As an international student, attending college in the U.S. can be exciting. It can also be expensive. Since many U.S. students take out student loans to pay for college, you might be wondering if you can too. In this post, we’ll dive into the student loan eligibility of international students and the availability of student …
Continue reading “Are International Students Eligible for Student Loans?”
While studying in the United States can be incredibly exciting, paying for it as an international student without a Social Security Number (SSN) can be confusing. But don’t worry. In this article, we’ll break down the student loan process for international students with no SSN. That way, you can feel confident in your borrowing decisions. Jump …
Continue reading “How to Get an International Student Loan Without an SSN”
Student loans cover the gap between the cost of college and what you’re able to pay out of pocket. While student loans can cover quite a bit, they do have limits. There are two main types of student loans: federal and private. The borrowing limit for each type of loan will depend on various factors. …
Continue reading “Student Loan Limits: How Much Can You Borrow in Student Loans?”
Federal student loans are only available to United States citizens and eligible noncitizens. Thus, many international students have fewer student loan options when studying in the United States. For many international students, a private student loan is the best way to pay for college. Many lenders offer loans to international students, but most require a …
Continue reading “Best Student Loans for International Students”
There are about 20 million students in the U.S., including international students. When figuring out how to pay for your education, you’ll come across student loans. Yet, international student loans work differently than private student loans for students from the United States. Here’s your guide to navigating the world of international student loans. What Are …
There are two types of student loans: private and federal. While private student loans are provided by private entities such as banks and financial institutions, federal student loans are provided by the federal government. If you think you may need a student loan to pay for college, check your student loan eligibility ASAP. How to …
Continue reading “Student Loan Eligibility: Private and Federal Loans”
You’ve exhausted all of your scholarship, grant, and work-study options. Now, it’s time to start considering student loans to cover that last mile of financial need. When you look at your student loan options on paper, they may seem suspiciously similar. However, there are various elements to loans that can make them drastically different. In …
Every student’s biggest fear when it comes to private student loans is not qualifying. Having a cosigner can help prevent that. The thing is you may not want a cosigner for the entire life of the loan. In that case, you’ll want to check with different lenders to see who offers a cosigner release policy. …
Continue reading “What is a Cosigner Release Policy? How Can It Protect You?”
Before even starting college, you’ll imagine all the things that you can do with your degree. But then it hits you: student loans. The great news is that student loans include grace periods that give you time to plan before it’s time to pay. In this article, we’ll dive into what a student loan grace …
As you enter the student loan scene, you’ll hear the terms “credit” and “credit score” thrown around a lot. But what credit score is needed for a student loan, and why does it matter? All student loans have qualifications that you have to meet. For some, one of those qualifications is having good credit. That …
Continue reading “What Credit Score is Needed for a Student Loan?”
Shopping around for loans is already hard enough. Then, you add in interest rates and APRs, and it’s like a whole new world. A difficult one. But it doesn’t have to be. So, what are interest rates? What is an APR? And is an APR the same thing as an interest rate? What Are Interest …
Continue reading “Student Loan Interest vs APR: What’s the Difference?”
Whether you’re just applying for a student loan or you’re trying to refinance your student loans as a way to pay them off, you’ll often get the choice between a variable vs a fixed interest rate. You might be asking yourself, “what does that mean?” In this article, we’ll take a look at what variable …
Continue reading “Variable vs Fixed Interest Rate Student Loans: Which is Better?”
Forgetting to pay a bill, especially your student loans, can be scary. Automating your payments is an easy way to help you keep track of your student loans and never miss a payment. However, did you know that autopay can also save you money? In this post, we’ll dive into what autopay is, the potential …
Continue reading “How to Save Thousands on Student Loans with an Autopay Discount”
Figuring out how to pay for college is like walking through a minefield. You’re scared to even take a step because it may be the wrong one. But you don’t have to be! There are 3 big resources people use to help them pay for college: scholarships, grants, and loans. Let’s go over them. What …
Continue reading “Loans vs. Grants vs. Scholarships: What’s the Difference?”
Imagine you’re shopping around for student loans. You can’t seem to make a final decision on which to get because the interest rates are confusing. Understandably, you have a lot of questions. What are they? How does it affect your payments? And most importantly, what’s a good interest rate? Let’s go over it. What Is …
Continue reading “How to Compare Student Loan Interest Rates”
In October 2021, the U.S. Department of Education announced changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), adding a temporary period in which borrowers are able to receive credit for payments that did not qualify for this program in the past. With the new changes to the program, over 100,000 borrowers now qualify for …
If you’re considering taking out a private student loan to fund your education, it’s important to carefully review and compare the repayment terms offered by different lenders. Private student loan repayment terms can vary widely and can have a significant impact on the total cost of your loan, as well as your ability to manage …
Continue reading “How to Compare Student Loan Repayment Terms”
So you got into college! Now it’s time to sift through your financial aid offers and make your decision! Before you accept any aid, it’s important to truly understand what the offer in front of you really means. We’ll break down the entire process of figuring out your financial aid award letter: The Lingo In …
Continue reading “Ultimate Guide to Figuring Out Your Financial Aid Package”
Buckle up. Sit down. Grab a snack. Take a deep breath. Whatever you have to do to get ready, do it, because we’re about to give you everything you could ever need to know about the FAFSA. What is the FAFSA? FAFSA is an acronym that stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It …
Sparrow partners with financial institutions to provide students and their families with a streamlined search and comparison process that helps borrowers find the best private student loan offers in minutes. We believe transparency is key to earning and maintaining borrowers’ trust. That’s why we take who we partner with seriously. The lenders that borrowers choose …
Continue reading “How We Select the Lenders We Partner With”
The government gives out billions of dollars in aid each year, some of that going toward students who received the Federal Pell Grant. But what is it? And how does it work? What is the Pell Grant? The Pell Grant is one of many federal grants the government provides to help students pay for their …
Continue reading “What is a Pell Grant? Am I Eligible for a Pell Grant?”
We won’t lie to you. The FAFSA is an animal. The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the form you fill out to get financial aid from the U.S. Department of Education to help pay for college. The information you provide on the FAFSA will determine your eligibility for thousands of dollars …
Let’s set the scene. You got accepted into your dream school. You’re so excited you can hardly contain it. A few days go by and the reality sets in. How am I going to pay for this? You log into your school’s payment portal and look at the total cost of attendance. Before you panic, …
If the cost of the new shoes you just bought is higher than your credit score, let’s chat. Your credit score impacts your ability to take out loans as well as the interest rate associated with them. If your credit score isn’t as high as you’d like it, or if it isn’t in the range …
There’s no feeling like the feeling of finally getting your financial aid package. Congrats! As you’re going through your financial aid package, you might see something along the lines of “Federal Work-Study” and an amount attached to it. What exactly does that mean? In this article, we’ll break down what federal work-study is and if …
With rising college costs, student loans are placing a strain on more and more people’s lives. Student loan refinancing can help with that. This is what you need to know about when to refinance your student loan: What is Refinancing? Refinancing is when a lender agrees to pay off your current loan(s) in their entirety. …
Continue reading “When Should I Refinance My Student Loans?”
Understanding how credit works may feel impossible. A great place to start is by learning the difference between a hard and soft credit inquiry. We’ll give you all the ‘deets below. Important Note Before we dive in, we want to note that credit inquiries are also often referred to as “credit pulls” or “credit …
Continue reading “What is a Soft Credit Inquiry? What is a Hard Credit Inquiry?”
