Monday, April 23, 2012

Student Loans

The government of America believes that each and every person has a right to education and hence student loans have been made available. Student loans are financial grants that can be used by the student to pursue or complete their education. There are many types of student loans that can be used by undergrads, graduates etc. Let us now look at some of the loans and their types.
Federal loans
These student loans are the more recommended option and have terms that you will find more favorable to you. The rate of interest will be lower than private loans.
  • The loans include the federal Stafford loan which is the most popular type of student loan. This is a fixed rate and low interest loan. It is available for undergraduate students and is widely used across America. It has an interest rate of 6.8% and other fees like the origination fee is also applicable. It has loads of flexible repayment options. Consolidation is also possible in this kind of loan.
  • The federal Perkins loan is a low interest loan for students who need a large amount of money. This loan has an interest rate of 5%.
  • The federal parent plus loan is for the parents of students who are dependent. The parent can borrow up to the full cost of education minus any other aid that the student has received. This loan has an interest rate of 8.5% and there are many repayment options also available. A credit check however is required in this type of a loan.
  • The federal graduate plus loan is for students who wish to attend graduate school. The student must however have exhausted the eligibility for the Stafford loan before he can be eligible for this one. Interest rate is once again an 8.5%, however you can work with organizations like sally Mae to get it reduced to 6.75%.

Private LoansIf you as a student have exhausted your eligibility to get any more federal loans, then you can use private loans. These are on the expensive side and do not be surprised if you find the interest rates to be higher than federal loans.
  • The signature student loan is the most popular ones after the Stafford loan. You must be in good academic standing to be eligible for this one. There is no limit on what you can borrow, so you can borrow your entire cost of school as well from this one. If you opt for Sallie Mae, they can help you get lower interest rates than conventional private loan programs.
  • The next in line is the student answer loan that lets a student borrow any amount from $4000 to $40000 a year for any expense related to college.

Repayment and ProblemsDespite all the convenience that the student loans offer, many students still fall into trouble while trying to repay their loans. There are several reasons why this happens. A student usually has a time frame in mind in which he would land a job and start to repay the loan. But many a times he is unable to land a job within this time frame. The normal time frame allotted by most lenders is 6 months. So if the student cannot land a job in 6 months time, then he starts to default payment. A student can apply for forbearance or suspension of payments in such times. He can also choose to reduce the cost of living for a few years until he is stable enough to start paying the loan in time.
Student Loans There are different types of student loans that can be taken. You get an in depth look into federal loans, private loans etc.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Wesley

No comments:

Post a Comment