Exclusive Loan Graduation Reward - $300 principal reduction on every loan upon graduation1
No Upfront Fees!2
Lower your interest rate by 0.25% when you choose to have your payments automatically deducted from your personal bank account3
Rates as low as one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) + 2.5%, currently 4.5326% APR4
Borrow up to the cost of education minus financial aid received
Defer payments until after graduation5
Loan Eligibility
Must be enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school.
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident or have a cosigner who is.
You must be the legal age of majority or at least 17 years of age with a cosigner who is legal age of majority.*
Your permanent residence is NOT in Texas, Wisconsin, Washington, or Iowa. (There is no state restriction for cosigners.)
Many borrowers will need a cosigner. Borrowers without a cosigner must have at least 27 months of established credit history.
Interest Rates
The Interest rate is a combination of the One-Month LIBOR, plus a Margin. The rate ranges from the One-Month LIBOR + 2.5% to One-Month LIBOR + 8%. The rate will fluctuate as the One-Month LIBOR index changes. Applying with a credit worthy qualified cosigner may help you qualify for a lower rate.
LIBOR is an interest rate index used to determine the interest rate at which banks borrow funds from each other in the London Interbank market. It stands for the London Interbank Offered Rate. The Academic Answer product uses the current one-month LIBOR which can be found in the "Money Rates" section of The Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition).
Loan Fee
There are no upfront or origination fees for the loan. However, there may be a repayment finance charge depending on your, or your cosigner's, credit history. Applying with a qualified cosigner may reduce your fee.
If a repayment finance charge is applicable to your loan, the charge will range from 2% to 5.5% and will be assessed at the time of repayment.
Loan Repayment
You have three options including deferment or repayment of interest only or interest and principle.
Full Deferral: No principal or interest payments due while enrolled in school (up to four consecutive years). Payment of principal and interest will begin 6 months either after graduation or if no longer enrolled at least half time. Interest will continue to accrue during the deferment period and will be capitalized (added to the loan balance) at the time of repayment.
Interest Only: Pay only accrued interest while enrolled in school (up to four consecutive years). Payment of principal and interest will begin either 45 days after graduation or withdrawal from school.
Immediate Repayment: Payment of principal and interest will begin 45 days after loan is disbursed.
* The legal age for entering into contracts is 18 years of age in every state except Alabama and Nebraska (19 years old), and Mississippi and Puerto Rico (21 years old).
1 Proof of graduation is required.
2 A repayment finance charge may apply based on your or your cosigner's credit history.
3 The 0.25% rate reduction is available to borrowers who arrange with their servicer to automatically deduct monthly payments from their personal bank account. Savings programs are effective for all loans disbursed on or after October 13, 2006.
4 LIBOR stands for London Interbank Offered Rate. The one-month LIBOR is the Current Index, as published in the "Money Rates" section of the Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition). Your variable interest rate and Annual Percentage Rate (APR) may be higher depending upon your credit history and will increase or decrease if the one-month LIBOR index changes. Your variable interest rate is calculated by adding the current one-month LIBOR index (captured on the 25th business day of each month and rounded up to the nearest 1/8th of one percent) to your margin. The current one-month LIBOR index was 2.500% on 6/1/08. This APR example assumes a $10,000 undergraduate, cosigned, loan disbursed over two transactions with a deferment period of 45 months upon initial disbursement and a six month grace period upon graduation, a 25 year repayment term with no repayment finance charge, and a 2.50% margin. Margins can range from 2% to 8% (depending whether you are an undergraduate or graduate, if the loan is co-signed and upon your or your cosigner's credit history) and repayment finance charges can range from 0% to 5.5% (depending upon your or your cosigner's credit history).
5 Interest will continue to accrue while your payments are deferred, and it will be capitalized (added to your principal loan balance) when repayment begins.
Please learn more about the Study Abroad Loan Program:
