Last updated: November 14, 2026
This page explains how Best Student Loan Consolidation Programs is paid for, and what that does and does not change about what you read here.
Where things stand today
As of the date above, this site carries no advertising and no affiliate links. Nobody pays to appear in an article, and no lender, servicer or company has sponsored or reviewed anything we publish. Every outbound link on the site today is an ordinary source link.
How the site may earn money
Running a research site costs money, and we expect to add two kinds of income. This page will be updated on the day either one goes live.
- Display advertising. Ads served by an advertising network, such as Google AdSense. They will be visually separate from the article text and labeled as advertising by the network.
- Partner links. On pages about private refinancing, a link to a lender or a rate-comparison service may be an affiliate link. If you apply or take out a loan through it, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Any section containing such links will say so in plain words, next to the links.
What money will never change
- The numbers. Every statistic is tied to a named, linked source under our editorial policy. A commercial relationship does not change a figure, its source or how it is labeled.
- The order of anything. We do not sell placement. If we ever show lenders side by side, the page will state how they are ordered.
- What is free. Federal Direct Consolidation is free and is done at studentaid.gov. We will never send you to a paid service for something the government does at no charge.
- Who we work with. We do not take referral fees from companies that charge fees for student loan forgiveness or debt relief help.
A word on refinancing links
Refinancing federal student loans with a private lender ends your access to federal repayment plans and forgiveness programs, and it cannot be reversed. We say this on every page where refinancing comes up, and a partner link will not change that. Nothing on this site is personal financial advice.
Questions
If something on the site looks like it was influenced by an advertiser, tell us and we will look at it. You can reach the editor, Ben-G, on LinkedIn.