Forgo Deferment & Forbearance on Your Student Loans

June 11, 2018

It’s tough to cover a mortgage, wedding, new baby, or medical expense on top of your student loan payments. As such, it can be tempting to request deferment and forbearance on your student loans. Before you apply for these options, be sure to understand the hidden costs that can lead to a much higher, much longer repayment down the road.

Both federal and private student loan programs offer deferment and forbearance options. These options provide you with temporary relief from your burdensome monthly payments and may seem like a good option to avoid a delinquency or default. Think again. Not making payments during your deferment and forbearance periods results in the capitalization of the interest you owe, meaning your loan principal will subsequently increase. Voila! Not only have your monthly payments ballooned when you inevitably start making payments again, but you now owe way more than you did when you first took out the student loans!

Deferment

Deferment is pushing back payments due to a temporary situation and your loan provider has a list of qualifications. The most common types are In-School Deferment, Graduate Deferment, and Military Service Deferment. For Parent PLUS Borrower loans, it is only available to parents who received Direct PLUS Loans or FFEL PLUS Loans. The deferments listed below are available to Direct Loan, FFEL Program loan, and Perkins Loan recipients only as per the Federal Student Aid government website. Types of deferments available differ based on your education loan lender, but there are commonalities between all private student loan debts. According to US News, private lenders can offer deferment relief for up to 6 months, or in extreme cases 12 months.

Federal Student Loan Deferment Types

In-School Deferment Request
Parent PLUS Borrower Deferment Request
Graduate Fellowship Deferment Request
Rehabilitation Training Program Deferment Request
Unemployment Deferment Request
Economic Hardship Deferment Request
Military Service and Post-Active Duty Student Deferment Request

It sounds like a great deal, but remember – you’re increasing the principal balance of the loan and prolonging the inevitable. Let’s say that you chose to defer your loans. As per MarketWatch, the average undergraduate student comes out with $37,000 in student loan debt. Think the cost of an undergrad degree is a lot? The average cost for a law school student that graduated from a private college is $122,158 according to Forbes. Even more unbelievable is the average Medical School Debt at $189,165 as per Modern Healthcare. Check out our chart below to see the hidden costs associated with deferring your student loan payments. Calculations as per those listed in College Reviews.

Undergraduate Deferment Loan Costs

Total Loan Cost	Interest Rate	Deferment Period	Loan Length	Total Debt After Deferment	Total Increase in Debt
$37,172	8.25%	12 months	10 years	$40,238	$3,066
$37,172	8.25%	24 months	10 years	$43,305	$6,133

Graduate Deferment Loan Costs

Total Loan Cost	Interest Rate	Deferment Period	Loan Length	Total Debt After Deferment	Total Increase in Debt
$140,616	9.50%	12 months	10 years	$153,974	$13,358
$140,616	9.50%	24 months	10 years	$167,333	$26,717
$161,722	9.50%	12 months	10 years	$177,085	$15,363
$192,449	9.50%	24 months	10 years	$167,333	$30,727

Forbearance

Financial responsibility starts with taking charge of your financial obligations and developing a sound monthly budget. However, what happens if you unexpectedly lose your job or are unable to work due to medical reasons? You suddenly find yourself in financial hardship and may turn to your student loan provider to seek forbearance options.

Similar to deferment, each loan provider and loan type has a unique set of guidelines to qualify for forbearance. Unlike deferment, forbearance could potentially affect your credit. The guidelines for qualifying for forbearance are different for the federal and private student loan programs, so check with your loan servicers and lenders to determine what forbearance options are available. According to the Federal Student Aid site, there are two types of Forbearance for Federal Student Loans- General and Mandatory.

General Forbearance

According to the government Federal Student Aid site, General Forbearances are used when you cannot make a monthly payment. Direct Loans, FFEL Program loans, and Perkins Loan borrowers qualify for this type of forbearance. Types of General Forbearance as per the Federal Student Aid site.

