Finding the Right Student Loan

Need money for college? Who doesn’t need a loan to go to school these days? Tuition is ridiculous! It is common for a student to accumulate a lot of student debt on his or her way to a diploma. Where do you start on your way to a student loan or grant? Start with the school you are enrolled in or intend to go to.

There are people working at colleges whose job it is to understand student loans and be up to date with the information on all the different types of student loans. Even if you have no money, they are there to help you get you your tuition.

Private Student Loans

Private student loan debt consolidation programs are one way to get money for your college. Some of these loans are made to parents of students. Other Student Loans are designed to be made to the student and give a deferment period that gives the student time to graduate and get a job before he/she has to make monthly payments.

There are many ins and outs to student loan debt consolidation programs. For these types of programs it is best to start by asking the bank you, or your family does business with for information.

Stafford Loans

One such student loan you should find out about is the Federal Stafford Loan. The Federal Stafford Loan is one of the loans made to the student. This loan is based on need and no credit check is necessary. The government guarantees the Stafford Loan to the actual lender.

The Stafford Loan has a deferment period. Its payments do not start on until the student graduates. To be eligible for a Stafford Student Loan, you must be attending school on at least, a half-time basis.

Get All the Info

The trick is to get as much information on as many Student Loan Programs as you can. There are a whole lot of lenders willing to give you free information, so take it. There are new programs coming out and current ones changing all the time, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Some schools offer Stafford Loans directly through the federal government. These are commonly known as Direct Stafford Loans. The schools offering student loans this way are called Direct Stafford Schools.

Some schools offer Stafford Loans through banks or other lenders. These schools are known as FFEL schools (Federal Family Education Loan schools). With this type of student loan you find the lender yourself and then go to the school so they can complete the paperwork.

Use a Student Loan Calculator

To help give you an idea what your payments will be after graduation, make sure you’re using a real student loan calculator. A student loan calculator is a special kind of calculator. It must be capable of factoring in a deferment period. This is because student loans are unique in the sense the payments don’t start until after graduation.

So, a correctly functioning student loan calculator will be able to compound the interest, which accrues during the deferment period. Then it will calculate the payment due based on that new amount.

The point is, if you get a student loan for $ 25,000 which you are allowed 10 years to pay off after graduation, and graduation is 4 years away, the amount you owe will not be $ 25,000 come graduation. If your interest rate is 7%, the amount you will owe after graduation will be $ 33,051.35. By the way, your payment every month for 10 years, after graduation will be $ 383.75.

The Money is There

Your further education is available to you if you want it. Financial need cannot stop you, but you must plan ahead, be serious, and find out everything you can. When is a good time to start? About half way through sophomore year in high school, you should start your search for your college funding!