Normally, students tend to rely on federal student loans to finance their education as they provide a variety of deferment options and extended repayment terms. The most beneficial student loans include Stafford and Perkins loans with the opportunity for the undergraduates to get these loans as well.
Federal Student Loans for Undergraduates
Stafford Loan
These loans have two variations:
Federal Direct Student Loan Programs are the ones which are administered by direct lending school and the US government makes them available directly to the students and their parents.
Federal Family Education Loan Program are the ones provided by the private lenders like banks, credit unions etc. Such loans are guaranteed against default.
Effective from July 1, 2007, the Stafford loans have allowed the dependent undergraduates that they can borrow up to $3,500 for their freshman year. They can borrow up to $4500 in their sophomore year. However, there are some cumulative limits of $23,000 for undergraduate education. They also offer a combined limit of $65,500 for both undergraduate and graduate.
Effective from July, 2008, the interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans have been reduced according to The College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. These interest rates are applicable only for undergraduate students and only for subsidized Stafford loans.
Interest rates on the subsidized federal loans for graduate student will remain same at 6.8%. But in case of undergraduate students, there are many fluctuations expected in the interest rates of Stafford loans.
Repayment in case of Stafford loan begins after six months when a student graduates or drops below the half time enrolment. The total repayment period is 10 years. However, you can have alternate repayment terms on consolidation the loans.
Perkins Loans
Perkins Loans are awarded to all graduate and undergraduate students who are in exceptional financial needs. This is considered as a campus based loan program in which a school acts as the lender and makes use of limited funds they get from the federal government. Perkins Loans are subsidized loans as the interest rate is paid by the federal government while you are in school or having 9 months grace period. With Perkins loans, you have to pay only 5% interest rates with a 10 years repayment period. The amount you can receive under Perkins Loans is decided by the Financial Aid Office which is $4,000 per year for undergraduate students. Cumulative limits for undergraduate loans are $20,000 and $40,000 for undergraduate and graduates combined.
Pell Grants
Pell Grants award $4,310 per year to undergraduate students who have not earned their university degree yet. Eligibility for undergraduate student loans with Pell grants is based upon the Expected Family Contribution which is calculated on the form of FAFSA.
Private Student Loans for Undergraduates
There are lots of private lenders which offer loans for undergraduate students to help them complete their studies. Access group is the best choice for undergraduate students who are seeking loans to pay for schools. The Comprehensive Access Loan is basically designed for the undergraduate students although it works for other students as well and allows you to complete your program or degree at your own pace. If you remain enrolled at least part time, you have a repayment period of 10 years. With these loans, you get a nine month grace period after you complete your graduation or stop attending school.
To get approved for such loans you need:
To earn a minimum credit bureau score.
To have three years of US Established credit history in your name. Also you must include in it 4 non-student loan trades at least one opened for 36 months.
By: Steve Morin
Posts Tagged ‘Perkins Loans’
College Student Loans – Federal and Private Loans
December 27th, 2009
When a student or parent sets out to obtain a loan and/or financing a college education there are a many different sources they can go to in order to acquire the funding necessary. However, there are two different categories of loans which are either federal loans or private loans.
As for federal funding for college, in many cases it is much easier to get the financing if you fit the criteria set in place. By far, one of the most popular federal student loans is the Stafford loan. There are two types of Stafford loans which are the federal family educational loan and the William D. Ford federal direct loan. The process of obtaining a Stafford loan is through the student filling out a federal student aid application, then once approved they will sign a promissory note on the loan.
The only real difference between the two types of Stafford loans is where the actual funding is coming from. For a direct loan, the funds are coming directly from the federal government as for a FFEL loan, the funding comes from either a bank, credit union or another participating lender in the program.
There are also a couple more that should be mentioned in this article and those are the Parent PLUS and Perkins loans. First, the Parent PLUS loan is designed for parents in need of assistance for paying their child’s college fees. This loan basically will fill in any gaps that the parent needs in order to cover all the college expenses fully.
The Perkins loan is basically a student loan which can be applied for at the college or university financial aid office which usually has a very low interest rat, but has a maximum loan amount of around $4,000 each year for students. They are federal fund and can be added to other types of funding. There are late fees and fees for skipping payments on the Perkins loan as well.
These loans and more can all be inquired upon at your selected college or university.
Credit history may not be as necessary if it is necessary at all in obtaining these types of funding options. As opposed to federal student loan funding, there are many private lenders willing to provide assistance for college funding as well. However, if you so decide to take the private lender route for financing a student loan, it is important to remember that most will need a bit of a credit history from the potential debtor and will most likely require a co-signer on the loan if the student with not much credit history at all is attempting to obtain the financing.
Federal funding for college students who need the financing, as well as parents is very available for anyone who has a need for such funding and it would be a good idea to look at all the options available in order to compare interest rates, fees, and more as these student loans will be around for a while after college as some loans will begin the payment schedule immediately during college like the Parent PLUS. Other repayment schedules will begin after 6 months for Stafford loans and 9 months for Perkins. So it would be a good idea to get all this information first hand before making any quick decisions about your college student loans.
By: S. Michael Windsor
Using A Non-Teri Private Student Loan to Complete Your Education
December 5th, 2009
In the business world the importance of college education is unmatched, especially now that a good stable job is hard to find. Most companies will seek potential employees that have a good educational background and related working experience.
Now days the cost of an education is beyond the means of the common man or woman. Many college students seek and apply for loans and grants to pay for their education. A student needs consistent source of funds to sustain his education. There are also a lot of other fees to be paid besides the usual tuition fees. In addition there are housing, food and transportation costs associated with attending a university or college. Do you want to know the good news? There are profit and non-profit funding institutions, who are dedicated to extending the opportunity of getting college education to those who are not financially stable. Besides federal student loans, private student loans are also available. Non-Teri private student loans are one of the most common and popular credit based loan programs available.
Private student loans are credit-based, unlike other student loans which are non-credit based. Examples of these non-credit based loans are Stafford Loans and Perkins Loans. They do not look at the existing credit of the student who is filing for the loan. This is very important since many college students do not have the work or economic history to establish any credit history. This also means having bad credit status is irrelevant. These kinds of loans are a great opportunity for those who want to go to college but already have poor credit.
Because of the fact that Non-Teri student loans are credit-based, students who are interested must find someone who has great credit and is willing to act as a cosigner. This will boost the student’s chance of getting their applications approved when applying for the loan. It is better to find a cosigner who has good credit status because if a student applies for a student loan and gets declined, it may appear in the student’s credit report. Of course most students will use the credit history of their parents to apply for the loan, In fact the most common cosigner for credit based education loans are parents or grandparents of the student.
If you already have one or more student loans on the books you may want to consider a loan consolidation. A loan consolidation will have the benefit of improving your credit score. Seeking student loan consolidation advice from your financial institution or your university service center is a wise investment in time. A consolidation makes it easier to manage debts through lower monthly repayments. In addition a student can usually negotiate a lower interest rate when applying for a consolidated student loan.
Interesting enough, there are a number of other credit based student loans available besides Non-Teri private student loans. It will pay you to do your homework in researching all student loan opportunities. The student may be surprised by all the organizations that are willing to extend college education benefits.
By: Jim Kesel