Average Interest Rate For a Student Loan

The student loan is on the rise and borrowers like students are recently in distress. About 44 million American students have been carrying nearly $1.5 trillion in education debt. It shows that roughly one in four Americans have to pay off this loan. It is also heavy to bear this amount by the borrowers.

This loan plays a very significant role in the life of the students from the middle class family. Recently the student loan is contributing to meet the rising cost of the tuition prices and another related cost in achieving higher education. Not every student from the middle class is capable of going on education with own cost. It does need a fund to support education. So it is also actually important to know the average interest rate for a student loan.

What is The Average Interest Rate for a Student Loan

Student loan interest rate vary from course to course. So you have to pay interest on what kinds of student loan you are willing to draw. Everyone wants to know the current student interest loan rate. According to federal student loan interest rates, it was about 4.45% for undergraduate direct subsidized and unsubsidized student loans. On the other hand, 6% for higher education or graduated unsubsidized student loans. And 7% for the direct plus loan. It is common to see that the interest rate on Perkins loans is 5%. This interest rate is fixed. Students can’t change the rate ascertained by the federal government.

Private Student Loan interest rate are another issue for the student because there are many private lenders. These lenders don’t comply with the same rate in the whole country. There are different rates according to the loan amount. But there is another problem that is the rate may go up from a lower rate to higher due to market change, financial growth or inflation.

So it could be ascertained that the rate of the private student loan is under 10%. On the other hand, the average rate of the loan is also under 8%.

Determination of Interest Rate Across The Country

For any financial decision to implementation is accomplished by the Congress in the United States of America. In line with this term, the interest rate is set by Congress when a bill is signed into law. However, the rate once fixed does not change over time. Although private lenders finance loans to the students but they comply with the rules and regulations fixed by Congress. So they don’t change the rate of interest.

Private student loan are a little bit freaky as the lenders set their own guidelines like credit standards and algorithms on the fixation of the interest rate. The rate of interest rate may be different considering the financial standard of the students. It means you will surely have a lower rate of interest if your credit standing is good enough to convince the private lenders. But it also does not mean that they go according to their policy.  They also comply with the financial law set by the federal government. So to gain a better and lower rate of the interest, your financial history should be clean that can benefit you not that rate but in the long run for your life.

How to Choose a Better Average Student Interest Loan

it is so important to take a while to finance your education. Any quick decision may make a student suffer in the long run. If the right decision is not taken, it costs your pocket. So here are some factors you may need to know before you go on the average interest rate for a student loan.

  • Interest Rate : The interest rate is the primary concern for any loan. A student needs money but it does not mean that they don’t justify student loan interest rates. So you as a student need to know what kind of interest rate is going to charge you. The fixed-rate is apparently appropriate as it is static and fixed in spite of the change in the financial arena. Instead, the variables rate will fluctuate in case of a financial change in the market. Additionally, some lenders offer a cheaper rate of interest against student loan if the interest rate is variable. So this can be a good decision if the variable interest rate is taken for the short term. But long term variable interest rate may make a student suffer in the long run.
  • Fees : Different lenders charge fees for any loan opening. There may be different formalities that require some money as fees. But a student may take a loan without any fee if lenders offer free of cost. If this opportunity is available, it may be convenient for the student to go with these lenders. Additionally, a student should make clear the process of any penalties for early repayment. Some lenders don’t impose penalties for early repayment.
  • Loan Period : The loan period means how many years you are going to take to pay off the loan amount. There are two options which are short term and long terms. Although this period varies ranging from 5 to 20 years. If a student takes this term for a shorter term, lenders will save your money. It will depend on your affordability to pay off the loan within the short term. In a word, the short term loan is better to pay off the loan by taking the advantages of a lower rate of the interest rate.

How Can You Find a Better Interest Rate That Can Save You in The Long Run

The increasing interest rate of loan is getting a headache for the students and their parents as this rate is going up day by day. But there are ways to make education debt manageable if a student is aware.

Average Interest Rate for a Student Loan

1. Consolidation

In terms of federal student loans, Consolidation is an important decision for decreasing student loan interest rates. It means consolidating various loans in one loan. It may be called a loan package that has a lower rate of interest. A student can get better facilities from this decision:

  • Lower monthly payments
  • Unchanged interest rate
  • One check to solve all loan
  • Flexible payments in the time of hardship
  • No issue of bad credit
  • Tax-deductible interest rate
  • Chance of postponing repayment
  • Discharge of loan amount for death

2. Public Service Loan Forgiveness

There is a great possibility to pay less interest rate of the loan. If a student takes a loan on education, they may have the plan to start a career in the public service. That plan may come true as a public service holder. In that case, the remainder of their loan is exempted after 120 payment of loan amount.

