In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed. Those of you not familiar with the latest on student loan consolidation now have at least a basic understanding. But there's more to come.

When we talk about college graduation, several promising life changes occur in our minds – potential careers, independence as well as new beginnings.   However, although it means beginning of something, it still signifies something less enjoyable too – the repayment of student loans.

As you all know, the repayment of ample student loans can be off-putting for both students and their parents.   It was found out that the average debt among student borrowers are currently in is excessively large in the US!  The Associated Press also noted that graduates of public colleges and universities usually emerge owing more than $10,000 for their undergraduate years alone.  Those who are in private institutions typically owe $14,000, while the graduate-level students often owe more than $24,000.   What’s more for those studying medicine or law?  For sure, they accumulate even more debt.   And, the bad thing is, repaying these debts are even becoming more difficult for graduates in the midst of uncertain jobs and the recession.

With the interest rates in all student loan programs are now at record lows, there is no reason for the graduates not to consider student loan consolidation.   It is often said that with student loan consolidation, students and graduates can save thousands of bucks in interest charges.

Now let us look at the things involved in student loan consolidation.

Student loan consolidation is typically defined as the process or the act of combining multiple loans into a single loan in order to decrease the monthly payment amount or elevate the repayment period.    There are a lot of reasons behind it, and among those is money saving payment incentives, decreased monthly payments, fixed interest rates, and new or renewed deferments.

Student loan consolidation has a lot to offer. That is what many experts often say.   To find out what consolidation has to offer, let’s read on.

Over time, the student loans you have borrowed have been assigned with different variable interest rates.   Note that the key word here is variable.   While the loan you received may have offered, say, 3.5 percent at first, the rate will actually go up as the interest rates go up.   So, if you have two or more of these loans, there is a great possibility that you may have owed amounts at different rates, and these rates can rise and fall yearly.   Considering that the interest rates have nowhere else to go but up, it is no doubt a safe bet that the debt you have accumulated will mount faster than it would if you consider a student loan consolidation.

By considering consolidation and remaining on your 10 years payment plan, it is possible that you can lock your interest at today’s current loan rates and save some bucks over the long haul.   Aside from that, all of those loans that may have come from different lending companies or banks can be a burden to deal with.   So, if you consolidate, it means that you only deal with one single company and one payment rather than several.  Other than that, you have the great chance to receive added bonuses like payment and interest rate reductions in case you pay your debts on time over a period of months.  These benefits are also possible to come if you have automatically withdrawn your monthly payment from a checking or savings account.

If you've picked some pointers about student loan consolidation that you can put into action, then by all means, do so. You won't really be able to gain any benefits from your new knowledge if you don't use it.