Student Loans Loans For Students
Student loans have gained utmost significance with the recent economic crunch. Above 90% of the students pursuing undergraduate studies have gained some form of student assistance to be able to continue education. Student loans are offered to students wishing to take up higher education but cannot afford the cost. These are offered by the federal government, the state, or by private companies and investors. Student loans not only cover the tuition fee, but mostly also provide for the other education related expenses such as transport, accommodation and campus living expense, textbooks and stationary, computers, and photocopies.
Student Loan Options:
Federal Student loans offered by the government are the cheapest and offer the lowest interest rates.
These include subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford loans, Perkin loans, PLUS loans for graduates and parents, and Consolidation loans. Stafford loans can be opted with the direct loan option or the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL). Direct loans are directly offered by the U.S. Department of Education whereas the others are offered by private investors but are backed by the government. Federal loans do not require students to have a co-signer or a good credit history. These also allow students deferred payments and a grace period of 3-6 months after graduation to start repaying the loan.
These are mostly awarded on the basis of financial need of the applicant. Students pursue private loans upon exhaustion of all federal loan options. Private loans offer comparatively higher interest rates and they also require good credit history or a co-signer for the approval of the loan. Private loans can have variable as well as fixed interest loans and can be pursued by anyone, irrespective of the financial need. These private student loans are most commonly offered by Citibank, Sallie Mae, Chase, and SunTrust.
Applying for a Student Loan
To apply for a student loan, applicants need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and submit before the deadline. It is the prospective institute’s responsibility to determine a financial assistance package for the student, which can include a direct loan or a private student loan offer.
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