The primary reasons why families borrowed private student loans included having reached the Stafford loan limits, being unaware
of federal loan options, being ineligible for federal education loans, and parents unwilling to borrow for their children's education.
If you have exhausted
all of your federal loan options, a private education loan may help you to bridge the gap in covering your college expenses.
That being said, if you have exhausted
all of your federal loan options (Student and Parent PLUS Direct Loans), a private education loan may be your only choice to covering your education expenses.
Not exact matches
If a combination
of these non-loan
options aren't enough to cover your costs, first consider
federal loans, and then private
loans.
Fill gaps in cost
of attendance when all other aid
options (
federal loans, grants, scholarships) have been exhausted
However, because private student
loan lenders do not offer any respite to borrowers by way
of loan forgiveness over time, individuals should carefully consider their
options with their
federal student
loans before opting to refinance with a private lender.
One thing to be aware
of is that through refinancing, you'll give up
federal loan protections such as payment plan flexibility and the
option to pursue an income - contingent plan.
Before you start to panic, there are some
options for you to consider to make student
loan repayment less
of a hassle and that is through
federal direct consolidation.
Loans under the new credit facility bear interest, at our
option, at (i) a base rate based on the highest
of the prime rate, the
federal funds rate plus 0.50 % and an adjusted LIBOR rate for a one - month interest period in each case plus a margin ranging from 0.00 % to 1.00 %, or (ii) an adjusted LIBOR rate plus a margin ranging from 1.00 % to 2.00 %.
Consider ALL
of your education financing
options before you apply for student
loans and
federal aid.
However, if you lose your eligibility for
federal student
loans, that does not mean you are out
of options.
This program is only available for certain types
of federal loans and it is not an
option for private
loans.
Loans under the new credit facility bear interest, at the Company's
option, at (i) a base rate based on the highest
of the prime rate, the
federal funds rate plus 0.50 % and an adjusted LIBOR rate for a one - month interest period in each case plus a margin ranging from 0.00 % to 1.00 %, or (ii) an adjusted LIBOR rate plus a margin ranging from 1.00 % to 2.00 %.
Loans under the credit facility bear interest, at the Company's
option, at (i) a base rate based on the highest
of the prime rate, the
federal funds rate plus 0.50 % and an adjusted LIBOR rate for a one - month interest period plus 1.00 %, in each case plus a margin ranging from 0.00 % to 0.75 % or (ii) an adjusted LIBOR rate plus a margin ranging from 1.00 % to 1.75 %.
Private lenders do not offer the same kind
of repayment
options available with
federal loans.
Borrowings under our credit facility bear interest at a per annum rate equal to, at our
option, either (a) for LIBOR
loans, LIBOR (but not less than 1.0 %) or (b) for ABR loans, the highest of (i) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans, LIBOR (but not less than 1.0 %) or (b) for ABR
loans, the highest of (i) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans, the highest
of (i) the
federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR
loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR
Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offering.
Although most borrowers choose to follow the 10 - year Standard Repayment Plan — a fixed monthly payment
of at least $ 50 over the course
of 10 years which is the default repayment plan for
federal loans — there is an array
of income - based repayment
options available to fit everyone's needs.
Income - Based Repayment is one
of four
options that can make
federal student
loan payments more affordable.
Here are just a few
of the guaranteed benefits
of federal loans: low, fixed interest rates; in - school and hardship deferment opportunities;
loan forgiveness
options; income - driven repayment plans; no prepayment penalties; and no minimum credit score requirement.
Borrowings under the refinanced Term
Loan bear interest at a rate equal to, at our
option, either (a) LIBOR (not less than 1.0 %) plus 3.0 % per annum or (b) 2.0 % per annum plus the highest
of (i) the
Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the Prime Rate, or (iii) one - month LIBOR plus 1.0 %.
If you are considering refinancing your
federal or private student
loans, you should understand the various types
of refinancing rates and
options.
And while
federal loans come with their own set
of challenges and risks, all 1.37 million private
loan borrowers are often subject to fewer protections and less flexible repayment plans than those offered under
federal loan agreements.Less accommodating repayment
options and more rigid terms can quickly lead to private student
loan defaults, which is a dangerous financial place to be.
The following
options may be available to students in need
of loans to fund their education under the
federal student
loan program:
Here are the income - based repayment
options you may have the
option of choosing for your
federal loans serviced with Great Lakes — visit this page to see which
federal loans are eligible for which repayment
options:
While student
loan borrowers may think bankruptcy is an answer to getting out from under the weight
of federal or private student
loans, rarely is bankruptcy an
option to discharge student
loan balances.
