Posts Tagged ‘Stafford Loan’

Great Lakes Student Loans Services Manage Loans for Lenders, Borrowers

February 6th, 2010



The student loan industry is huge, and it is expanding as college costs rise. With students looking for ways to get into college and capital holders looking for ways to safely and lucratively invest their money, Great Lakes student loans management helps unite people who want to study with people who want to invest in their education.

Great Lakes offers all the federal loans available through the Federal Family Education Loan Program. This includes Stafford loans, which offer some funding for every year a student is in school. These can be subsidized by the federal government on a need basis, meaning that until the student finishes school, the government pays the interest on the loan, allowing the student to defer payment without capitalizing the interest. Students with unsubsidized loans also have the option of paying off the loan or just the interest while they study to avoid capitalizing the interest later.

Other federal loans include PLUS loans, which are offered to parents of students in any year of college and to graduate students in addition to the Stafford loan. This loan comes with a minimal credit requirement, which can be met using a cosigner. Federal loans are offered through the FFEL as well as directly from the Department of Education, in order to enforce a standard maximum fixed interest rate, but share the burden (and opportunity) of funding student loans between the government and lenders. By managing FFEL student loans, Great Lakes makes it possible for private investors to tap into this market.

Great Lakes also offers private or non-traditional student loans, tailored to meet both the financial needs of students and the investment and security needs of lenders. These loans make it possible for students to pay the remaining costs of their education after federal loans.

Great Lakes offers a number of services for prospective students and lenders which serve to help students plan their education, help lenders increase their business, and to generally promote higher education, which, as a higher education guaranty corporation, serves Great Lakes’ interests. These resources include pamphlets and online resources outlining the benefits of receiving a college education, loan calculators for students, and loan education resources for lenders, borrowers, schools, and counselors and financial aid professionals.

For lenders and borrowers who have already established a relationship, Great Lakes has online resources for borrowers and management software for lenders. Great Lakes offers personal financial management resources for students, as well as mutually beneficial resources for helping students avoid defaulting on loans, including consolidation options.

Great Lakes student loans services help students pay for their education by providing lenders who are interested in investing in their future.

By: Adam Hefner

Are Their Student Loans For Undergraduates?

February 1st, 2010



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

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