Can you consolidate student loans with your other debt
Student loans can go into one loan with your cards, but a federal loan loses its forgiveness and income-driven plans when you do. Here is when it fits.
You can consolidate student loans with your credit cards only if the loans are private and cost more than the 11.9% bank average. Federal loans stay federal, because a private lender ends their forgiveness for good.
The first thing to do is call a specialist. Here are the options they walk you through.
Federal loans: what you give up
A private lender who takes over your government student debt wipes out every protection that came with it.
You lose income-driven plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. You also lose the rules for deferment, forbearance and discharge.
Kevin has $28,000 in federal loans. Even with a lower private rate, he would never get those protections back.
Private student loans
School debt from a bank or online lender never had those protections. Moving it into a personal loan or a refinance loses nothing but the old lender.
Only the rate matters. The average personal loan rate at banks is 11.9%, per the Federal Reserve.
If your private student loan costs more than 11.9%, the swap can make sense. Have your latest statement ready, and the specialist compares its rate with your loan options on the call.
When it makes sense to consolidate student loans with other debt
It fits only private school balances, and only when the new rate is lower.
Kevin’s $7,000 on cards at 24% is the balance to move. A four-year loan at 11.9% on that amount is $184 a month.
So Kevin pays one fixed payment of $184 in place of his card bills. His $28,000 in federal loans stays federal.
Enter your own card balances in the calculator to see your payment.
The federal option instead
A Direct Consolidation Loan combines government student loans into one loan with one servicer. It keeps the protections.
Repayment can stretch up to 30 years under the Tiered Standard Plan, per Federal Student Aid. Your first payment is due no later than 60 days after the loan is disbursed.
A longer term means more total interest.
Since July 1, 2026, the rules changed for new federal consolidation loans. A loan disbursed on or after that date cannot use the IBR, ICR or PAYE plans, according to the federal repayment plans page.
It is repaid under the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) or the Tiered Standard Plan.
What to do first
Start with one call to our line. The specialist lists each loan with its type, servicer and rate, and confirms which ones are federal.
Your cards move into a personal loan only if its rate beats theirs.
If your federal loans need a lower payment, the specialist walks you through a Direct Consolidation Loan or an income-driven plan. A private lender is never the answer for those loans.
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Before you borrow
Is it a good idea to consolidate your student loans?
Federal loans into a federal Direct Consolidation Loan, sometimes. You get one payment and access to repayment plans. Federal loans into a private loan, almost never, because the protections are gone for good.
What is a federal Direct Consolidation Loan?
It is one federal loan that pays off your other federal student loans. Its fixed rate is based on the weighted average of your old rates, and repayment can run up to 30 years. It keeps federal protections, and the application is free.
Can I do debt consolidation for student loans?
Private student loans, yes, with a personal loan or a refinance if the rate is lower. For federal loans, use only the federal consolidation program to keep income-driven repayment and forgiveness.
How much would a $30,000 student loan be monthly?
About $429 a month over 10 years at 11.9%, as a rough guide. Federal loans have their own fixed rates and plans. Call and the specialist works out your real number.
Sort your loans in one call
You have student loans and card bills, and only some of them belong in one loan. Move a federal loan to a private lender and you lose forgiveness for good, while cards at 24% keep costing you every month. Call now and a specialist goes through every loan with you for free and starts building your one payment today.