IDR is available in a myriad
of choices so that nearly every
federal student
loan borrower has at least one
option to make monthly payments based upon their income.
Borrowings under our credit facility bear interest at a per annum rate equal to, at our
option, either (a) for LIBOR
loans, LIBOR (but not less than 1.0 % for the term loan only) or (b) for ABR loans, the highest of (i) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans, LIBOR (but not less than 1.0 % for the term
loan only) or (b) for ABR
loans, the highest of (i) the federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans, the highest
of (i) the
federal funds effective rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the prime rate, or (iii) one month LIBOR plus 1.0 %, plus a margin ranging from 3.25 % to 3.75 % for LIBOR
loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
loans and 2.25 % to 2.75 % for ABR
Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offe
Loans, depending on our leverage ratio and on certain factors relating to this offering.
First, private student
loans don't usually offer the same number
of repayment
options as
federal loans.
If you've defaulted on any
of your
federal student
loans, contact the organization that notified you
of the default as soon as possible so you can explain your situation fully and discuss your
options.
This is one
of the best
options to stay on the road to repayment for
federal student
loan borrowers.
Borrowings under the refinanced Credit Facility bear interest at a rate equal to, at our
option, either (a) LIBOR (not less than 1.0 % for the Term
Loan only) plus 3.75 % per annum or (b) 2.75 % per annum plus the highest
of (i) the
Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the Prime Rate, or (iii) one - month LIBOR plus 1.0 %.
The interest rate was revised such that borrowings under the refinanced Term
Loan bear interest at a rate equal to, at our
option, either (a) LIBOR (not less than 1.0 %) plus 3.0 % per annum or (b) 2.0 % per annum plus the highest
of (i) the
Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5 %, (ii) the Prime Rate, or (iii) one - month LIBOR plus 1.0 %.
In addition, since your ability to obtain a private
loan depends largely on a student's (and often their parents») creditworthiness, interest rates can vary quite a bit and can potentially be significantly higher than those available through one
of the
federal options we discussed earlier.
Borrowers who took out the following
federal loans are eligible to take advantage
of graduated repayment
options:
If you have already graduated or are getting ready to graduate, it's a good idea to know all
of your repayment
options for your
federal Direct
Loans.
The Income - Based Repayment Plan (IBR), one
of the income - driven repayment
options, is a program for borrowers with
federal student
loan debt who want... Read more
Refinancing a
federal or private student
loan can be the most affordable
option, but you'll never know until you apply — and make sure you fully understand the terms and conditions
of the
loan you are considering.
Refinance is a great
option if you have a mix
of private and
federal loans and want a lower interest rate.
For example,
federal student
loans typically offer more borrower protections and flexible repayment
options compared to private
loans, said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher
of PrivateStudentLoans.guru.
All available rates and fees are lower than the
Federal Direct PLUS
Loan, and are based on one
of three repayment
options you can choose from to meet your needs.
Because
of this, refinancing can be a good
option for private student
loan borrowers or for those with a combination
of federal and private student
loans.
With
federal Parent PLUS
loans, you have the
option of deferring your
loan until up to six months after your child drops below half - time enrollment.
You have several choices when it comes to your
federal student
loan repayment
options, some
of which could significantly reduce your monthly student
loan payment.
For example, if you have
federal student
loan debt, then you can take advantage
of options such as income - driven repayment plans.
Lawsuits filed against one
of the nation's largest student
loan servicers by the
federal government's consumer watchdog and two states highlight the importance
of knowing your
options for repaying student
loan debt.
Federal loan borrowers have a range
of repayment
options.
«The problem is in part due to the poor economy, but on the
federal loan side, also underutilization
of flexible repayment
options such as income - based repayment.»
If you exhaust all
of your
federal student
loan options, and still need more money to complete your degree, private
loans can help fill the gap so you can finish school.
Refinancing is offered by private lenders, not the government, so it's not a great fit for those planning to take advantage
of federal repayment
options such as income - based repayment or public service
loan forgiveness.
Their only
option for income - driven repayment is to combine PLUS
loans in a
federal Direct Consolidation
Loan and then repay the new consolidation loan under an Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan, the least generous of all pl
Loan and then repay the new consolidation
loan under an Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan, the least generous of all pl
loan under an Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan, the least generous
of all plans.