PLUS Loan Rates

Parent PLUS loan rates may be of interest to you when looking into PLUS loans. While you can use such funds to borrow up to the cost of an education, the idea is to borrow as little as you have to. By finding out if you are eligible for grants, scholarships, and work study first, you will have an idea of how much still has to be covered.

Federal Parent PLUS Loan Rates and You

The Federal Parent PLUS loan is for undergraduate students. It allows parents that have a good credit history to get a loan to pay for the education of a child that is enrolled at least part time. The direct PLUS loan interest rate amount will be fixed – so it isn’t determined by the credit score of the parents.

However, eligibility can be approved or denied based on the overall credit of the parents. Should a parent be deemed to have credit that isn’t acceptable, there is one other option. That would be to have a co-signer on the loan as well. This is someone that does have good credit and willing to cosign.

They would be vouching for the parents to make good on the funds that they need to repay. Should the parents not do so for any reason, it is the co-signer that legally becomes obligated to pay them.

As of July 1, 2010, the current PLUS loan interest rates were 7.9%. However, that amount can be reduced by .25% per month. The way to take advantage of that reduction is for the parents to set up an automatic debit payment from a bank account of their choice.

Don’t worry if you didn’t prepare early either for such a need. Some students don’t realize until it is crunch time that they simply don’t have enough money ready to pay for the upcoming college semester. Funds from PLUS loans can often be disbursed within a few weeks of the application process.

It is a good idea to discuss the Parent PLUS loan rates, the cost of the education, and other information with someone in financial aid. Once your child knows the college where they will attend, schedule an appointment. You may also find that there are additional funds for college that you didn’t know about.

Any time you get such information, it is encouraging and should be followed up on. The more free money you can get for your child’s education, then the less you have to borrow through the PLUS loan program. It makes sense to keep that debt as low as you can.

Of course the parents must sign the promissory note before hand. This means that they agree to the payment terms and conditions. They agree to pay the principal amount plus the interest. They also agree to pay in monthly installments, even if their child doesn’t complete their education.

To help reduce the overall amount of interest that will be paid, it is a good idea to pay off the PLUS loan as soon as possible. There isn’t any type of penalty should you pay off the loan early. If you find that the monthly payments are tough, consider consolidation. This is also something to look at in the future if the PLUS loan interest rates on such loans drop below what you have them currently at.

When it comes to PLUS loan rates, it is important to note that you may be able to deduct the amount of interest paid. This would be part of the Hope Education Tax Credit. It is a good idea to consult with your tax preparer to see if you qualify for this particular credit. Not everyone is able to put aside enough money for their children to go to college.

Yet they may be making too much money according to the FAFSA for their child to get a Pell Grant. Such individuals shouldn’t fall through the cracks and not be able to go to college. The Parent PLUS loan rates are low and designed to help ensure that just about everyone can go to college if they really want to.

PLUS Loan Lenders

You will find the number of PLUS loan lendersout there has increased. This means you will be able to get the process completed with ease from many sources. Since this is a Federal type of loan, you will find that you can electronically submit your application on the internet. The funds will also be electronically sent to the school where your child is going to attend college.

You will also find that many private banks in your area likely are PLUS loan lenders. You can look around online to find out. If you have a preferred bank you would like to work with, you can also choose to contact them directly. There are also some well known entities out there that you may be interested in working with.

Parent PLUS Loan Lenders

Sally Mae is perhaps one of the best known PLUS loan lenders out there when it comes to the various types of funds for education. They can talk you through the process of applying for a PLUS loan. They can also give you information so that you can determine if that is really the right type of loan for you.

Stick with lenders that have a proven reputation of helping people. Nelnet is one that you may have heard of. They have been in the business for a very long time. They offer the PLUS loan as well as other types of loans.

Nelnet makes it very easy to stay on top of your loans too. You can access all of your information online. You can also consolidate various types of loans into one. As a result, you don’t have to worry about the cost per month being something you can’t afford down the road.

College Loan Corporation is a private lender with plenty to offer. The offer the PLUS loan and you can complete everything you need online. They also have support services offered by phone or email if you need help with anything. They have everything set up to walk you step by step through the process. This is a great opportunity if you are new to applying for funds for college.

Goal Financial is a lender that many people are impressed with. They also offer the PLUS loan as well as many other types of aid for college. They can also help you to consolidate all of your loans. One of the benefits they are offer are calculators that walk you through all of the different scenarios. These calculators allow you to be well educated about the cost of the funds you borrow for your education.

PLUS Loan Lender Helpful Advice

It is up to you which of the PLUS loan lenders you are interested in working with. However, to make the process easier, you want to make sure you go with a business that has a good reputation such as a well known bank or a well known student loan company. If you don’t make sure your lender is one that is qualified, you may get involved with something else which is not a PLUS loan. They give the pretense of being able to help you with a PLUS loan but it may be another type of loan program.

Consumers have to be the best advocate for their own well being. Keep in mind with Parent PLUS loan lenders, that they have to subject your information to a credit check. This is why you have to give personal details including your date of birth and your social security number. They use that information to verify who you are and to get your credit reports.

You must have a decent credit rating to be eligible for a PLUS loan. If you don’t, then the lender may tell you that you should consider a co-signer that would also be responsible for repayment of the loan should it go into a default status. PLUS loan lenders should be able to give you plenty of information to help you through the process.

They should be able to provide you with a list of things that they will need. This is going to speed up the processing of your application. That is because you will be able to get everything into their hands for evaluation. Many of the websites have a checklist of items you will need so that you can work on gathering them at the same time you apply. The idea is to get things in motion as quickly as possible. PLUS loan lenders don’t want to have to deny your application because you failed to give them everything they need to make a determination with.

