Normally, graduate students pay
for tuition fee more than undergraduate. Therefore, the main
purpose of graduate loans is to help fund their education.
There are two venues in which graduate students can obtain
graduate loans: the government and private entities, (who
provide alternative graduate loans). Each of these is
discussed in more detail below.
1. Government Graduate Loans
This type of loan is the same as undergraduate loan. The
only difference is name. Like undergraduates, graduates have
the opportunity to get a Stafford or Perkins loan from the
government.
Stafford graduate loans are
available to any graduate student regardless of their
financial situation. Two types of Stafford graduate loans
exist: subsidized and unsubsidized. The difference in the
two lies in who pays the interest. For subsidized Stafford
graduate loans, the government pays the interest. Students
pay for the interest in unsubsidized Stafford graduate
loans, though there is the option of not having to make
payments until after graduation.
A Perkins graduate loan is
available to students who demonstrate financial hardship. It
has an interest rate of only 5 percent and can finance up to
$4,000 of the graduate student's education. For graduate
students who are adversely limited economically, the Perkins
loan is not a bad option. However, one must keep in mind
that payments are still expected to be received promptly and
perpetually. In extreme circumstances it is possible to
request a deferment on loan payments until one is able to
pay normally.
To apply for either the
Perkins or Stafford graduate loans, one must submit a FAFSA
form to the government. When the form has been processed the
government will send a SAR (Student Aide Report) which will
give further instructions on how to apply for these loans.
2. Alternate Graduate Loans
This loan has also been known as private graduate loans, are
loans funded by non-governmental entities. Companies
offering these loans could be banks, credit card agencies or
any other enterprise interested in helping graduate students
secure student loans. The Education Resources Institute
(TERI) is an example of a company offering this type of
loan. It is called the Act Graduate Student loan program.
The application can be filled out online at
http://gradloans.com.
Decisions are received in as little as 15 minutes.
You can first try to visit
websites of all the major banks because many do offer
student loans services. Or you can use a search engine by
typing the name of banks you know. Some banks will even
offer graduate loan comparison charts to help their
customers see how their loans stack up against the
competitors. These charts can serve as a further aide in
researching graduate loans.