Friday, January 30, 2009

Important Information About Student Loans

By Paul Cameron

For students who cannot afford to directly pay for their college, student loans are typically used to obtain the cash they are needing. Student loans are one of the most common ways young adults use to fund their education after high school.

A lot of parents do not have the money to directly pay for their children's post-secondary education. So a blend of scholarships, grants and student loans is used to pay for the costs of college or university. This usually involves not only tuition fees but the cost of textbooks, living expenses and other fees that come along with post-secondary education.

New students can have access to several kinds of student loans. The most common type found is the federal loan. This financing option has smaller limits, and is typically limited to funding tuition fees only. The federal student loans are highly watched by the government, and can be gained through the school's financial aid packages. They frequently have an extremely small interest rate. The student does not need to start paying back the money owed until they have either finished school or are no longer going to school full time.

When a student goes to apply for federal student loans, there are several things that should be remembered. First, there is usually a six month no payment period associated with these kinds of loans. Therefore, following the point in time in which the student finishes school or has cut back to half-time attendance, they won't have to start returning money to the lender for the set period of time. Interest, however, begins building as soon as you graduate from school or have fallen to part time enrolment. The payments and amounts owed affect the student's credit rating.

There are also student loans that are given to adults rather than to the student. These loans have higher maximums. You'll find that the interest rate is frequently higher than the typical federal student loan. As well, interest starts to accrue right from the beginning. This is due to the fact that the adult is the one responsible for the loan, not the student. Choosing this route does not help improve the student's credit history.

Lastly, there are private alternative student loans. These go outside of the government regulated system, and are frequently reserved for individuals who need more than the amounts given to typical students. Private loans have the highest maximums, and may also bear the highest interest percentages as well. Personal student loans are given either to the guardians or the students, and can be done through a variety of institutions as well as private companies. This option is usually used by individuals attending very high cost universities where federal funding is not enough. Students can use both private and federal student loans at the same time if required. - 15485

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