If you have questions, don’t be shy about asking Parent PLUS loan lenders about them. They understand the ins and outs of the process. They can explain to you what to expect every step of the way. Getting funding to pay for college is important, and you want to be able to use this method for it if you are eligible.

Parent PLUS Loan Eligibility

Understanding Parent PLUS loan eligibility requirements can allow you to see if it is a means of paying for college for you or not. The basic requirements include that the student must be a US citizen. They also have to be enrolled in a accredited college of higher education at least part time. A PLUS loan can cover the entire cost of the schooling, but you can’t borrow any more than that. Understanding the cost of the program can help you to determine how much you need to borrow.

Parent PLUS Loan Eligibility Requirements

For those considered to be a dependent, a parent has to complete the paperwork as part of PLUS loan eligibility. A dependent is categorized as anyone that is under 24 years of age, who isn’t married, and who has no dependent children of their own. They do so on the behalf of the student. There parents have to have good credit too. Otherwise, they will be required to have a student loan co-signer with good credit sign the promissory note as well on behalf of the student. If such a co-signer can’t be found and the parents don’t have good credit, the application will be denied.

Students that are considered to be independent may apply for a PLUS loan on their own. These are students over 24 years of age, those who are married, and those that have at least one dependent child of their own. They are old enough to do so, but they must have good credit in order to do so. If they don’t, then they can also look at the scenario of adding a co-signer to the loan as well for them to meet the eligibility criteria.

PLUS Loans and Credit Eligibility

Many people worry about their credit rating these days due to the economy. It can make you feel better to know that the expected credit rating has been reduced dramatically from what it was only 1 ½ years ago. The economy has been tough of everyone, and this is realized. So don’t think you automatically won’t get the Parent PLUS loan if your credit isn’t perfect.

Many of the schools and lenders require the student or their parents to apply for other forms of Federal financial aid first. This typically means filling out the FAFSA forms to see if they qualify for any Pell Grants. The reason for this is to reduce the amount of money that someone is going to need to borrow through the PLUS loan program.

Parent PLUS Loan Eligibility and Other Loan Defaults

Individuals that apply for a PLUS loan can’t be in default with any other loans out there. There are programs that can help to get this taken out of the way. For example, to get the loan out of default, the individual could ask for a consolidation loan to reduce the amount that they pay per month. They can also ask for deferment which will put their payments in the future and they won’t have to pay them right now.

Individuals can’t owe any refund for any Federal educational grant as part of PLUS loan eligibility. There are various circumstances when someone may have to repay such funds. If you fall into such a category, then you will be contacted by the financial lender. This doesn’t occur very often though so it isn’t something to worry a great deal about.

Needed PLUS Loan Eligibility Documents

There are certain types of documents that have to be completed as well for PLUS loan eligibility. In addition to the promissory note where the parents or the students promise to repay, there are forms that show people borrowing such funds understand the terms. An online entrance exam has to be completed that covers the interest rates and when payments are due.

This online format takes about 1 hour to complete. To login, parents or the student must have a PIN number that is associated with their FAFSA. Once the completion of the exam is done, notification will be sent to the school. They must have that on file before any funds from a lender can be disbursed into the account for the student.

Graduate PLUS Loans

Graduate PLUS loans for graduate students are a realistic way for you to fund your education. Being able to continue and complete an advanced degree can aid you with getting the job you really want. That makes sense given the fact that most people will have to work for several decades before they retire. You want to go to a job you love every day, and get paid well for it.

A step in the right direction though is to complete graduate school. If you have been considering it, you already know that it is can be very costly. With Federal graduate PLUS loans though you may have found the means of getting those courses paid for. Keep in mind that this is a loan – which means you will have to repay though funds over time after you complete school. If you don’t finish graduate school you will still have to repay the funds.

The Graduate PLUS Loan program is guaranteed by the Federal government. It offers a low interest loan program that allows people to get the financial help the feel that they need. While this type of loan program isn’t need based, the schools often require a FAFSA to be completed first.

They do this because it makes more sense for students to take advantage of any free funds such as a Pell Grant or scholarship that they may be eligible for before considering taking out funds through loan programs since they will have to repay them. The total cost of the education for the year less any other forms of financial aid the student can receive determines how much they are eligible to borrow through Graduate PLUS Loans.

Grad PLUS Loans require Good Credit

Graduate students need to realize that in order to be eligible for this type of funding though they need to have very good credit. They don’t need to have a co-signer though which is a big advantage. Many private lender student loans for graduate school require a co-signer. However, if your first application is denied for a Grad PLUS loan you can consider applying again with a co-signer.

There is no collateral that is given for a Graduate PLUS Loan. With that in mind, lenders have to be careful who they allocate those available funds to. They are going to be more likely to offer them to those that have stable credit histories than those that don’t seem to be able to pay their bills on time.

The interest rate for this type of loan is fixed at about 7.9%. This fixed rate means that graduate students don’t have to be worried about variable rates over time that can be very high and cost them a fortune in interest as they try to repay the funds that they have borrowed. The payments can be deferred while the student is in college.

Typically the first payment is 6 months after school ends – either by completing the graduate program or leaving school for various reasons. Keep track of your interest though as most of the time that money paid in can be used as a deduction on your income taxes. Talk to the agency that prepares your taxes to see if your circumstances qualify you for such a deduction.

When a student is eligible for this type of Grad PLUS loan, the funds will go directly to the school they will be attending. Generally the loan funds are dispersed in at least two installments. No single payment will be to cover more than half of the funds that the student is to receive for a given school year.

The cost of tuition, housing, books, fees, and even travel for the program can all be part of what the funds are used for. If you are interested in graduate school then don’t let the cost of it hold you back. Federal Graduate PLUS loans are designed to open up that door so that you can walk through it stress free and excited about your future.