How to Apply For Private Student Loans

So you're Joe College and you have elected not to pursue federal student financial aid, for any of a number of reasons. That's fine, but what are your other options? You could try to apply for private student loans, for one thing.

As with most other things, when I am hunting down information, my starting point is always the Internet. Do a search online, using any of the major search engines, using the words 'private student loans' and you will turn up at least 50,000 related websites. Keep in mind, however, that not all of these will be pertinent. Typically the first fifty or so websites will be helpful, and fifty different sources of information is pretty good in anyone's book!

Now you have searched and turned up a sufficient number of sources - good for you, a lot of the work has been taken care of...but you still have to sift through the sites. You need to establish a set of criteria when applying for private student loans.

The requirements for private student loans are fairly simple. You need to have at least a 27 month history of credit of some sort, whether repayment of a small loan over a period of time or regular payments on a credit card. The main thing to avoid are late payments or a history of running up a large credit card bill as those will reflect negatively on your credit history.

Since it is more than likely that you are a very young person, you will probably be required to provide a co-signer. That is someone who also has a good credit rating and has proof of sufficient income and a low debt load, who is willing to guarantee repayment of the loan in the unlikely eventuality that you may be unable to repay the loan yourself.

I would always advise students to first seek grants and scholarships as these do not have to be repaid, but the truth is that not everyone is eligible for a scholarship or grant, and it is a blessing that those persons can obtain student loans to finance their education. And helping someone find private college loans is a worthwhile endeavor!

Try to avoid borrowing more than you will be able to repay within a reasonable period of time. When you apply for private student loans, remember to look for those with a low interest rate and a repayment schedule that fits your needs.

Ken Larsen
10-24-08

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