Loan consolidation can make repayment easier: You have a single loan to repay vs. many. Your interest rate will be a weighted average rate of the loans you are consolidating. But students beware; you cannot consolidate federal loan debt and private loan debt. And if there’s a chance you’ll work in a field where loan forgiveness is possible, those loans eligible for forgiveness shouldn’t be part of your consolidation options.
Say, for example, you took out a Perkins loan that is eligible for forgiveness. If you consolidate that Perkins loan (federal) with your Stafford or direct loans, you lose your ability to have the loan forgiven. It is no longer a Perkins loan.
