Since July 1 2006, interest rates on loans for college students supported by federal guarantee, registered its highest level in the last five years.

Students applying for these loans, known as the Stafford Loan, will have to pay a fixed interest rate of 7.14 percent, 1.84 percent above the current rate of 5.30 percent, yesterday announced the Department of Education United States.

The increase could affect nearly two of every three American students who use loans to finance their college studies and most go to the government, according to the Center for Education Statistics Department.

This is the end of the era of low interest rates on federal student loans, said Rob LaBreche, president of Consumer Marketing aimed College Loan Corporation, San Diego, California.

But there’s good news.

“Students, parents and alumni have a few weeks to consolidate loans before it is enacted the new interest rate, which will mean significant savings,” he said.

The deadline to consolidate loans expires on June 30 and LaBreche calculated that a 2006 graduate with a loan of $ 20,500, you can save $ 3,245 over the term of 10 years to account for debt cancellation.

“Graduates may take advantage if they consolidate their debts,� said LaBreche.

Students begin to repay their loans six months after the end of the academic year or grace period, will pay a fixed interest rate of 4.70 percent, while if not consolidate credit rate will rise to 7.25 percent.

The average debt of graduates is about $ 19,000. But many students have obligations in excess of $ 40,000. An amount which may vary annually, as the Department of Education student fees linked to rates of Treasury bills in late May and this year has agreed to the highest since 2001.

The increase may further affect the Hispanic graduates, and that 58 percent have a high debt, according to the Census Bureau United States. Usually, the Hispanic graduate earns a salary that is $ 10,000 below that of their peers and requires a monthly spend 8 percent of their income to pay the debt contracted by the university.

All students have to do numbers and get help to consolidate their loans in the coming days. If they do not have to deal with varying interests, said a representative of Wells Fargo Bank who requested anonymity.

According to the College Board, private student loans have soared in the last decade, going from $ 1,300 million between 1993 and 1994 to $ 10.600 million in 2003-2004. While the government funded at the $ 56.800 million last year. Therefore, the difference may be the cost of a loan from the government, said the representative of Wells Fargo.

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