Canada Student Loans Vs US Student Loans

The Canada Student Loans Program (CSLP) is an essential element of the Government of Canada. Through the agenda, the Government is working to ensure that the Canadians have the necessary skills to be able to compete with all countries in the future.

By providing loans to Canadians enrolled in full or part-time post-secondary education studies, the CSLP is able to offer individuals the opportunity to participate in the process of lifelong learning.

The Government has assisted over 3.8 million students with over $16 billion in loans since the CSLP was founded in 1964. However, up until July 31, 2000, the Government of Canada and participating financial institutions worked together to finance the loans.

Rules were changed and as of August 1, 2000, the Government of Canada formed the new National Student Loans Service Center (NSLSC) and they now directly finance all loans. There are two divisions of the NSLSC, one to manage loans for students attending public institutions and the other to administer loans for students attending private institutions.

As a result, these student borrowers have one student debt and make a single payment when repaying their loans. And they maintain a separate consolidation and repayment process for their risk-shared and guaranteed loans.

They were having problems and decided to reform their system. They began improving program results, reducing costs per student, reducing defaults, decreasing loans written off, enhancing tracking data, improving services to students for study, repayment and collections.

The most favorable student loan for a US student would be a Federal loan. They have lower interest rates, options to postpone payments, longer repayment terms and easier credit requirements.

The Federal loans in which a student can choose from are the Federal Perkins Loan and the Federal Stafford Loan. Both types of these loans can be either subsidized or unsubsidized due to the student's qualifications.

Next, is the Federal PLUS loan (Parent Loan for Undergraduate Students), which is the final Federal loan program.

Private loans are designed to supplement Federal loans and are available from schools, banks, credit unions, and education loan organizations.

On terms for private loans, interest rates and fees vary according to the lender and your credit history and their rules of their individual company. They are not run nor governed by the Federal Government.

As you can see, students attending college here in the US could have many options, good or poor, without having a strong voice in the situation. It is usually dictated from their family's financial background and how they were encouraged to prepare for college.

Process And Procedures To Attain Student Loans

College costs have risen at a rate about double the CPI since 1968. I think that student loans have been a big factor in allowing colleges to have runaway budgets and almost total disregard for any cost/value return to the students. College loans are some of the most flexible and consumer friendly loans available. Understanding how to use the process of consolidating student loans to your benefit can help you to save a great deal of money. CollegeInvest is just such a resource.

College costs nowadays are through the roof and are only expected to rise in the future. Most students and/or their parents need to take out some type of loan to fund those ever-increasing tuition bills, but what if an individual has poor credit? College scholarships also aren't usually need-based, so anyone can apply (some are, however, so be sure to file your FAFSA ).

College officials have received gifts, trips, stock options and other benefits from lenders, while some colleges have agreed to recommend certain lenders if those lenders share the proceeds. In other cases, lenders provide staffing or call centers for a campus, posing as college representatives while answering students' questions about financial aid, including loans.

Private student loans, such as the Act Education Loan from the Student Loan Network, can help to bridge the gap between federal aid, the actual cost of education, and expected family contribution. Loans such as the Act Education Loan are independent of federal financial aid computations, and are based on the creditworthiness of the borrower, rather than need-based formulas.

Private student loans are based on an applicant's credit worthiness, often require a co-signer, are not need based, and upon approval the funds are usually sent direct to the applicant. Private Student Loans are issued based on credit thus carrying higher interest rates.

Private lenders may require a credit check and/or an income-to-debt ratio check on either you (the borrower), co-signer or both. These loans are not based on financial need but lenders may provide different types of loans programs based on a student's level of study. Private lending institutions offer student loans thinking that students will make a higher income as their level of education increases. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

Private student loans take into consideration the credit history of the applicant to determine eligibility for the loan. In the event that the student has a bad credit record, the lending agency will require a cosigner having a good credit.