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Monday, March 18, 2013

Consider 4 Factors About Graduate PLUS Loans Before Borrowing


grad disciples should need paying off interest opus still in teach before taking step up polish increase loans.

In the last year, potassium alum bookman espousal options have changed significantly. In July 2012, subsidized federal official St submit to loans, which didn't charge interest to students while they were in initiate, were eliminated for graduate students.

 

In their place, unsubsidized federal Stafford loans, which charge students interest during teaching, were expanded to cloak up to $20,500 per year. The difference in interest charged during school could easily top $1,000 dollars during a two-year program.

[Learn more than just about grad student loan options.]

Graduate PLUS loans are federal student loans that fill in any remaining supporting need. For instance, if the cost of attendance at a university is $25,500, a student could suck the maximum $20,500 in Stafford loans and cover the additional $5,000 with Graduate PLUS loans.

Students should consider the following before taking out Graduate PLUS loans—and also keep in mind that the federal budget cuts that went into effect on March 1 could result in higher origination fees for both Stafford and Graduate PLUS loans.

1. Borrow unsubsidized federal loans first: The interest place on Graduate PLUS loans are higher than those on unsubsidized federal student loans, which means students will have more to repay.

Since students are pass oned to borrow more in unsubsidized Stafford loans than they could as undergraduates, it's exceed to exhaust unsubsidized federal student loan borrowing amounts first. For the July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 school year, graduate students could borrow up to $20,500 through unsubsidized federal loans, while undergraduates in their third year or later had an yearbook borrowing limit of $12,500.

[Find out when to use private student loans.]

2. Plan to pay interest while in school: "Whenever possible, avoid deferring payments on interest-accruing loans," says Patricia Nash Christel, a spokeswoman for Sallie Mae. Small payments can keep the loan size of it from ballooning after graduation.

A $5,000 Graduate PLUS loan borrowed in the first semester of a two-year program accrues nearly $800 in interest. Payments of about $33 per month would eliminate that extra $800 to be repaid after graduation. Students who continue to work during school should consider borrowing less, based on how much of their schooling they can afford to pay from their earnings.

3. Calculate expected income after graduate school: When Carlos Santos decided to switch from a Ph.D. program in natural philosophy to a dual MBA and master's in environmental analysis and determination making, he knew loans were part of the financial equation. While scientific Ph.D. programs had a lot of funding available for students, the programs he was now flavour into didn't.

However, he felt his plan had great career potential, and would allow him to move up his company's ladder more quickly, he says.

[Weigh graduate school financing options early.]

Santos calculated the amount he could borrow based on the entry-level salaries published on Rice University's website. He then looked at the numbers based on salary increases if he continued to get job promotions to see how he'd superintend loan payments in the long term.



Materials taken from US News

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