For many students, the dream of getting a higher education just isn’t possible without the financial aid of a student loan. Fortunately, there are many opportunities out there to apply for and receive a student loan. And even better, bills.com is here to give you all the knowledge you need to choose the best student loan for you.

Student loans generally come from two sources: the federal government and private financial institutions, such as banks. Both require repayment of the loan, but that’s where the similarities end. Let’s take a look at both federal and private student loans.

Federal student loans are sponsored by the government and account for the biggest chunk of education loans. There are three main federal loan programs: The Perkins Loan, The Stafford Loan, and The Parent Loan For Undergraduate Students, also known as PLUS.

The Perkins Loan is the most affordable student loan, with an interest rate of 5% and low fees. But it’s also the hardest to get because it’s only given to those who need it the most. And the loan limit, at $4000, is the lowest of all three federal student loan types.

The Stafford Loan comes with a variable interest rate that’s higher than the Perkins, but lower than the PLUS Loan, due to the cap at 8.25%. As with the Perkins Loan, this student loan does not hold credit worthiness against the applicant. The Stafford Loan also has a much higher loan limit and is offered to both graduate and undergraduate students.

Compared to the Perkins and Stafford Student Loans, which are borrowed in the student’s name, the PLUS Loan is completely different in that it is a loan for parents of dependent undergraduate students. A big advantage of this type of student loan is that it covers any remaining balance not covered by other forms of aid – in essence the loan limit covers your entire educational expense.

Now that we’ve familiarized ourselves with the different types of federal student loans, let’s identify the attributes of a private student loan. This is a loan from a financial institution that takes into account your creditworthiness, not your need for aid. Your credit is reviewed by lenders and if approved, you can get a substantial size student loan in minutes, sometimes up to $30,000. A downside to private student loans is that repayment terms typically cap at 15 years, compared to 30 years for a federal loan. Also, if you become disabled or deceased, your heirs are required to payoff your student loan, whereas in a federal loan, the loan is forgiven, making repayment unnecessary.

As you can see, you have several choices when it comes to student loans. Making sure you choose the best option is a matter of getting informed on these choices, and picking to student loan that best fits your needs.

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By: justin narin

Students can go to college through the federal student loans that can help them pay until they graduate. There are many different types of such loans. The Stafford student loans are just one of them. This article will attempt to discuss the basics of this type of loan in order to give information on how it helps the students of this country.

A Stafford Loan is a loan that is offered to students who are enrolled in accredited colleges, universities, and institutions. The Congress established this in 1965 in order to extend financial aid to students who are in need to supplement their resources. As part of the Federal Family Education Loan Program FFELP, the Stafford loans expanded to cover 90% of $50 billion plus funding.

Almost everyone is eligible to get this loan. Back when it was signed in Congress, the definition for the recipients was not very clear and so the program rapidly expanded. There are two types, the subsidized and the unsubsidized.

For the subsidized, the Federal government pays for the interest charges of the loan during the entire period when the student is in school until the grace period of six months after he graduates. There are certain qualifications for the subsidized loan and one of these is the family income. The government uses an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number to determine if a subsidized loan will be granted or not.

Two out of three of this type of loan is granted to students who have parents with a total gross income of less than $50,000 annually. About 25 percent is extended to families with gross income of more than $50,000 but not more than $100,000. 10 percent is given to those with income that exceeds $100,000.

The other type of Stafford loan is the unsubsidized. The interest charges for this loan accumulate until the loan is paid off fully. The loan can be borrowed from a bank or a credit union, or directly from the Department of Education. Interest rates change year after year but these rates are still very low compared to private loans being offered in the market. For the academic year 2008 to 2009, the unsubsidized rate is 6.8% while the subsidized rate is 6%.

For a student to be granted with the Stafford loan, he must be enrolled at least in a half-time period. To apply, he must accomplish and submit the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. This loan is only given to US citizens or nationals, permanent residents, or eligible non-citizens. The student must also be enrolled in the accredited schools listed in the Federal Family Education Loan Program.

The family income and financial need will determine if the applicant will be given subsidized or unsubsidized loans. The loan is payable in 25 to 30 years depending on what kind of Stafford student loans have been granted. There are also a lot of repayment options that the applicant can choose from.

By: Brian J. Link

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