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Managing Student Loans

Take Charge of Your Student Loans

Learn how to manage your student loan debt. Borrowing for a Creighton University education carries serious responsibilities. Through careful planning and preparation, loan repayment will be more manageable. The more informed you are now, the more prepared you will be when it comes time to start repaying your loans.

Be Aware of Interest Capitalization

For unsubsidized direct loans and Grad PLUS loans, the loan servicer will generally add the accrued (capitalized) interest to the principal balance at the time of repayment. If you choose the option to let the interest accrue, this may add up substantially while you are in school. For example, a $10,000 loan at 8% interest will add $800 to your balance each year you are in school. Remember, interest will accrue on each loan borrowed for every year you are in school. It is highly recommended that you make periodic interest payments on your loan. If you choose to let the interest accrue, send what you can when you can.

Borrowing Tips 

  • Never borrow more than you need. Scholarships, savings, earnings and help from family should be the first choice to pay for school.
  • Keep track of how much you borrow each year.
  • Stay in touch with your loan servicer.
  • At Creighton, many graduating seniors go on to graduate or professional school. Keep undergraduate borrowing to a minimum if you think you will continue borrowing for graduate school.
  • Keep copies of all correspondence and documents pertaining to your loan.
  • When you leave school, develop a budget that includes your student loan repayment.
  • Contact your loan servicer if you have problems making your loan payment.
  • Student loan repayment affects your credit rating.
  • Always open your mail and read all correspondence related to your loan.

Financial Plan

Although the award notification indicates maximum loan eligibility, you need to use the in-school budget worksheet to build a budget each year, or use the more detailed monthly budgeting worksheet.

 

Resources and Expenses

Resources:Expenses:

Savings

Tuition

Income from Earnings

Books/Supplies

Help from Parents and Family

On-Campus Room/Board

Scholarships

Off-Campus Rent

Loans (less origination fees)

Utilities

TOTAL $$ RESOURCES
for the academic year:

Telephone

 

Insurance

 

Groceries

 

Car Payment

 

Clothes

 

Credit Card Payment

 

Entertainment

 

Other Payment

 

TOTAL $$ EXPENSES
for the academic year:

Loan Programs at Creighton University

Visit our Loan Programs for undergraduate (incoming freshmen or transfer students) or graduate/professional students pages for information on the Federal Perkins, Federal Direct (subsidized and unsubsidized), PLUS loans and alternative loans. Remember, all loan disbursements have a federal origination fee deducted from each disbursement. See your loan disclosure statement provided by your loan servicer for current rates.

Repaying Your Student Loans

Inevitably, the time will come when you have to begin repaying your student loans. If you have planned ahead, the process of repayment will probably go quite smoothly. Repayment generally begins six months after graduation or you are no longer enrolled at least half time.

Your loan servicer will place you in the Standard Repayment Plan unless you request another plan. To find out what lender or servicer is holding your current and past Stafford, PLUS and Grad PLUS loans please go to studentaid.gov.

PRE-PAYMENT: You may pre-pay all or part of your loan at any time without penalty. This may substantially decrease your total interest costs.

STANDARD PAYMENT PLAN: The maximum repayment period is 10 years (excluding periods of deferment or forbearance). See repayment chart below for estimated payments.

GRADUATED PAYMENT PLAN: You may begin to repay the loan with small monthly payments that increase over time. This option assumes that your income will grow enough to cover the increasing loan payments. You will pay a somewhat higher amount of interest than you would under the standard plan.

INCOME-DRIVEN REPAYMENT PLAN: You may lower your monthly payments based on monthly income, through options such as the Income-Based Repayment plan or Pay As You Earn plan. Contact your loan servicer for more information.

EXTENDED REPAYMENT PLAN: This plan is available if you borrow a student loan for the first time after October 7, 1998 and you have more than $30,000 in student loans.  Payments can be extended for up to 25 years.

LOAN CALCULATORS: See the studentloans.gov tools or calculators at finaid.org to calculate loan payments and more.

