These loans can be for any type of emergency situation, including a delay in expected financial aid.
A typical private college loan lender will:
take both online and telephone applications (do the online)
give you a decision 60 seconds after you submit your application
allow you to electronically sign the note
send you or your cosigner the check within a week (2 days if you pay for priority)
Using private loans to fill an expense gap makes more sense than using credit cards, because credit cards usually have higher interest rates and payments would start immediately. Just about every private lender will meet your need for speed, as long as you have a good credit cosigner. So when you need more money, you don't only have to look at the companies that advertise "quick loans".
Right now, the best private loan lender for fast college loans is your credit union.
Everyone appreciates a quick turn around time when they need extra funds for emergencies.
No matter how well you calculate costs, something unexpected is sure to come up.
Federal aid is designed to just meet your college needs; if you don't have something put away, a fast private loan can be a
While private loan rates will be higher than your
federal interest rates
the amount borrowed will probably be smaller. And like
federal student loans,
they do not have to be repaid until after graduation. Sallie Mae college loans are the exception to this rule; they require token payments while in school.
In fact, it does make sense to do interest-only payments while in school. Check the accrued interest calculator to find out how much interest gets capitalized on your loans when you defer them until after graduation.
Aside from the fast processing time, the money also gets to you quicker because it does not have to go to your college first. Even if you are using some of the money for tuition, you don't have to wait for weeks until the school gets around to refunding the balance to your account. (Holding refund amounts is one way schools guarantee that students pay top dollar at the college bookstore for their books, instead of buying cheap college textbooks online.)
Best of all, there are no deadlines. If market conditions allow lenders to lend, you can get a speedy loan at anytime of the year, anytime you need it.
Some private lenders will even let you borrow money to pay overdue school accounts for the previous year. (Federal loans like college PLUS loans are limited by law, regarding paying overdue accounts.)
Some more information you might need on these pages: