What is the Difference between Getting a Federal Student Loan and a Private Student Loan?

by: Michael Saunders
Attending college is a milestone, but can also be extremely expensive. With some options already in mind, you may want to look at the student loan alternatives that are available to a college undergraduate. Student loans can be very tricky, and are very confusing to most. In many situations, families are accepted for all different kind of loans and then are left in the dark when it is time to pay it back or fail to realize that they owe as much due to accrued interest.

With high interest rates and very unforgiving payment plans, it is best to know what options are available to you prior to being seduced by college lenders with promises of fast money.

You may already be somewhat familiar with the terms ‘Federal Student Loan’ and 'Private Student Loan'; these are the two most popular type student loans being used today. Do not let the terms deceive you, as they do not sound very different, they come with very different stipulations and payment approaches when it comes time to pay the money back. A student loan is anything that is aided to the student or their family from the government or school the student plans to attend. These loans the student will pay back with interest at a later date.
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What is the Difference between Getting a Federal Student Loan and a Private Student Loan?
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About The Author The author edits a site featuring Grants for Education and another Government Grants site providing info on every grant the federal government offers. Michael Saunders has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Additional Resources

category - Education Grants

Summer Seminars and Institutes Program
The National Endowment for the Humanities has recently established the Summer Seminars and Institutes Program wherein it aims to provide support to faculty development programs in the field of the humanities for school, college, and university teachers.

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Financing Your Education with Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants assist those undergraduate students enrolled in a postsecondary education that cannot afford their educational expenses without financial assistance. The grant is in place to help them meet their educational expenses to the successful completion of a postsecondary degree.

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Financing Your Education - Federal Perkins Loans
The Federal Perkins Loan Program helps those undergraduate postsecondary students that cannot afford their educational expenses without financial assistance with a low interest loan. The loan is in place to help them meet their educational expenses to the completion of a postsecondary degree.

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Student Loans Available Directly from the Federal Government
There are different variations of a Federal Direct Student Loan available; these are dependent on whether or not the student is eligible for government assistance. Need based programs include the Stafford Loan and the Direct Subsidized Loan; while non-need based programs are the Direct PLUS program, and the Direct Unsubsidized Loan.

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