Financial difficulties
Medical expenses
Change in employment
Other reasons acceptable to your loan servicer

Mandatory Forbearance

If you meet the requirements for this type of loan, your loan servicer is required to grant you forbearance. Mandatory forbearance is only provided for 12 months. If you still qualify at the end of the 12-month period, you must resubmit your information. As per the Federal Student Aid site, here are the types of Mandatory Forbearance:

Medical or Dental Internship/Residency, National Guard Duty, or Department of Defense Student Loan Repayment Program – (Direct Loans and FFEL Program loans only)
Student Loan Debt Burden (Direct Loans, FFEL Program loans, and Perkins Loans)
AmeriCorps Forbearance (Direct Loans and FFEL Program loans only)
Teacher Loan Forgiveness Forbearance Request) (Direct Loans and FFEL Program loans only)

Once you qualify for forbearance, there may be a time period in which you may need to reapply in order to continue receiving benefits, as well as a maximum time they’re available. Keep making your monthly payments until forbearance is granted by your lender, as a delinquency on your monthly payments can result in a negative hit to your credit score. Just like deferment, most student loans in forbearance will accrue interest which gets capitalized and added to the principal amount of your loan. Therefore, this seemingly attractive option to postpone your monthly payments during an unexpected financial hardship ultimately further enslaves you to your student loans.

Although deferment or forbearance may seem like a tempting option, it isn’t always the best path forward. Making even a partial monthly payment is better than making no payment at all. Watch your budget closely and get creative with the steps you can take to avoid deferment or forbearance.

Refinancing your student loans is another great option to consider, just be sure to find a reputable lender like Education Loan Finance. By consolidating private and federal student loans into one monthly payment, you may be able to reduce your student loan payments enough to help you afford that wedding or down payment on a home.

Our Simplest Guide to Student Loan Refinancing

1. Will my refinanced student loan have a variable or fixed interest rate?

Either! Education Loan Finance offers both fixed and variable interest rates, giving you the freedom to choose. Fixed interest rates will not change from year to year, but variable interest rates will fluctuate based on the LIBOR index and may increase or decrease over the life of the loan. Read our blog about variable and fixed interest rates to learn more.

2. How long will the application process take?

You’ll be done before you know it! The application process is quick and easy. After providing some information about yourself and your student loans, you’ll upload documents and submit the application. If you refinance your student loans with ELFI, you’ll receive a Personal Loan Advisor who will be your point of contact throughout the process – one person who’ll be with you step-by-step.

3. Can I consolidate both federal and private student loans?

Yes! ELFI allows you to consolidate federal student loans as well as private student loans from multiple lenders. As long as they are student loans, ELFI can consolidate them. However, only student loan debt can be consolidated – no other consumer debt, such as credit card, auto, or mortgage can be included, even if it was used to pay education expenses.

4. Can I consolidate my student loans with my spouse’s student loans?

While spouses are eligible to serve as a cosigner on an application, we cannot consolidate student loan debt among multiple borrowers – even if they are hitched!

5. Will the application process affect my credit score?

We’ll run a “soft credit inquiry” during the pre-qualification phase of refinancing in order to provide you with preliminary rates that you may qualify for. A Soft credit inquiry won’t affect your credit score. However, once you choose your loan product and submit your application, we’ll need to view your full credit report – this will show up as a hard credit inquiry. These inquiries are common among student loan refinancing lenders. Hopefully this short Q&A gave you some helpful insight about what to expect when refinancing your student loans. If you have questions about the student loan refinancing process, you can check out our full list of frequently asked questions or contact ELFI at 1-844-601-3534 to speak with a Personal Loan Advisor.

Learn More About Student Loan Refinancing

Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. NOTICE: Third Party Web Sites Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the websites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

2019-09-20

How to Know When It’s Time to Refinance Your Student Loans

There are plenty of milestones in life that give us reason to celebrate– high school graduation, marriage, the birth of child, paying off student loans. Yes, seeing your debt decrease and your savings increase for many people are a time worth remembering. And truth be told, being further out of debt can make those other milestones much more enjoyable. This blog is designed to help you reach that debt-free milestone quicker by refinancing your student loans. After all, getting them under control and adjusting the repayment terms to something more favorable could help make a dent. Here’s how to know it’s time to refinance your student loans:

You Earn Good Money

No one wants to see their hard-earning income fly out the window. If we’re talking about milestones, we would argue that the 15th and 30th of the month are recurring ones that give us plenty of joy, albeit short-lived. When we see money deposited we want to hold on to it and protect it. However, your debt doesn’t go away. Even though you’re earning good money you will have to face the music and pay off the education that helped get you to the position you’re in. Refinancing your student loans often means a better interest rate and the option to choose a better term.

You’re Credit-Worthy

Many people simply aren’t aware that federal interest rates are not dependent on your financial circumstances. There are a few factors involved, but the credit history of the borrower isn’t one of them. If you’ve been on-time with your credit card, mortgage, car loan, or any other debt, and maintained a good balance between the money you earn versus what you owe in debt, you’ve likely got a high credit score. When you refinance your student loans with a private lender that credit score helps determine your interest rate, and that in return can help save some money.

