Student Loans: What They’re All About

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Student Loans: What They’re All About
February 2nd
by Pat Lowe
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.

Most parents do not have the cash 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 includes tuition, books, housing fees and other expenses associated with higher 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 young adult goes to register for federal student loans, there are a few things that should be kept in mind. To start, there is usually a six month no payment period associated with these kinds of loans. Therefore, from after the point in time in which the student graduates or has cut back to half-time classes, they won’t have to begin returning money to the lender for the set amount of time. Interest, however, starts accruing as soon as you finish university or have fallen to half-time attendance. All payments and funding owed show on the student’s credit score.

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.

Finally, there are private alternative student loans. These go outside of the government regulated process, and are typically saved for people who require more than the amounts issued to typical students. Private loans have the highest available, and may also come with the highest interest rates in addition to this. Personal student loans are issued either to the adults or the students, and can be done through a variety of banks as well as private lenders. This option is usually utilized by people going to very high cost schools where federal cash is not enough. Students can use both private and federal student loans at the same time if necessary.