What is a Student Loan?
An education loan is a form of financial aid that must be repaid, with interest. When students receive a student loan, it is borrowing money to attend college. It is important to understand repayment options to successfully repay student loans.
Understanding the Types of Student Loans
- Federal Loans: Student loans (Direct loans) Parent loans (PLUS loans) – Federal student loans and federal parent loans are funded by the federal government
- Private Loans: Private student loans are non-federal loans, made by a lender such as a bank, credit union, state agency, or a school.
- Consolidation Loans: Consolidation loans are a combination of several student or parent loans into one bigger loan from a single lender.
Comparing your student loan options is the best way to save money on the cost of borrowing. Fastweb and Student Loan Hero by Lending Tree have reviewed the top private student loan lenders to help you make an informed decision.
Grants, scholarships, work-study and other forms of gift aid just do not cover the full cost of a college education. Many students find that they must supplement their savings with government and private loans. The Federal education loan programs offer lower interest rates and more flexible repayment plans than most consumer loans, making them an attractive way to finance your education. You can also deduct up to $2,500 in student loan interest even if you don’t itemize deductions on your income tax return.
Featured Student Loan Providers
College Ave Student Loans – Undergraduate Student Loans
College Ave Student Loans offers loan options for undergrads, grad students and parents. Our loans are designed to give you great rates plus the most repayment options so you can create a loan that fits your monthly budget while paying as little interest as possible.
Our simple application process takes just 3 minutes to complete and get an instant credit decision. Not sure which repayment plan is right for you? Our student loan calculator and free credit pre-qualification tool can help.
For footnotes, please refer to the links for product specifics (undergraduate, graduate or parent).
Loan
Undergraduate Student Loan Help cover tuition and other education costs for students in associates and bachelors degree programs.2
You decide whether to make loan payments during school:
• Full Principal and interest payments
• Interest only payments
• $25 payments each month during school3
• Defer payments while in school
Limits
COA-Aid ($1,000 minimum)2
Rates
Variable Rates: 5.59%-16.69% APR (with auto-pay discount)1
Fixed Rates: 4.07%-15.48% APR (with auto-pay discount)1
Fees and Terms
No application or origination fees and no penalties for paying early.
Choose between 5, 8, 10 or 15 year options.3
Student Loan Providers
Credible
Credible offers borrowers a “kayak-style” experience while shopping for personalized prequalified rates. Similar to the “Common App,” users (and co-signers) complete a single, brief form and receive personalized prequalified rates from multiple lenders. Checking rates on Credible is free and does not impact a user’s credit score to compare offers.
Credible’s marketplace includes:
- Ascent
- Citizens
- College Ave
- Custom Choice
- ELFI
- INvestEd
- MEFA
- Sallie Mae – UG
Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from companies that appear on the site, and such compensation may impact the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented.
Disclosure: Personalized Prequalified Rates on Credible is free and doesn’t affect your credit score. However, applying for or closing a loan will involve a hard credit pull that impacts your credit score and closing a loan will result in costs to you. Prequalified rates are based on the information you provide and a soft credit inquiry. Receiving prequalified rates does not guarantee that the Lender will extend you an offer of credit. You are not yet approved for a loan or a specific rate. All credit decisions, including loan approval, if any, are determined by Lenders, in their sole discretion. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Rates from Lenders may differ from prequalified rates due to factors which may include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in your personal credit circumstances; (ii) additional information in your hard credit pull and/or additional information you provide (or are unable to provide) to the Lender during the underwriting process; and/or (iii) changes in APRs (e.g., an increase in the rate index between the time of prequalification and the time of application or loan closing. (Or, if the loan option is a variable rate loan, then the interest rate index used to set the APR is subject to increases or decreases at any time). Lenders reserve the right to change or withdraw the prequalified rates at any time.
Loan
Choose between personalized prequalified rates, as well as deferred and interest-only repayment options for your school loans.
Graduate and undergraduate loans for almost every degree type.
Repayment options range from immediate full repayment (principal and interest payments immediately after the loan is fully disbursed), interest only (interest-only payments while you are in school, and start making principal and interest payments after you leave school), full deferral while in school, flat payment while in-school, graduated repayment (payments increase over time).
Limits
COA-Aid (annual limit)
Borrow up to $170,000 through Credible’s marketplace.
Annual max (100% of school certified costs minus other financial aid received).
Lifetime aggregate loan amount 200K.
Rates
4.07% Fixed APR (with autopay)* and 4.98% Variable APR (with autopay) See Terms*.
*Read rates and terms at Credible.com.
Fees and Terms
No fees.
5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 15 and 20 year terms available.
Sallie Mae – Undergraduate Student Loans
Special Features/Benefits:
- Get a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction when you enroll and make monthly payments by auto debit.*
- You can get the money you need to cover 100% of your school-certified expenses whether you’re studying online or on campus.*
- Choose from multiple repayment options, including no payments while in school.*
Application Process:
Borrower can initiate the application process at SallieMae.com. It only takes about 15 minutes to apply online and get a credit result.
Sallie Mae reserves the right to modify or discontinue products, services, and benefits at any time without notice and provides compensation to Finaid for the referral of loan customers. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply.
*More Sallie Mae Loan Information.
Information advertised valid as of 8/25/2023.
Index is the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent.
Loan
For undergraduate and career training students. (School Certified)
Pay now or later – choose an in-school repayment option that fits your needs or defer your payments until after school.*
• Make interest payments each month
• Pay $25* per month
• Defer payments
Limits
COA-Aid ($1,000 minimum)*
Rates
• Variable Rates: 30-day SOFR + 6.63% (6.37% APR) to 30-day SOFR + 17.75% (16.70% APR)*
• Fixed Rates: 4.75% (4.50% APR) to 16.53% (15.49% APR)*
• Lowest APRs shown include the auto debit discount.
Fees and Terms
• 10-15 years based on cumulative Sallie Mae loan balance, repayment option and year in school.*
• No origination fee or prepayment penalty.
• Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note — first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.
We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.
Sallie Mae – Graduate Student Loans
Special Features/Benefits
- Get a 0.25 percentage point interest rate reduction when you enroll and make monthly payments by auto debit.*
- You can get the money you need to cover 100% of your school certified expenses whether you’re studying online or on campus.*
- Choose from multiple repayment options, including no payments while in school.*
Borrower can initiate the application process at SallieMae.com. It only takes about 15 minutes to apply online and get a credit result.
Sallie Mae reserves the right to modify or discontinue products, services, and benefits at any time without notice and provides compensation to Finaid for the referral of loan customers. Terms, conditions, and limitations apply.
Information advertised valid as of 12/26/2023.
Index is the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent.
*More Sallie Mae Graduate Loan Information.
Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.
Loan
Sallie Mae® Graduate Student Loan Suite
Graduate students aren’t all the same; graduate school loans shouldn’t be, either.
For Graduate and Professional School Students attending degree-granting institutions only. Our suite of school-certified graduate loans include the MBA Loan, Medical School Loan, Law School Loan, Dental School Loan, Graduate School Loan, and Health Professions Graduate Loan.
Choose from multiple repayment options.
Limits
Visit Sallie Mae.com for details on individual graduate loans.
Rates
Visit Sallie Mae.com for details on individual graduate loans.
Fees and Terms
No origination fee or prepayment penalty.
Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note – first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.
Please be advised that the operator of this site accepts advertising compensation from companies that appear on the site, and such compensation impacts the location and order in which the companies (and/or their products) are presented.
