All federal student loans promise to defer payment on the loan while the student remains in school on at least a half time basis. Once the student graduates or begins taking fewer classes, the payments on the loan do not need to begin immediately. They can be deferred by as much as 6 months.
Federal student loans offer students in the U.S. the largest source of need-based loans. They allow students to obtain a loan with simple interest and a government guarantee. In applying for such loans, students do not need to have any type of collateral.
The big plus of all federal student loans, is the promise of an in-school interest subsidy. That means that the federal government pays the interest on the loan while the student is still in school. The government also pays that interest during the first six months after the loan recipient is out of school.
The Types of Federal Student Loans
Students should understand that there are number of different federal student loans. Some students get a Perkins Loan. When a student is awarded a Perkins Loan, then his or her chosen school gets the loan money. The school then transfers that money to the student’s account in the form of a credit. Perkins loans have an interest rate of 5%.
Some students are awarded a Stafford Loan. This is a subsidized loan. The Stafford Loan comes (at the time of writing), with an interest rate of 6.8%. The student awarded a Stafford Loan can choose the bank that will be lending the money for that loan. The lender then sends that money to the student’s school. Again the school transfers that money to the student’s account in the form of a credit.
Direct Student Loans and Loan Information
Federal student loans do not always provide for money that comes from a lender. Some federal loans are direct loans. When a student gets a direct loan, then the government is the lender of the loan money.
These loans can be given to citizens or to permanent residents. At one time, some of the students awarded federal loans still lacked a full understanding of the loan process in the U.S. And at that time, about 25 years ago, students of course could not look to the Internet for information on federal student loans.
Without easy access to information, some students lacked an understanding of the loan provisions, and delayed paying for their federal student loans.
Interest Reduction on Federal Student Loans
Some students who have benefited from these loans have had the opportunity to get an interest reduction. That reduction is given to loan recipients who have chosen to use a direct debit to make payments on the loan. The extent of that reduction depends on the level of education attained by the student.
Federal student loans for undergraduates typically offer a 1% interest rate reduction for agreement to direct debit and for graduate students they usually offer a 1.5% rate reduction to any such loan recipient who is willing to make their payments by direct debit.
By Martin Haworth
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