What Are Student Loans? (And How to Get Them): Top 100 Guides

Student loans are one of the most common ways of financing higher education, and there is a lot of confusing information about them online. A student loan, at its core, is a sum of money being loaned to a student by either the government or a private party for the purpose of paying tuition and other costs associated with higher education. Government loans usually come with a low, fixed interest rate of either 3.4% or 6.8%. There is legislation being debated right now that would increase the government interest rate, and private loans typically have higher variable interest rates than government loans.

The price of college is rising, and student loans are a part of almost every student’s life at this point, but knowing how to manage student loans, when to seek them and when to avoid them, and how to maintain a repayment schedule can make the difference between totally manageable student debt, and mounting difficulties that can lead to default. These sites have information on how to get student loans, how to manage money when you’re in debt, and how to pay them off.

• Student Loan & Debt Resources
• Loan Finders & Providers
• Consulting, Advice & Assistance
• College & University Loan Pages

Student Loan & Debt Resources

This set of sites runs the gamut from general debt management advice to personal blogs about getting out from under student loans, and professional student loan experts who share great advice online.

1. StudentLoans.gov

   

   StudentLoans.gov is the official resource from the United States government and serves as the portal for students to apply for a variety of government-backed loans.

   Get Informed: What You Need

2. iHelp Loans

   

   A network of community banks formed a partnership that offers two private loan programs through iHELP. These loans can help students and their families cover any gaps between the cost of a college education and other financial resources already on tap such as federal loans, grants, and scholarships.

   Get Informed: Eligibility

3. Heather Jarvis – Student Loan Expert

   

   Heather Jarvis is a student loan expert who shares her wealth of knowledge about student loans on this site. Use the tools, read her blog, and contribute to forums on this site before you engage in any borrowing — what you learn here may save you money!

   Get Informed: Forums

4. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

   

   The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau provides a great site for students who need to borrow money for college. Learn how to pay for college, how to repay that student debt, and even how to submit a student loan complaint through articles and reports focused solely on student loans.

   Get Informed: Know Before You Owe

5. Tuition.io

   

   Learn early how to manage your student loan portfolio so you don’t waste time worrying about payments or late fees. This is a free service, and the tools offered cover just about every type of student loan under the sun.

   Get Informed: What is Tuition.io?

6. U.S. News – Student Loan Ranger

   

   U.S. News’ Student Loan Ranger posts different entries on how students can stay on top of their debt and manage their student loans. They post on different happenings in the news and the implications of different student loan policies.

   Get Informed: Ways Congress Can Simplify Federal Student Loans

7. BudgetSimple

   

   If you’re seeking a tool that can help you create a personal budget, try BudgetSimple. This tool provides anyone with a secure and easy way to learn how to change spending habits, pay off debts, and save for your future.

   Get Informed: Budget for a Sustainable Lifestyle

8. DailyWorth

   

   Paying for a college education is a massive undertaking, but Dailyworth can help you learn how to plan for the future and spend with intention through the articles and information contained on this site. Learn how to manage money correctly from the beginning for a successful financial future.

   Get Informed: Financial Planning

9. Flush My Debt

   

   Flush My Debt is a blog chronicling one student’s struggle to get out of debt. Posts include stories about the specific complications of student debt, and general finance struggles.

   Get Informed: Investing versus debt

10. And Then We Saved

    

    Anna paid off close to $24k in debt in only 15 months, and the way she accomplished that goal completely changed her life. Learn her tricks for savvy savings so you, too, can learn how to live a debt-free life.

    Get Informed: Success is Closer Than You Realize

11. Equal Justice Works

    

    If you’re studying to become an attorney, you might be interested in this site that focuses on helping students through law school by engaging them in public service. The options provided by this solution may help many students who cannot pay for law school.

    Get Informed: Educational Debt Relief

12. RI Student Loan

    

    RISLA stands for Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, and their focus is on Rhode Island residents who need help in solving the paying-for-college puzzle. This site provides information on special loans, but also provides counseling, scholarship information, and tips on gaining ground as an intern.

    Get Informed: Rhode Island Scholarship Search

13. My Debt Free College

    

    My Debt Free College is run by the author of “10 Ways Anyone Can Graduate from College” and provides different strategies for maximizing students’ potential for loan and grant work, as well as ways to cheapen the college experience to make it affordable for anyone.

    Get Informed: Videos

14. Mapping Your Future

    

    Mapping Your Future is an integral tool for understanding how to manage student loans and the different processes to getting back on track if behind or poised to fall behind on loans.

    Get Informed: Loan Solutions

15. NYPIRG – Don’t Major in Debt

    

    NYPIRG’s “Don’t Major in Debt” initiative is an attempt to help students get informed about student loans before taking them out, so they know exactly what they’re getting into, and how to keep their student debt under control.

    Get Informed: National College Finance Center

16. No More Harvard Debt

    

    A graduate burdened by a student debt worth $90k created a personal challenge to erase that debt in ten months, rather than in 15 years. Read this blog from the beginning to learn some successful tips on how to repay your own student loans, or read the book that this grad wrote about how he met his goal.

