What are school loans and why do I need one?
A school loan is simply a loan that you get that will help you to pay the cost of attending college. The reason that you would need one is that most people are unable to cover the cost of a
college education without some sort of assistance. These days the cost of getting a bachelor's degree can run well into the six figures, although for most students it is more around the twenty
thousand dollar range. Either way this is an expense that most students simply can't afford given that few of them have a substantial income during the time when they are in school.
In addition to the cost of tuition to attend college students of course need to pay for things like books and living expenses. This significantly adds to the cost of getting a degree.
The problem is made worse by the fact that a bachelor's degree is really starting to lose its value as people become better and better educated. These days you almost have to have a
master's degree if you are going to have a successful career. This adds even more to the expense of an education and it has forced more and more students to take advantage of student loan programs.
Given the high cost of attending college most students find that they need to have various sources of funding to pay for it. A big part of the expense will be borne by their parents
and in order to help make this possible the government has created tax free college savings accounts to encourage people to save for their children's college education. Few parents
are actually able to save enough to cover the cost of sending their children to college. As a result most students will need to use school loans
to help pay for at least part of the cost.
If you do find that it is necessary to use student loans to help you to pay for the cost of attending college you are going to need to understand all of the different loan options that
are available and the advantages and disadvantages that each offers. The best option by far are the loans that come straight from the government. These are called either
Stafford loans or Perkins loans depending on which program you are eligible under.
These are easy to qualify for, have no credit check and have by far the lowest interest rate of any student loan thatyou will get. The downside is that the amount that you can borrow is
strictly limited and will be nowhere near enough for most students to be able to complete their degree.
The next best option when it comes to student loans are the ones that are subsidized by the federal government. These ones you have to get from the bank but the government does offer money
to the bank in order to help keep the interest rates down. Even more importantly the government will also pay the interest during the time that you are in school so you will not have to start
making payments until after you have graduated. In order to qualify for these loans you will need to have a credit check although most students will qualify since they are well aware that
few students have a lengthy credit history. In general these loans along with the government programs will be enough to get most students through college. However if you are attending an
expensive private college or if you didn't qualify for one of these programs you will have to find another option.
The last option that you have available to you if you are in need of student loans is an unsubsidized loan. This is just like any other loan that you would get from a bank and it will be issued entirely on their terms. Due to the fact that these loans are not subsidized and that students usually have a very short credit history they usually come with a pretty high interest rate. In most cases you will also have to start making at least interest payments right away, in some cases you may actually have to start making full payments. These loans should really only be used as a last resort and most students will find that they really don't need them. If you do find it necessary to get one make sure that you shop around as the interest rates and terms can vary pretty dramatically.