You Love One Payment

One of the added benefits of refinancing your student loans often means consolidating your loans. While it’s true you can still refinance partial loans, lumping them all together with a nice bow on top not only helps you feel empowered to pay them off, but also reduces the likelihood you’ll miss a payment due to the sheer number of them floating around out there.

You’re incentivized at Work

A growing number of companies are taking a long, hard look at the benefits they offer their employees. Gone are the days of sticking with one job from graduation to retirement. Today, it’s all about working for an employer that offers great benefits, compensation and work/life balance. And because of that, repayment part of an employee’s student loan obligations are becoming the norm. If you’re in this category, it may be wise to refinance your student loans, consolidate them, and watch your employer help pay down your debt. If you can check these boxes chances are you’re ready to refinance your student loans and are one step closer to that all-important milestone of getting out of debt. Speak with one of our Personal Loan Advisors to help walk you through the process. Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. NOTICE: Third Party Web Sites Education Loan Finance by SouthEast Bank is not responsible for and has no control over the subject matter, content, information, or graphics of the web sites that have links here. The portal and news features are being provided by an outside source – The bank is not responsible for the content. Please contact us with any concerns or comments.

2019-09-16

What I Would Have Told Myself in College: Barbara Thomas

Barbara Thomas, Executive Vice President of Education Loan Finance (ELFI) provides some financial advice to college students based on her own experiences in college. Hello, I’m Barbara Thomas. For most, like me, my college days were a great experience that lead to incredible personal growth. I had a marvelous sense of freedom and made many new friends. However, I have spent much time reflecting on what I would do differently if I could begin my college life all over again, given what I know now. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? So here’s my advice to all of you who are preparing to enter college, or are currently in your freshman or sophomore years.

Choose an Affordable College

When looking for the right college, don’t get beguiled by a famous name and a beautiful campus. And, while a state-of-the-art fitness center or an Olympic-size swimming pool might be important if you’re an athlete, most of the time you will be paying for them in higher college fees. Instead, make sure to keep your eyes on finances, as affordability should be a top concern. Considering the fact that many students end up taking on sizeable student loan debt, keep in mind that you (most likely) won’t be living on that beautiful campus in your late 20s or 30s.

Rethink Your Path to the Best Education.

Just because a college is more expensive, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better than one that costs less. You should look upon college as an investment in your future. Consider what the return on investment (ROI) from your college education will look like. In other words, analyze which college is likely to provide you with the most bang for your buck. Here’s a report from U.S. News & World Report that gives you the ROI of different colleges.

Look at Alternatives to a Four-Year College.

If you find out that college is not the best path for you, it can turn out to be an expensive mistake. Keep in mind that dropping out of college won’t make your student loans disappear. So before you enroll in a college, consider these alternatives:

Take a gap year to earn money to put toward going to college and give yourself more time to decide what you want to do.
Consider attending a trade school to learn a valuable skill with high earnings potential.
Spend two years at a community college. Attending a community college can help you save on tuition. However, if you plan to transfer to a college of your choice, be sure to do some checking. Find out how many transfer students are accepted and how many of your community college credits can be used.

Do your research and crunch the numbers to make sure you’re making the best choice.

Earn More While in School

A survey of millennials found that earning money while in college was the number one thing that participants wished they had done (or done more of). This reflects the increasing financial cost that goes along with obtaining a college degree. The College Board estimated that in 2017 (updated figures are available), the average student loan debt upon graduation was $28,500. Keep in mind that a heavy debt load is going to affect your financial future – your ability to buy a home, start a family, and save for retirement. Apart from financial considerations, there is no better way to acquire real job skills than to hold down a job and learn about its demands firsthand. Employers know this, which is why previous work experience is the most popular measure to assess job candidates, even those straight out of college.

Research Ways To Lower Your Monthly Student Loan Payments

So, you’ve done everything right - you chose the higher education path that was right for you, and you have landed an interesting job. Now, what about those student loan payments? Are they weighing you down and preventing you from leading the life that you had envisioned after college? ELFI has a solution to your problem – it’s called refinancing. You can close out your original loan and take out a new one with a lower interest rate and/or a longer term. This can significantly lower your monthly loan payments. Get in touch with us to see how we can help you!

Learn More About Student Loan Refinancing With ELFI

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