In a new LendEDU survey of 850
student loan cosigners, we found that many parents are feeling the negative affects of their children's student debt where it matters most: their pockets.
Student loan cosigners aren't just for undergraduate student loans.
If you have a cosigner for your private loans, here are some steps to get started with
student loan cosigner release.
Technically you can get almost anyone to become
your student loan cosigner.
Very often,
a student loan cosigner is a parent.
Learn about your responsibilities as
a student loan cosigner and how cosigning a loan with Sallie Mae works.
As
a student loan cosigner, you're equally responsible for making sure that student loan payments are made on time.
Technically you can get almost anyone to become
your student loan cosigner.
But there are risks to being
a student loan cosigner.
In fact,
a student loan cosigner can essentially be anybody who is willing to do so provided that the individual has good credit, as this will help the student borrower in obtaining their needed funds.
«Some of this debt is from Federal Parent PLUS loan debt for their children, some from private
student loans cosigner for children or grandchildren and some for the retiree's own education including grad school.»
Not exact matches
When new
students take out private
student loans, they typically have someone sign with them, usually a parent or guardian, as opposed to a federal
loan that requires no
cosigner.
If your child has limited credit history, consider becoming a
cosigner while they apply for
student loan refinancing.
Most college
students will be required to have a
cosigner in order to qualify for a private
student loan.
Cosigners are responsible for paying back the
loan if the
student can't, but in some New Jersey cases, the
student has passed away or faced severe medical problems.
The majority of private
student loans in the United States require the borrower to have a
cosigner, unless the borrower is over the age of 25 or has a strong credit history.
See our post on
student loan refinancing to learn more about this
cosigner release option.
If your parents are
cosigners on your current
student loans, you already know the stress this adds to your relationships.
According to the most recent report by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from 2014, private
student loan borrowers are finding out they are in default on their
loans after the death of their
cosigner.
If you're looking to release a parent or other
cosigner from your
student loans, find out which lenders will work with you.
The second method is seeking out private
student loans, but you typically must have a lengthy credit history and excellent credit rating to avoid the
cosigner requirement.
Federal
student loans don't require a
cosigner or guarantor for your debt.
Some private
student loan lenders do give
cosigners the option of getting released from
loans once specific requirements are met.
Private
student loan giant, Sallie Mae, has a list of requirements that borrowers need to meet to pursue
cosigner release — including proof of income, a credit review, and more.
In the world of private
student loans, having a
cosigner is more common than not having one.
If the applicant's initial
student loans had a
cosigner, the applicant may have the option to refinance their
loans solely in the borrowers name and «release» the original
cosigner (s).
Although some graduate
students may have the credit and income history needed to qualify for a private
student loan without a
cosigner, most undergraduates will not.
Undergraduate
students using the Credible platform to request quotes for private
loans with a
cosigner qualified for
loans with interest rates averaging 5.37 percent.
Although every
student's situation is unique, Credible's user data demonstrate that private lenders offer rates that can be competitive with federal PLUS
loans, particularly when borrowers apply with a
cosigner.
But more than than half (56 percent) of graduate
students who requested rate quotes with a
cosigner prequalified to apply for a
loan.
For
students taking out private
loans to cover college funding gaps, having a
cosigner not only improves the odds of being approved for a
loan, but can help borrowers obtain, on average, a better interest rate, an analysis of Credible user data shows.
Fifty - six percent of grad
students loan shopping with a
cosigner received rate quotes, compared to 45 percent who requested quotes without a
cosigner.
The analysis of rate requests submitted to the Credible
student loan marketplace revealed that private
student loan lenders offer rates that can be competitive with costly federal PLUS
loans — particularly when borrowers apply with a
cosigner.
With a
cosigner, grad
students qualified for
loans with interest rates averaging 4.59 percent, compared to an average of 6.21 percent without a
cosigner.
As the chart below illustrates, 80 percent of undergraduates who requested rate quotes for private
student loans through the Credible platform without a
cosigner did not qualify.
Graduate
students shopping with a
cosigner got quotes for
loans with interest rates averaging 4.59 percent, compared to an average of 6.21 percent without a
cosigner.
With this option, the
student is the main or primary borrower of the
student loan and the parent is the
cosigner.
The parent and
student apply for this
loan together, with the parent as the
cosigner of this debt.
You'll need a good credit score and a steady, decent income history to qualify as a
cosigner for private
student loans.
Some also offer income - based repayment if you're in danger of defaulting on your
student loans or your
cosigner's financial situation has changed (due to a divorce, for example).
Refinancing also can be a way to move
student loans from a parent to a child (or vice versa) or remove a
cosigner.
Students looking to qualify for
loans with lower interest rates will often add a
cosigner — often a parent with a more established credit history — to their
loan.
A
cosigner takes on just as much responsibility for repaying the
student loan as the primary borrower does, and is equally affected by any missed payments.
While you can still try to apply for private
student loans without a
cosigner, keep in mind that you will need a solid credit history and good credit score (usually around 650 and higher) to qualify.
Federal
student loans (except for PLUS
loans, if the borrower has an adverse credit history) do not require a
cosigner.
The most common
cosigner on
student loans are the
student's parents or relatives.
Luckily, many
student loan refinancing options come with the opportunity to apply for
cosigner release.
How
cosigner release works with
student loan refinancing
The variable interest rate and Annual Percentage Rate (APR) depend upon (a) the
student's and
cosigner's (if applicable) credit histories, (b) the repayment option and
loan term selected, and (c) the requested
loan amount and other information provided on the online
loan application.
SunTrust Bank — Current fixed interest rates depend on (a) the
student's and
cosigner's (if applicable) credit histories, (b) the repayment option and
loan term selected, and (c) the requested
loan amount and other information provided on the online
loan application.