CONSOLIDATION: Your outstanding loans (Federal Stafford, Unsubsidized Stafford, Grad PLUS, Perkins, HPSL and Nursing Student Loan Program) can be combined into a single new loan with new terms, i.e., a new interest rate and a longer repayment period (up to 30 years). While this may reduce your monthly payments, it will result in higher total interest costs. Anyone interested in consolidating loans should go to the Dept. of Education web site for more information: studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/consolidation.

LOAN CANCELLATION: Loans may be cancelled upon the death or total and permanent disability of the borrower, or upon the death of the student on whose behalf a parent borrowed a Federal PLUS Loan.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS (PSLF): A program that allows borrowers with direct loans to have the remaining balance of their federal loans forgiven after 10 years of full-time employment in a tax-exempt organization and 120 satisfactory payments. Eligible loans are the direct subsidized, unsubsidized, GradPlus and consolidation loans. To get other federal loans such as Perkins, Health Professions Student Loan, FFELP Stafford subsidized, unsubsidized or GradPlus loans eligible for forgiveness, borrowers must complete a direct consolidation loan.

Standard Repayment Schedule

This schedule assumes the Unsubsidized interest rate of 6.8% and does not include interest that may have been capitalized.

Principal Amount

Monthly Payment

Total Interest Paid

$10,000

$115

$3,809

$20,000

$230

$7,619

$25,000

$288

$9,524

$40,000

$460

$15,239

$50,000

$575

$19,048

$75,000 

$863

$28,572

$100,000

$1,151

$38.096

$140,000

$1,611

$53,335

As a general rule, you may estimate your monthly payment to be $115.00 for every $10,000 subsidized/unsubsidized loan you borrow. For Grad PLUS loans at 7.9% interest, you may estimate your monthly payment to be $125 for every $10,000 you borrow.

 

What if I Can't Repay My Loan?

For whatever reason, if you are unable to make your payment, contact your loan servicer. They will work with you because they don't want to see you default on your loan and jeopardize your future credit. You may be eligible to apply for an economic hardship deferment or a forbearance. By temporarily postponing your payments until you are able to resume your repayment, your loan will not be considered delinquent. Interest will still accrue, but you are being allowed some extra time to get back on your feet.

If you are not sure who your loan servicer is, please go to studentaid.gov to find out.

 

What is Loan Consolidation

Q.  What is loan consolidation?

A.   A consolidation loan is a new loan that allows you to combine your federal student loans into one loan with one servicer to contact if you have payment questions. 

Q.  Which loans are eligible to be consolidated?

A.  Only your federal student loans can be consolidated. The most common loan types are Subsidized and Unsubsidized Stafford or Direct Loan, Grad PLUS Loan, Perkins Loan, Federal Nursing Loan and Health Profession Student Loan.

Q.  What about my private or alternative student loan?

A.  Private loans are not eligible for the federal consolidation loan program.

Q.  When can I complete a consolidation loan application?

A.  At any time during the grace period or while you are in repayment.  

Q.  What are the advantages of consolidation?

A.  For borrowers who have multiple loan servicers, it may be easier to manage when loan information is at one location. Longer repayment periods than the standard repayment period are available. Only direct loans are eligible for Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). If you have older FFEL/Stafford or Grad PLUS loans, you may want to complete a Federal Direct Consolidation application to make those old loans eligible for forgiveness provisions.

Q.  What are the disadvantages?

A.  The loan servicer will calculate the interest rate based on the weighted average of your loans plus 1/8% for a new fixed rate. 

Q.  Do I have to include all of my federal loans in the new consolidation loan?

A.  No, you can choose which loans to be consolidated.

Q.  Where can I find out who services my current loans before I consolidate?

A.  The National Student Loan Data System, will provide a loan history for your federal loans with the exception of Federal Nursing Loans.

Q.  Where do I apply?

A.  There is only one place to apply:  studentloans.gov

Resources and Next Steps

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