Guide To Getting A Student Loan
For those who have just graduated from high school and are ready to start college, you have probably already given some thought as to how to get a student loan. But with your first quarter at college coming up quickly, the need to have adequate funds to provide for your education will become more pressing on a daily basis.
Planning at this stage is critical, and knowing how and where to apply for student loans can make a big difference in the success of your educational endeavors.
Before applying for any student loan, you should be aware of the types of loans available. Student loans can be broadly broken down into two categories – private student loans, which are obtained through a bank or through another specialized lending institution, and federal student loans, which are loans that have a subsidized interest rate and are guaranteed by the federal government.
Applying for guaranteed student loans is as simple as filling out an online application at the government guaranteed student loan website. Obtaining private student loans also simply involves filling out an online application for the vast majority of private lending institutions. You will, however, want to be prepared for the various questions and required information that the online applications will require.
You’ll be asked for proof of family income, so you will need to have your parents tax records on hand. In many cases, copies of these will need to be provided to the lending authority, whether government or private. If you have an employment history, you’ll need to provide your own tax returns as well.
You’ll also need to provide information as to where you have lived, and where you have worked if you had held any jobs before attending college. You will also be asked to provide references from friends and family. And in some cases, you will also be required to provide a cosigner to the loan. Most students don’t have an extensive credit history, if any, so in order to have your education financed, you will need someone, usually a parent, willing to sign for the loan in the unlikely event that you are unable to pay after graduation.
Before applying for private student loans, you should maximize the benefit of guaranteed student loans. There are familial income restrictions, and if you family makes a lot of money, you may not qualify for some or all of the available federal student loans. But 90% of students do qualify for federal student loans, so be sure and take advantage of this.
For federal student loans, maximum loan amounts are limited, and funds are usually dispersed directly to the school to pay for tuition, with the balance being made available to the student to purchase books and other needed items. Interest rates, however, are much lower than they otherwise would be, and you have an extended grace period upon graduation before these types of loans need to be paid back.
There aren’t as many restrictions with private student loans as there are with government guaranteed loans. You can borrow much larger amounts, up to the entire cost of your education and living expenses while attending school. Application requirements are largely the same, so assemble the same information you did when applying for your guaranteed student loan before beginning to fill out the private student loan application form.