Unpaid student loans can lead to a real financial disaster if not managed properly. Student consolidation loans are an effective debt management strategy highly beneficial for both students and lenders.

The term 'consolidation' is a misnomer in case of student consolidation loans. In reality, none of the loans are consolidated. In case of student consolidation loans, all the existing debts of the student are paid off by the lender. Now the student is left with a new loan with a new interest rate and new repayment plan. Apart from the advantages, student consolidation loans are associated with certain pitfalls and need to tread carefully.

The most significant advantage of a student consolidation loan is the longer repayment period of up to 30 years. Interest rates are also low and the student is required to pay less towards monthly payments. However, the negative side of this arrangement is that extending the loan term will increase the amount paid towards interest.

All student loans include a grace period of six months after which the loan repayment actually begins. This grace period starts once the student has completed his/her studies and is in the job market. Interest rates on student loans tend to increase once this grace period is over. Hence, students willing to consolidate their loans should opt for the same during the grace period.

Another advantage of a student consolidation loan is that one does not bother about maintenance of bills or multiple payments. Only one single monthly payment has to be made to a single lender. According to the federal law, if all of the borrower's existing student loans have been obtained from one single lender, the borrower must make the first request to the same lender for a consolidation. If the loans are present with multiple lenders, the borrower may contact any of them or any other private lender for a loan consolidation.

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