefit of student loans, which is that the government will allow students to defer loan payments as long as they are enrolled as a half-time student. However, this benefit can be risky depending on the terms of the loan. Borrowers should be aware of this, and know the terms of their loan well before considering this benefit.
Sometimes, it is difficult for recent graduates to find employment in today’s economy. A major concern is that a person will not be able to find a job post-college, and will not be able to make payments on a loan. The federal government understands that job searching is difficult, and students may not always land the job that they desire. That is why the fourth benefit of student loans is that students who are expecting to go into a low-paying job can choose to participate in a program known as Student Loan Consolidation in order to lower their monthly payments to better match their monthly income. These programs often require post graduates to pay no more than 15% of their income. In 2014, these programs are predicted to lower this number to only 10%. It is an excellent way for graduates to customize, and extend their repayment plan to meet the demands of their post-collegiate life.
The final major benefit to taking out a federal student loan is that the government will not charge borrowers any extra money for repaying their loan ahead of schedule. Many money-lending companies will financially penalize individuals who make early payments, because this lowers the overall interest that the borrower will pay at the end of the loan’s lifespan. This is not the case with most federal student loans, because the government has a large interest in educating the population, so graduates who use a federal student loan do not have to worry if they come more money than expected, and wish to pay off their loan ahead of schedule.
In general, the annual income of a college graduate is double the income of a person who only has a high school diploma. Going into debt is a risk that nobody wants to endure. The benefits of a federal student loan helps to ease the negativity of debt by giving the borrower more control over the terms of borrowing, and their payment plan. Sometimes it is required to spend money in order to make it.
http://www.studentloansconsolidationservices.com/ offers information and articles on student loans and student financing.