    Get Informed: Destroy Student Debt: A Combat Guide to Freedom

17. CommonBond

    

    Like a peer-to-peer lending option, this college finance solution can help students find small loans to help cover some aspects of college debt. Unlike other networks, though, this one connects alumni with incoming or current students, which also creates great networking and mentorship opportunities.

    Get Informed: Blog

18. Every Chance Every Texan

    

    If you are a Texas resident who plans to attend a Texas college or university, this government site contains loan information that may prove valuable for you. Loans are available to all college students except for freshmen, and the interest rate is low.

    Get Informed: Educational Expenses And Financial Aid

19. Debt.org

    

    This debt help organization has a section devoted to students and their loan debts. Learn everything you’d ever want to know about student loan consolidation, forgiveness, repayment, and types of student loans. Other advice includes helpful ways to obtain scholarships and grants.

    Get Informed: What to Do if You Can’t Pay Your Student Loans

20. ColleFund.com

    

    ColleFund.com provides many different avenues for students to pursue as they attempt to curb the excessive costs of attending college. They have a list of different loan services students can apply to in order to pay for college.

    Get Informed: Private Student Loans

21. Your College Kids – Money Matters

    

    Your College Kid is a site for parents to come and become better educated on the college process, as well as financing.

    Get Informed: Money Matters

22. American Student Assistance

    

    American Student Assistance is a nonprofit organization that helps students figure out how to pay for college, repay student loans, get current on past due accounts, and other ways to help.

    Get Informed: Student Loan Basics

23. Nelnet – Federal Student Loans 101

    

    Nelnet helps students and parents understand the increasingly complex loan process by providing resources for understanding different types of student loans and how to go about different payment methods.

    Get Informed: Payments 101

24. IAmNotALoan

    

    IAmNotALoan is an organization that fights to establish borrowers as people and not merely financial figures. They advocate for making college more affordable and end America’s student loan debt crisis.

    Get Informed: About the Campaign

25. New York State Higher Education Services Corporation

    

    New York State Higher Education Services Corporation works to ensure students have the financial means to attend college. The site provides links to sites covering many different topics and helps students with repayment options, scholarships, tax credits, and more.

    Get Informed: Applying For Financial Aid

26. Student Loan Spot

    

    Student Loan Spot regularly posts on information for students to find the loans they need, along with other student aid advice.

    Get Informed: Federal Student Loan Servicers Contact Information

27. You Can Deal With It

    

    You Can Deal With It educates students on how to deal with common financial issues relevant to student aid.

    Get Informed: For Borrowers

28. Consumerfinance.gov

    

    Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a government site that works in the best interest of consumers who my experience difficulties from financial institutions. The bureau helps give a voice to the consumer.

    Get Informed: Get Assistance

29. ECSI

    

    ECSI is a great aggregate of student loan resources, providing links to different debt legislation pieces to help inform people of their rights. Additionally, they have a student financial aid handbook that goes over the more specific details of applying for loans.

    Get Informed: Student Financial Aid Handbook

30. SoFi

    

    SoFi is an innovative new approach to borrowing for school loans by finding alumni from each university and having them invest in students currently attending school.

    Get Informed: Borrow

31. Student Debt Crisis

    

    Student Debt Crisis is a fantastic source for information on the current state of the student debt. The site has information on news, different campaigns, and press releases on student debt.

    Get Informed: Petition in Favor of The Student Loan Fairness Act Reaches 200,000 Signatures

32. StudentDebtCampaign

    

    If you feel outraged by your student debt, join up with this site to learn how to become an advocate for helping to reduce or eliminate student debt. Learn about the campaign through articles, a blog, and stories that speak to how student debt can present an insurmountable obstacle upon graduation.

    Get Informed: Stories

33. Occupy Student Debt

    

    Are you part of the 99 percent, troubled by overwhelming student debt and lack of repayment options? Join the advocacy represented by this site as students join together to change a broken student loan system.

    Get Informed: Student Loan Fact Sheet

34. Student Lending Analytics

    

    Don’t let the word, “analytics” paralyze you if you aren’t an accounting or statistic major…let the information on this site help you understand the perils that lurk behind private school loans. Some information is state-specific, but all research and blog information on this site can bring insights about private loans to any student anywhere.

    Get Informed: Student Lending Analytics Blog

35. About Student Loans

    

    The “Student Loan Ninjette” is in the house, offering advice on student loans based upon her personal experiences. Learn how to find the right student loan for you, or opt instead to learn more about scholarships and grants.

    Get Informed: Student Loan Alternatives

36. Student Loan Information Blog

    

    Although this blog has not been recently updated, it still contains plenty of pertinent information about student loans, including private and federal loans. Use the tools and resources, such as the financial aid calendar, to keep your college budget on track.

    Get Informed: Financial Aid Calendar

37. The Student LoanDown

    

    The Student LoanDown is a blog provided by Wells Fargo to help students everywhere understand how to handle college financing and student loan debt. Use their tools and information to create a more positive atmosphere in your budget.

    Get Informed: Protecting your possessions in college

38. College Money

    

    Easy College Money offers articles and tips on how to find student loans and other financial aid. This site tackles topics such as single parenthood and college and college planning, and they also provide information on events where prospective students can learn more about how to prepare for higher education and its expenses.

