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High School Students

Alternative Loans

If necessary, look into other loan options that can help you pay for college.

Alternatives to federal student loans

Students who have exhausted all of their scholarship, grant, and federal education loan options, can obtain alternative student loans to help finance their college education.

Alternative or private loans are credit-based loans that are not funded, or guaranteed, by the federal government. Instead, various private lending institutions have developed these loans to help students pay for their higher education.

Alternative student loans vs. federal student loans

Private loans are very different than federal loans. You should be aware of these differences in order to choose the loan which will be best for you. There are several important characteristics of alternative student loans to consider that distinguish them from federal loans:

Because alternative student loans are credit-based and a student may not have enough credit of his or her own, a co-signer for loan approval may be required.
The interest rate of alternative loans can be high because it is based on a student's credit rating.
Students attending 2-year schools typically are not eligible to borrow alternative loans.
The origination fees typically are higher than those of federal student loans.
Alternative loans generally don't have deferments or forbearances, though most do offer flexible repayment plans.
Not all alternative loans offer grace periods like federal loans.
There is no interest subsidy on any of the alternative loans, so the student is responsible for repaying all of the interest, including the interest that accrues while he or she is attending school.
Alternative student loans CANNOT be consolidated into a Federal Consolidation Loan.
Most alternative loans require that a student be attending school at least half time.

Check your credit report

Before you borrow from an alternative loan program, you should check your credit report for any discrepancies. Lenders take your credit report information and use it to determine the amount you can borrow with or without a co-signer. A credit report itself will not determine if you pass a lender's credit scoring, but you can identify any problems or errors on the report before you apply.

Review repayment options

You should review the repayment options offered by each loan along with any borrower benefits offered at repayment. Typically, most alternative loans give students 15 to 25 years to repay the loans. Some repayment options include:

Monthly principal and interest payments
Interest only during the in-school period
Deferment and capitalization of interest during the in-school period

To learn more about alternative student loans, refer to The Greentree Gazette's "Student Loan Buying Guide".

Federal Loans

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