On the other hand, students who borrowed loans from private lenders with a variable rate can qualify for a fixed rate that may save you an additional interest rate due to financial change.

3. Refinancing

This is a tricky step to get off from the existing loan masses. There is also an option to refinance private student loans like any other loan. A student must have a good credit score, fixed source of income and good financial background to make sure you are qualified to refinance. Refinancing is possible if those are good enough to convince the lenders. Instead, you don’t have a strong credit score, you must take help from a consignee. If you are approved, a new loan is going to be approved at a fixed rate by paying off the old loan.

There is also an option to refinance federal and private loans together. It means you can transfer your federal loan into a private loan. In some cases, you may be unlucky to see that you are not going to get a lower fixed rate. You may also lose some benefits available for federal loans.

The main factor to consider: Every decision in terms of loan purposes, you must see your budget. If you can afford to pay a different option, it may be convenient for you.

However, we are going to give you some refinance options as best companies who are offering the best private student loans.

4. Best overall SoFi

SoFi is short for social finance. It has been offering the best private student loan consolidation and refinancing for the students and performing good financial service. SoFi is unique in its service. Its application process is fast and advanced. It can be completed within 2 minutes. SoFi also is not choosy like any other company. Income and credit scores are not necessarily taken into consideration.

SoFi is really a financial friend for the students who have a long term career goal and dream to grow up. SoFi will try its best to offer a loan for the students who also have long term and bright career prospects.

5. Earnest

The Earnest is claiming over the years that it is offering loans for the students at a very lower rate compared to other competitive lenders. Earnest is also known as a technology-based company that has a precision pricing tool that arranges loan details within two minutes. Someone has to log in and apply the precision tool to know the monthly payment and interest rate very expansively.

Earnest has a wide range of library resources where students can study loans and credit to make sure they will be better at the end of the loan payment just as the way they started with the credit position.

6. Citizens Bank

Citizen bank is the leading bank in the country. It offers not just the best private student loans but a wide range of banking, credit cards, business, and investment. Not that student loan is available. You can stay with this bank for entire life.

There is a discount offer on automatic payment by the citizen bank. There is also loyalty discount accounting for .25 percent which gives a chance to decrease the interest rate by half of the amount.

Being an advanced and full-fledged bank, Citizens Bank will scrutinize some factors like income source, credit history, and other related financial factors. Loan approval highly depends on these factors where SoFi and Earnest don’t care about this issue.

7. Common Bond

Your child is badly in need of money to continue a better education. In this time, a loan from a bank is highly required. As a parent, you have a good option to go with Common Bond.

Common Bond is a trusted and reliable place for the students to make sure they can refinance loans. Common Bond refinances for a student, especially those who are regular and can offer a lower rate of the interest rate. This place is also perfect for Refinance PLUS loans at a lower rate.

There are more facilities from Common Bond that includes temporary payment postponements for those who are in mess in terms of financial conditions.

8. Laurel Road

Studying medical science is really costly and it may be so hard to afford for the middle-class family. Luckily there is a company like Laurel Road that is an online lender but it is an exceptional place to offer compelling rates for the students who are studying medical science. There are no origination fees, prepayments penalty as they know doctor’s income is high compared to any other profession.

The students who are studying medical science can take this best private student loans for a longer period with many more facilities from laurel road. PLUS loan is also possible to get from this company. There is another feature that Laurel Road offers is you can pay off the loan amount after starting your income. It means after finishing your education, you don’t have to be worried to pay off the loan amount in spite of having no job.

These are famous student refinancing loan companies that may stand in the top list for the 2019 year. They are providing loans for the students over the years and they have been considered as best companies.

Final Outline

Student loan has really an impact on student life and it is also heavy load by the student. The rate of interest rate plays a financial role in student life. The average interest rate for a student loan does have an impact on the overall economic condition and on student’s life. In recent years, there is no good news in terms of student loans because the loan and rate of interest rates are rising.

It is going to be a really tough decision before opening a loan as a student has to pay off the loan amount after finishing education. So after gathering all information related in this area, a student may make a decision on a student loan.