Direct loans:
Direct loans are the loans that are provided by the government to the students for sponsor their education. These loans are not common in all countries of the world. They are mostly offered by the government of the United States. Students from all over the country can apply for direct loans through a program called the Stafford loans, where as parents can access them through the plus loan program. Such loans are best of the students who want to achieve their higher studies, but do not have the resources for it.
Step 1
These loans are provided by the government on minimum interest rate and manageable terms. The direct loans that are achieved through the Stafford program are divided in two categories, the direct subsidized loans and direct unsubsidized loans. Based on their personal requirement and need the students can apply for any type of Stafford's loans.
Step 2
Apart from students, the needy parents who want to sponsor their kid education can also apply for them. The terms and agreements of direct loans have been kept simple by the state so every student can avail this opportunity. Moreover, the repayment method has been made reasonable for the struggling students. Students from any background and credit history can apply for such loans because the application process and terms are kept simple.
Step 3
Types of Direct loans:
There are four basic types of direct loans that are offered to various students like, subsidized loans, unsubsidized loans, direct parent loans for students and the Grad plus loans. The subsidized loans are mostly awarded to the students who have financial need and have completed half of their academic career. The unsubsidized loans are given to those students who apply through proper application to cover half of their studies expenses.
Step 4
The subsidized loan awarded students often have the liberty to pay the interest at the time of repayment of the principal amount, but the unsubsidized loan borrower has to pay the interest rate starting from the day they took the loan. The parent loans can be applied by those parents who want to support the education of their own kids.
Step 5
Tips and ideas for direct loans:
Direct loan are best for students who are starting their graduate or undergraduate program. However, there are certain tips and advices that need to be followed while applying for the direct loan of any type.
• Direct loans should only be applied if the student have a real need of finances for their education, as these loans are required to be repaid after six months of borrowing
• Students should avoid applying for large direct loans because these are debts which need to paid at certain point of time.
• If the student has borrowed more than one direct loan from different regions then he or she should keep a record of these loans as all have different maturity date and interest rate.
• Students should understand that the direct loans are not different from any other loans taken by an individual and they have to paid back even if the student have not completed his or her school.
• Students should plan the repayment of the direct loan six months before their graduation ceremony.
How to apply for direct loan:
To apply for the direct loan the students have to fill the application form from the federal education department. After filling the application form the students will be required to complete the Master promissory note and then the application will be forwarded to the direct loan department of the federal education.