Federal student loans for any educational institution can be consolidated (undergraduate, graduate, etc). However, not all school loans can be consolidated and you must meet certain eligibility criteria. You can consolidate your loans if:
You are no longer enrolled more than half time in school
You have begun repaying your loans or are in the loan grace period (normally 6 months after you left school)
You have not consolidated your loans before. You are only allowed to consolidate your student loans one time. Once you've consolidated them and fixed your rate you will not be allowed to reconsolidate them.
There is a difference between federal student loans and commercial loans. Specifically, only federal student loans can be consolidated. These loans include:
- Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized)
- National Direct Student Loans
- Perkins Loans
- Federal Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS)
- Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)
- Auxiliary Loans to Assist Students
- National Defense Student Loans
- Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL)
- Health Education Assistance Loans (HEAL)
- Health Professions Student Loans (HPSL)
- Nursing Student Loans (NSL)
- Loans for Disadvantaged Students
The student loan consolidation companies typically look for a minimum size of your loans in order to consolidate them (often $10,000). However, you can almost always find consolidators willing to consolidate them for less.