Private Education Loans

The terms and conditions for private education loans differ among lenders, and students are advised to compare several loan programs before choosing a lender. Interest rates, fees, and other provisions are subject to changes the lender makes. Students are encouraged to review detailed loan program rates, fees, borrower benefits, and other details on the selected lender’s website.

The Office of Student Financial Aid provides student and parent borrowers with a preferred lender list as a starting point for obtaining a private education loan. There are many private education loan lenders to choose from. Borrowers are free to choose any private education loan product or lender, and the Office of Student Financial Aid will certify a private education loan application from any lender, if loan program criteria are met.

Visit the Office of Student Financial Success for information about how to compare loan options.

Those looking for other private education loan lenders may want to check with their home state’s student assistance agency or their local lending institutions

The private education loan process can take anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks from the day the borrower is approved for the loan until the loan is disbursed to the student’s U-Bill. It is strongly recommended that borrowers begin their private education loan research a few months before their U-Bill is due for the intended term.

1. Borrower researches several private education loan products and lenders and chooses the best loan option for their situation
2. Borrower completes the lender’s application process
   • Most undergraduate students will require a credit-worthy cosigner for loan approval
3. The lender completes all underwriting and makes the credit lending decision
4. If approved, the loan application is sent to ISU for certification within 3-5 business days
5. ISU certifies the student’s private education loan application and returns the application to the lender within 3-5 days of receipt of loan application
   • If issues or questions with the certification arise, ISU will email the student’s ISU email address to resolve any issues before certification
6. Allow up to two weeks for the lender to send the funds for the loan to ISU and for the funds to be applied to the student’s U-Bill*
   • Lending regulations require a waiting period called the “right to cancel,” so lenders may not disburse the funds to ISU for up to 10 business days after approving the loan application

The Office of Student Financial Success, along with the Office of Student Financial Aid, requires all undergraduate private education loan borrowers to complete Private Loan Counseling (PLC) when borrowing their first private loan at ISU. Private education loans will not apply in full to the student’s U-Bill until they have completed Private Loan Counseling.

For one term loans, the entire loan will be placed on hold.

For fall/spring loans, the second disbursement (the Spring semester disbursement) will be placed on hold until after the student has completed their PLC requirement.

Learn more about the Private Loan Counseling requirement.

The requirement cannot be completed prior to ISU receiving the student’s loan application.

• The maximum amount of your loan
  • The maximum a student can borrow is the cost of attendance (COA) minus all other financial aid received, including Federal Direct Loans and Federal Work-Study funds  The student’s estimated cost of attendance can be found in AccessPlus under the “Student” tab > Financial Aid > Financial Aid Offer or on our Cost of Attendance webpage. To calculate your maximum eligibility, subtract your other aid options from your total COA. For example, if your total COA is $20,000 and you are receiving $10,000 in other forms of aid; grants, scholarships, federal student loans and Work-Study, you can request up to $10,000 in a private education loan.
• Requesting a loan for a past-due balance from a previous semester
• Not all lenders will allow you to borrow for a past-due or prior term balance. Before you begin your application process, make sure the lender you have selected approves loan applications to cover a past-due or prior term balance. If you are obtaining a loan for a past-due balance, you will need to select the loan period to the academic term(s) related to the past-due balance.
• You can use ElmSelect to filter our preferred private loan lenders by past due balance using the filter button on the top right of the screen.
• Determining your loan period
• When you apply for a private education loan, you will be required to enter a loan period, with start and end dates. Your loan period’s start and end dates are the months associated with the academic term(s) for which you are borrowing. Usually you will request a loan for the entire academic year or for the specific term within the academic year. Private education loans for the summer term must always be applied for separately.
• Loan periods cannot overlap academic years (such as a loan from Spring into Fall). If you have questions about term dates, refer to the Academic Calendar.
• Your level of enrollment
  • Most lenders require that you are enrolled at least half-time in a degree-seeking program in order to obtain a loan. There are some lenders who will provide loans for less than half-time enrollment or for non-degree seeking students. Make sure to ask whether your lender has these requirements.
• Repayment
  • • When you borrow money for your education, you sign a promissory note legally obligating you to repay the loan according to the note’s stated terms and conditions. When the time comes for repayment (usually after your education is complete), meeting your student loan obligation helps you earn a good credit rating, which follows you throughout life.Lenders may offer different repayment options which may influence the loan’s interest rate. You may not be able to change repayment options after you apply for the loan. Make sure to understand your repayment choice when completing your application.
• Interest Rates
  • A variety of interest rates and fees are available from lending institutions. Instead of a fixed rate, that will not change over time such as 8 or 10 percent, private education loan programs may have interest rates that are variable, meaning the loan’s interest rates can change from month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter based on a fixed index plus a percentage determined by the lender. As these rates fluctuate with the market, the interest rates on the loans go up or down.
• When reviewing interest rates, you should consider what level of income you can realistically expect in your proposed career after graduation.
• Fees
  • There are different kinds of fees that a private education loan company may charge. Origination fees may be charged for the creation of the loan This fee may be assessed on the original principal. When looking at how much a loan program charges in fees, make sure that you add up both the fees charged initially at disbursement and any fees charged at the time you go into repayment. Always be sure to ask your chosen lender about such fees.
• Satisfactory Academic Progress
  • Some lenders require student borrowers to be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) in order to be eligible to borrow a private education loan. Below are Iowa State’s preferred private loan lenders that do not require a student to be meeting Satisfactory Academic Progress (in no specific order).
    • Citizens Student Loans
    • Sallie Mae
    • SoFi
    • Earnest
    • Custom Choice by Congition Financial

