If you are going to graduate school you have many things to consider besides studying for the GRE and choosing the location and area of study that will probably determine the remainder of your life. You additionally have to make sure that you do not fall to far into debt after college. Therefore, you must research student loans. Student loan consolidation is one of the best ways to save money because you are only required to pay your loans back in small increments. You can also look into federal and private student loans, which come with pros and cons.If you have a private loan, a borrower can take out more money but may pay it off at a higher rate. In addition, private lenders are entitled to their own regulations, whereas federal loans are openly operated by set government standards. One example of discrepancy in these programs is the responsibility of private and federal loans during times of economic hardship. If a borrower cannot make a federal student loan payment, he or she can defer for up to three years.There is one big problem that usually happens when someone overlooks the difference between federal and private loans. Federal student loans are guaranteed by the federal government.Consequently, federal student loans carry a fixed interest rate of 6.8%. Though the fixed rate may fluctuate yearly, a borrower has the opportunity to lock it in. When it comes to private loans, there is not a cap on the interest rates and fees lenders can charge-as a result, unsuspecting borrowers find themselves buried in debts larger than anticipated. Often times, students think that mass amounts of money cannot be consolidated along with his federal student loans because the predetermined amount was from private student loans.Because college students are known for procrastinating, on occasion, college students might find themselves accepting student loan offers without doing much research on them. It is a resounding sigh of relief to have the costs of education temporarily funded; but when the tassels are moved and the diplomas are mailed, several graduate students discover that they should have learned more about their student lending. Keep in mind that private loans do serve an effective purpose.It is becoming more common for families to find themselves relying on them to make college educations possible.The largest reason private loan lending grows every year is because some students take out the ceiling of Stafford Federal Student Loans and still fall short of meeting their expenses. Do not let the process of loans be intimidating. As long as you take a minute to do some research, you should find a student loan that will be conducive to your future financial needs.