Law school graduates are faced with a difficult decision when they graduate. They have spent their entire college career pursuing the degree that will hopefully lead to a high-paying job but now must decide how to pay off their student loans.
There’s no easy answer, and it depends on your goals for the next few years and whether or not you plan on staying in your current field of work after graduation. In this article, we’ll explore some options for paying off student loans as law students, so you can make an informed decision about what is best for you.
What are Student Loans as a law school graduate?
Law school graduates are faced with a difficult decision when they graduate. They have spent their entire college career pursuing the degree that will hopefully lead to a high-paying job but now must decide how to pay off their student loans.
There’s no easy answer, and it depends on your goals for the next few years and whether or not you plan on staying in your current field of work after graduation. In this article, we’ll explore some options for paying off student loans as law students, so you can make an informed decision about what is best for you.
What are the types of Student Loans?
There are two types of student loan debt – Federal direct subsidized loans (loans taken out directly from the Department of Education), which carry low-interest rates. Federal direct unsubsidized loans (loans taken out through private lenders) do not have the same benefit.
Both types of student loan debt are available to law school graduates at meager interest rates, compared to most other forms of credit that must pay back with interest added on top.
However, these benefits apply when you stay in your field after graduation or find a job where they will continue to pay off your student loans for you while employed. If this is not an option, then several different ways can help make paying off your loans more manageable – if not easy!
It understands the difference between federal and private student loans.
Banks or other private institutions fund private student loans. Because of that, they typically offer more lenient repayment terms than their federal counterparts and also come with lower interest rates.
On the downside, you cannot consolidate them through income-driven repayment plans as many people can do for federal student loans. You will pay a much higher interest rate if you fail to repay them on time – often up to 30 percent.
It is not uncommon for borrowers who have defaulted on these loans, even temporarily, to see annual percentage rates over 40.
Unfortunately, this high APRs mean it’s easy for your debt balance to grow while you’re trying to get back into good standing with your lender.
Understanding Law school debt
In general, law school graduates carry more debt than those who have attended other graduate programs. This is due primarily because they attend one of the most expensive undergraduate programs – at least three years worth.
Average Law school debt
For a student attending an American Bar Association-accredited institution, you can expect to come away with between $85-$120 thousand in debt from your education alone.
The average starting salary for lawyers hovers around $50k, so the chances are high that you will be facing monthly payments on this type of loan for many years after graduation. Therefore, it’s essential to consider all these factors when deciding what repayment plan best suits your needs and goals in the future. So, let’s explore some options now.
Student Loan Consolidation
Student loan consolidation is an excellent option for those who have federal loans. With this type of plan, you can put all your student debt into one monthly payment with an interest rate that’s based on the weighted average of each individual’s rates at signing.
That means if you have some low-interest and high-interest loans in your bundle, it doesn’t matter because they will be averaged out when determining what rate to charge you in the future.
You’ll get more time before having to start payments (usually six months). You won’t face the possibility of missing a payment due date like many private lenders require their borrowers do during their grace periods. This flexibility makes these plans ideal for graduates pursuing further education or trying different career paths before settling down.
Income-driven repayment plans (IDR)
These types of plans are available for both federal and private student loans. They allow you to make low monthly payments based on your family’s size or income, whichever is smaller.
The downside is that it will forgive any debt remaining at the end of 20 years unless it’s a subsidized loan – in which case nothing needs to be paid off before they’re wiped away as well.
This isn’t necessarily bad if you know that this type of debt won’t affect your tax bill significantly since many people let those balances expire without making much headway on them over time. However, if you think there might be some hefty taxes due because you’re in a high tax bracket, it might be worth exploring other options first.
Pay as you go plans (PAYG)
Your monthly payments are based on what you owe at the time of each payment. It means if your balances drop to zero for some reason or another, so will your required payment amount – even though many people need money every month to cover living expenses.
These types of loans typically come with higher interest rates because there is less financial security involved when loaning out more significant sums over more extended periods without any collateral backing up those funds should something happen that prevents repayment.
However, they can still be helpful when cash flow isn’t sufficient to cover monthly payments.
Forbearance and deferment options
These two types of plans allow you to stop making payments for a certain amount of time, after which they will then resume without any penalties or fees being assessed by your lender. This can be helpful if something happens to you and you need additional time before starting repayment due to another form of financial hardship or even transition from one income level into another to a higher tax bracket.
Remember that interest accrues while these loans are not in active repayment mode, so it’s usually best to find ways around this whenever possible – whether through forbearance agreements with lenders or via other avenues such as loan consolidation that might offer such options.
Consider refinancing student loans.
Refinancing student loans is another option that can benefit those with federal or private debt. The good news about this arrangement is it’s only available to people who have a strong credit score and either make enough money now (or expect to in the future) to qualify for better interest rates than their current lenders offer through standard terms.
The idea here is you would apply with one of these companies, provide details like your income level and tax information for verification purposes. Then if approved, they will issue a new loan on more favorable terms at lower interest rates. Some options even allow students to lock in fixed-rate plans during repayment rather than opting into variable-rate situations where monthly payments could fluctuate.
How to qualify for a student loan refinance?
Most lenders require a credit score of at least 620 and a strong history of on-time payments or steady employment with good income potential to qualify. When your application is submitted, you’ll also need to provide documentation such as tax returns from the previous year (or two if self-employed) plus W-2 forms for verification purposes.
Your lender will look over this information to determine what kind of rates you should be offered based upon their guidelines. Therefore, it’s important not to falsify any details since doing so can result in immediate rejection – regardless of how much money you think you might save by earning lower interest rates.
The best advice would be to compare offers carefully before applying for refinancing. Check out our student calculator below.
How refinancing private student loans can lower monthly payments
If you’re like most people with student loans, your interest rates are probably higher than they really should be.
Refinancing is one of the best options out there to reduce this burden, even if it doesn’t eliminate monthly payments since some lenders might offer lower rates at first but then make them go up over time instead.
This can work if you choose a plan that starts low and remains consistent during repayment, rather than waiting until later when things could get more expensive. It’s especially expensive given how variable-rate programs will begin seeing changes automatically after an introductory period without prior notice or approval needed from borrowers.
What matters here is that refinancing offers potential for significant savings overall, so research all available plans thoroughly before signing.
The steps to refinance your private student loans:
The first step is to get a pre-approval of your credit score, income level, and job stability so the lender knows you are qualified for their program. Then fill out an application with all necessary information, including personal references or employment verification documents if required by the lender.
Ensure to have this ready before calling in since it can take time for them to receive new applications after they’ve been submitted! If approved, let them know when would be a good time for you to come into their office so they can finish up everything quickly and efficiently. So they can review the terms closely with you before committing – especially because refinancing student loans will require additional fees such as closing costs.
Conclusion:
Refinancing is a great way to reduce monthly payments and even pay off student loans early if you do it correctly. But make sure to compare offers thoroughly and consider how higher rates might impact your plans. Some lenders will initially offer lower interest rates but then increase them over time instead of remaining consistent.
Also, be prepared by filling out an application with all necessary information beforehand so the process can go quickly and smoothly for everyone involved!
