Private student loans is money you borrow from a bank or similar place to help pay for your education in college, home or abroad. It is not like government loans, and it can cost more to repay.
Private student loans help undergraduates, graduates, and professional students, including those in medical or dental programs, ease of the stress of paying tuition and other expenses.
However, quite unlike federal loans from the government, private college loans come from banks or other financial institutions respectively.
Private Student Loans for College
You can get student loans for private colleges from banks, credit unions, and any other financial institution.
Also, you can apply for a private loan at anytime and use the money for things like tuition, housing, books, computers, educational travels, and living costs.
Private loans do not in any way depend on your financial need, unlike certain federal loans. They sometimes may require a credit check to see if you are a good borrower.
Therefore, if your credit history is not good, you might need someone else to help you apply for and get this educational loan. Private loans can sometimes allow you to borrow more unlike federal loans that have limits.
Best Loans for Private Colleges
There are very many private bodies and organizations that offer financial aids to students, locally and internationally. The best decision is for you the applicant to find the one that best suits your needs and has a comfortable repayment plan to apply for.
However, in this article, I have a few of such organizations and how they operate. Keep reading to find out in the paragraphs below:
Ascent
Ascent Student Loans is a very good option for private student loans. They provide loans for both students with and without cosigners, for undergraduates and graduates.
You can borrow between $2,001 and $200,000 with competitive rates and simple repayment terms. What sets them apart is their clear requirements for non-cosigned loans, especially for juniors and seniors, which is unusual in the private student loans world.
However, you as an applicant must possess the following:
- A satisfactory academic performance of 2.9 GPA or greater
- Be a U.S. citizen or have a U.S. permanent resident or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status.
- You must be a college junior or senior enrolled full-time with an expected graduation date within 9 months of the date the loan application is submitted in a degree program.
Citizens Bank Private Student Loans
Citizens Bank usually, gives strong private college loans, with borrowing options starting at $1,000 and going up to $350,000 depending on your degree.
It is great that they consider your degree program, which helps you think about your return on investment over time.
Citizens Bank provides both student and parent student loans, offering an alternative to Parent PLUS Loans. Note that, refinancing Parent PLUS Loans with them may lead to lower interest rates and upfront fees.
College Ave Private Student Loans
College Ave offers some of the lowest rates for student loans. They are a major private lender with highly competitive rates.
They provide flexible repayment options, including 5, 10, 15, or 20-year terms. You can borrow from $1,000 up to your total education expenses.
They also let students delay payments until after graduation or make interest-only payments while in school. Sounds great!
ELFI
ELFI, which means Education Loan Finance, is a prominent student loan provider that offers some of the most attractive interest rates in the industry. This lender can extend loans to borrowers across the entire United States, including Puerto Rico, making it widely accessible.
ELFI provides a different loan term options, allowing borrowers to choose repayment periods spanning from 5 to 15 years. This flexibility can be helpful in tailoring your loan to meet your needs.
However, there is one essential requirement to keep in mind, ELFI typically requires borrowers to be enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program or a more advanced educational pursuit.
This means that eligibility may be limited to those pursuing only higher education degrees.
LendKey
LendKey stands out as an exceptional lender due to its combination of competitive student loan rates and a distinctive operational approach. They source their loans from credit unions and community banks but manage the entire process through their online platform.
This means you may not even realize that your loan came from a smaller bank, as LendKey handles everything effortlessly. However, it is worth noting that LendKey’s repayment options during your school years are not as flexible as some other lenders.
However, you can choose to make interest-only payments or fixed $25 monthly payments during school, which is still manageable. It not as convenient as full deferment.
On the other hand, LendKey does not burden borrowers with origination or application fees and will not penalize you for paying off your loan ahead of time.
Sallie Mae Private Student Loans
Sallie Mae is a very popular student loan lender, with a somewhat mixed reputation. They hold the title of being the largest private student loan lender, which comes with advantages in terms of offering highly competitive private student and parent loans.
With Sallie Mae, you can secure student loans starting at a minimum of just $1,000, one of the lowest starting points available.
Moreover, you have the flexibility to borrow up to the total cost of your education, which can be quite beneficial.
Sallie Mae provides an extensive range of student loan options, boasting over 8 different choices. Additionally, they offer various repayment plans to cater to individual preferences.
As bonus, borrowers receive 4 free months of Chegg Study and regular updates on their FICO credit scores.
Purefy
Purefy operates as a student loan comparison website and also plays a vital role in sourcing for refinanced student loans and parent loans, all thanks to its collaboration with the Pentagon Federal Credit Union, (PenFed).
Established in 2014, Purefy partners with PenFed since 2016, and together, they have facilitated the origination of more than $1 billion in loans.
Purefy functions as a valuable rate comparison tool, providing information on interest rates, loan terms, and eligibility criteria from several lending partners, including Ascent, Earnest, Iowa Student Loan, and College Ave.
CommonBond
They specialize in refinancing student loans, CommonBond offers competitive rates for refinancing and multiple payment terms.
While CommonBond has some tough competition for student loan refinancing, it pulls ahead thanks to offering some of the best interest rates.
Refinancing rates start at 4.44% APR on variable-rate loans, 4.49% on fixed-rate loans, and 4.48% APR for a hybrid rate option. CommonBond also offers regular undergraduate student loans.
The unique hybrid-rate refinancing loan offers a fixed rate for the first five years and then switches to a variable rate. This can be a great option for borrowers who want to prepay this debt or get a head start on repayment with a lower rate.
Conclusion
When you find the right private student loans organization, you will realize how important their help is in your educational journey. However, it depends on your situation and goals.
Whether you are a student or a parent, some lenders have very good and affordable rates, with flexible terms, and helpful benefits. Therefore, carefully look at the options in this article and compare them.
This way, you can choose wisely, meet your financial needs, and succeed in your studies. Remember, education is an investment, and with the right loan, it can lead to a bright future. Good Luck!
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