Personal Loan Bad Credit Private

Part 1: Answers to Your Questions on Scholarships and Student Loans

I have borrowed for the first two years for my twins to attend college. I’m frightened that I will not be able to borrow more, and there are two years left. Is there any real practical source for students to borrow enough to attend college? If not the banks with their high interest rates, then where? Pell grants, etc., if they continue, are insufficient for tuition and other expenses. What are families to do? – Lorene

Always borrow federal first, as federal student loans are cheaper, more available and have better repayment terms than private student loans.

Federal Stafford loans do not depend on the borrower’s credit history, so they should remain available. The loan limits are also higher during the junior and senior years in college.

Federal Parent PLUS loans require the borrower to not have an adverse credit history. An adverse credit history occurs when the borrower has had a bankruptcy discharge, foreclosure, repossession, tax lien, wage garnishment or default determination in the last five years, or a current delinquency of 90 or more days on any debt. So long as you remain current on all your debts and don’t get one of these derogatory events on your credit history, you should remain eligible for the Parent PLUS loan.

If you were to lose eligibility for the Parent PLUS loan and are unable to find a creditworthy endorser, your children would be eligible for the increased Stafford loan limits available to independent students. These loan limits are $5,000 higher than the loan limits for dependent students during the junior and senior year in college.

Private student loans, which are not government guaranteed, consider the credit history and credit scores of the borrower and co-signer. These credit scores typically decrease with each year in school as the amount of debt increases. Most lenders, however, will continue to lend to a student who is very close to graduating. State loan programs, credit unions, small home-town banks and peer-to-peer lending sites also tend to be more forgiving of minor credit problems.