By: V. Jain
Education loans are very important for students pursuing higher education. The tuition fee of professional education is very high. Apart from tuition fee, there are several other expenses that students have to bear, i.e. cost of living that include hostel charges and food. For parents of many students, it is not easy to bear all these expenses. Therefore, students have to go for an education loan.
In the UK, education loans are provided by Student Loans Company. Student Loans Company is owned by the British Government and provides financial assistance to eligible students. To get a loan from Student Loans Company, students can apply through their local education authority in England and Wales. Students of Northern Ireland can apply for a loan through the Student Awards Agency for Scotland or their local education and library board.
Government offers graduate loans to graduate students to help them cover their expenses. Graduate loans are of two types – Stafford graduate loans and Perkins graduate loans. Stafford graduate loans are given to all students regardless of their financial position. Such loans are further subdivided into two – subsidized and unsubsidized. In case of subsidized loans, students do not have to pay interest whereas interest is payable by students on unsubsidized loans. Perkins graduate loans are offered to students whose financial position is not sound.
Besides government loans, students can take out a loan from banks, financial institutions or private lenders. You can take out a personal loan to finance your education. Personal loans are usually unsecured and therefore, they carry high rates of interest. If you own a house, you can take out a homeowner loan to finance your education. Homeowner loans are secured loans and carry low rates of interest. Homeowner loans offer all the advantages of a secured loan – low rates of interest, small amount of monthly payments, flexible repayment terms, etc. You can also take out a home equity loan to finance your education. Home equity is the present value of your house minus the unpaid mortgage balance.
You do not have to start repaying your education loan until you finish your course and start making a living. Once you get a job, you are supposed to.
