Dianne Said:

Student plus loans where can I get one?

We Answered:

Jamie:

I think you're confusing two types of loans.

The loan known as the PLUS loan is a government-backed loan that is offered to supplement the Stafford. PLUS stands for Parents' Loan for Undergraduate Students, and, as the name implies, it's a loan that only parents can apply for, and a loan program that only parents can borrow from. If your parents are looking for a PLUS loan, start with your school - they'll have a list of "preferred" lenders, which is useful, because those are lenders that already have an established history of lending on behalf of students at your school.

If you're looking for more money for you, and not a loan for your parents, then you're looking for something else, altogether - a type of loan known as a "private" or "alternative" educational loan.

The news there is not good. Thanks to the worldwide banking and lending crisis, there are only a small handful of lenders who still make student loans and they are ALL extremely conservative in approving applications. It is 99% likely that you will be asked for a cosigner if you want your loan approved.

A few of the big lenders who make these loans: Chase, Discover, Sallie Mae, and Wells Fargo. You can check their websites for information about their unique products, and for applications for the loans.

Good luck to you.

Sheila Said:

Question about the STUDENT PLUS LOANS?

We Answered:

No you did not. A "Student PLUS loan" is a graduate loan. So I assume that you mean a Parent PLUS loan, which is not a loan that you took out under your parents name, it is a loan that your parents took out, where the money goes to the school for you. But regardless, you can change the amount of your loan any time, according to financial aid.