Stafford Loans are one of the most commonly used loans by college students during their undergraduate and it can help get through a lot of debt. With the price for college these days, it is almost impossible to think of going to school without getting a student loan of some kind. So unless you have a wealthy family or get a scholarship then this is probably the best decision.
There are two different types of Stafford Loans. First is the Federal Family Education Loan known as the FFEL or the other option is the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan. Both of these loans are similar in terms and conditions and the amount you can receive to help pay for college tuition.
Both loans require that you fill out a Federal Student Aid Application known as the FAFSA and then you submit it to your school to see what they will be willing to offer to help pay for the 4 years of college. Then you have to play the waiting game to see what your school and the government feels comfortable offering you for the next four years.
Then the next step after they tell you how much you can lend will be to sign a promissory note to basically give your life away to a lender. Then you smile and move forward for the next several years trying to pay it off while watching interest build on it yearly.
Then they will pay you out in two payments. You will get probably half of it in each installment.
Make sure that you put your money into your tuition, books, room and board, and all the necessary school costs before you start to try to live off of the loan. This will be huge for helping you to pay back the loan down the road in a much quicker pace.
The direct student loan will be given money from the federal government and then you have to pay it back to the U.S. Department of Education. If you go with the FFEL then you will need to find a lender for you to get a student loan. This is going to require you to check between numerous options and your school will probably give you a list to choose from.
For both loans you will have options on how to repay the student loans, but it is important that you take the time to read your options. You will probably have to pay about $300 a month, but it is up to how much debt you have with your student loans.