• What is a private education loan?
  • Private education loans are non-federal education loans that are available from banking institutions and other private entities.  The borrower of these loans can be a creditworthy student, student with creditworthy co-signer. Students typically use private education loans to bridge any gap between the total cost of attendance and traditional financial aid resources.
• Are private loans a good way to finance my education?
  • Before applying for a private loan, we recommend that you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, if eligible, to ensure you are being considered for all federal, state, and institutional aid first. Private education loans play an important role in financing the costs of higher education. If you borrow responsibly and understand your obligation to repay the loan, you shouldn’t be afraid to use a private education loan to pay for your education. You should also consider what income you can realistically expect in your proposed career after graduation.
• Why was my private education loan reduced from the amount that I was approved to borrow?
  • Federal regulations on private educations loans prohibit private education loans from exceeding a student’s cost of attendance, as determined by the school. The maximum a student can borrow is your cost of attendance (COA) minus all other financial aid received, including Federal Direct Loans and Federal Work-Study funds. Students who may need additional funds can submit a Cost of Attendance adjustment request for review. Cost of Attendance adjustments should be submitted prior to applying for a private education loan to ensure your loan is processed for the amount you need.
• What questions should I ask potential lenders when deciding if their loan is right for me?
  • What is the interest rate?
  • Is it fixed or variable?
  • Is there a limit on how high the interest rate can rise for loans with variable interest rates?
  • Are there fees and if so, what are they? Do you have prepayment penalty fees?
  • When will my repayment begin?
  • What are my repayment options?
  • What will be the total costs of the loan (interest, principal, fees)?
  • Are there any discounts for automatic payments and/or on-time payments? Are there deferment/forbearance options during repayment?
  • Are there any cosigner release options?
  • What if I don’t have a credit-worthy cosigner?
    • Most private education loan lenders will require a credit-worthy cosigner for student borrowers, due to limited credit histories of students. Few lenders have no-cosigner loan options. Students are encouraged to check out our Preferred Lender List or contact the Office of Student Financial Success for further assistance.
• What is an average interest rate for a private education loan?
  • Undergraduate private education loans for students can range from 1.03% to 11.23% for variable rates and 3.22% to 12.6% for fixed rates.
  • Graduate private education loans for students can range from 1.89% to 11.87% for variable rates and 3.99% to 12.59% for fixed rates.
  • Parent borrower private education loans can range from 1.97% to 12.99% for variable rates and 4.3 to 13.99% for fixed rates.