 TITLE: Can Debt Consolidation Affect Your Credit Score? CONTENT: Federal Student Loans\n---------------------\nFederal student loans can be consolidated through the Federal Direct Consolidation Loan Program. Your credit score is not considered for this program and borrowers that are up to date on their payments are eligible.\nThe main benefit of consolidating government-backed student loans is streamlining the payment process. The interest rate for your new consolidated loan will be based on what your past interest rates were and will most likely not be lower. But having one payment versus several is a helpful way to make sure that you don't miss a payment and harm your credit score in the future. END