Pixabay user NicolayFrolochkin
Many college students find themselves taking out a student loan to afford college. Some students end up taking more than one student loans simply because one loan is just not enough to cover the cost of their college tuition. Taking out multiple student loans is not all-good, neither is it all-bad. There are a few pros and a few cons to this.
Pros of Taking Out Multiple Student Loans
Different loans have different interest rates and loan terms.
With multiple student loans you are not stuck with one large, expensive loan. You can plan it in such a way that you borrow as much as possible from lenders that offer lower interest rates and more favorable terms. The more expensive loans can be kept as a last resort to cover the rest, if you need to.
Flexibility
Taking multiple student loans also gives you a certain amount of flexibility in that you can put measures in place to pay off your expensive loans first so you lower your overall debt.
Consolidation
With some planning, you can also lower the interest rate of your more expensive loans if you consolidate your student loans. If you want to consolidate, do your research first. Talk to your lender about it. Don’t consolidate just because you have the option to.
Cons of Taking Out Multiple Student Loans
Multiple Repayments
This means you need to stay super organized when it is time to repay the money so you do not miss any payment. There are ways that you can stay on top of all your payments, such as using a spreadsheet, but it can be stressful.
More Loans, More Paperwork
No two loans are exactly the same, which can be both a blessing and a curse. However, in terms of cons, this means keeping track of multiple loans—each with their own terms and conditions. It can be difficult to keep them straight and not mix up one repayment plan with another’s policies.
What Should You Do?
At the end of the day, it’s up to you and your unique financial situation. If one loan, as well as all your other financial aid, can’t cover the rest of your college expenses, then what else can you do? There are both upsides and downsides to taking out more than one student loan. On the positive side, you can pick and choose which loans to repay first (you should definitely start with the loan with the highest interest rate) and you can shop around for lower interest rates and better terms for a larger portion of your loans. On the downside, you’ll have to keep track of your multiple loans and multiple different policies. Of course, there are ways to keep yourself organized, such as making a spreadsheet. But, it’s still multiple loans that you have to worry about, and missing any one of them means potentially defaulting.
Use College Raptor’s new Student Loan Finder to discover personalized loan options. Compare lenders and interest rates to find the ideal student loan for you!