    Get Informed: Assistance and finances for the single mothers within America

39. L & S

    

    L&S offers information about student loans and how to obtain financial success. Look for information about private and federal student loans, as well as advice and tips on college loan consolidation, interest rates, and alternative student loans.

    Get Informed: Low Interest Student Loans

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Loan Finders & Providers

In addition to the commonly requested Perkins and Stafford loans, offered by the U.S. government, there are many private lenders that specialize in offering student loans, and there are whole companies that make it their business to catalog and index the loan options available for students’ convenience.

40. Federal Direct Loans

    

    Almost every college student will face the option of using direct loans from the U.S. Department of Education’s Direct Loan Program. Before you dip your toes into those waters, learn everything you can about this program, including how to make a transition to this type of loan, its interest rates, and its repayment options.

    Get Informed: Calculators and interest rates

41. SchoolLoan.net

    

    SchoolLoans is a college student’s dream resource, as this site offers information on everything you’d want to know about college loans. They also provide information about scholarships, peer-to-peer loans, and student loan forgiveness — topics you may not find elsewhere.

    Get Informed: Basics of Student Loan Forgiveness and Repayment Programs

42. Loans.org

    

    Loans.org is a site that focuses solely on loans, with a section set aside for students. Learn about the various types of student loans and how this type of financing differs from all other types of loans.

    Get Informed: Why can’t bankruptcy absolve college loans?

43. BestStudentLoans

    

    If you need information about student loans and how they work, try the advice and knowledge offered at BestStudentLoans. This site covers the differences among various student loans, repayment options, interest rates, and general loan information.

    Get Informed: Applying for the University Student Mortgage

44. eStudentLoan

    

    eStudent Loan makes it easy to find the right loan for your college education. Compare student loan options, including private and federal loans, and their interest rates and repayment plans to learn more about what might work for your goals.

    Get Informed: Alternative Student Loans

45. EdFinancial Services

    

    EDFinancial Services works with students to understand the financial aid process and how to best cope with the increasingly expensive costs of attending.

    Get Informed: Learn About Financial Aid

46. eLfcu

    

    Elfcu is a “financial wellness provider” that runs a credit union geared to watch after your financial well-being and success. No matter your goals, including college, this site can help you learn more about how to avoid costly financial mistakes.

    Get Informed: Go To College

47. Student Loan Bureau

    

    The Students’ Loan Bureau provides Jamaican students with resources on how to finance a college education. They offer student loan financing, a long moratorium, and grant assistance for students who want to attend schools in Jamaica or throughout the Caribbean.

    Get Informed: List of Approved Schools

48. Sallie Mae

    

    Sallie Mar is one of the largest financiers in the United States and services a number of different student loans for undergraduates and graduate students.

    Get Informed: Get Started

49. Maine Education Services

    

    Maine Education Services offers student loans as well as information about how to get other loans and manage student finances across a range of financial aid instruments.

    Get Informed: The Maine Loan

50. Via Student Loan Consulting

    

    VIA Student Loan Consulting can help students or graduates with their student loan needs or repayments. Learn how to obtain a loan that can cover the cost of your debt, reduce your payments, and maybe even lower your interest rates.

    Get Informed: How Does A Consultation Work?

51. StaffordLoan.com

    

    Federal Stafford Loans sometimes provide the “staff of life” for many college students, as these loans are fixed-rate options that often provide one of the lowest-cost ways to pay for school. This site focuses solely on Stafford Loans, including benefits, rates, and repayment options.

    Get Informed: Stafford Loan for Graduate Students

52. The College Funding Connection

    

    Are you still searching for student loans that fit your budget and lifestyle? The College Funding Connection may be what you need to learn about student loans, including how you can beat the high cost of college and how to qualify for additional financial aid.

    Get Informed: Tuition Discount – Sage Scholars

53. CU Student Loans

    

    cuStudent Loans helps students and their families find specific loans that can help pay for a college education. Look for private loans by state, by college, or nationwide loans that often are offered through credit unions.

    Get Informed: Benefits of In-School Payments

54. GradLoans.com

    

    GradLoans.com is a tool designed for students looking to finance graduate school and are facing the particular difficulties that are often not associated with finding loans as an undergraduate. They look at government-backed and private loans graduate students can apply for.

    Get Informed: Graduate Resources

55. CornerStone

    

    Cornerstone Education Loan Services provides quality loans, along with information on how to go through the borrowing process and understanding different financial lingo.

    Get Informed: Borrower Benefits

56. Tuition Tamer

    

    Nelnet’s The Great Tuition Tamer Sweepstakes helps reduce the burden of college debt and awards a gift card that can be used for tuition or books.

    Get Informed: The Swag

57. Student Loan Lawyers

    

    Student Loan Attorneys works with students in Michigan and Ohio to advise them on different consumer law issues.

    Get Informed: Student Loan Blog

58. Discover Student Loans

    

    Discover student loans is the division of the consumer credit company Discover that handles loans being disbursed to pay for educational expenses and cost of living while pursuing education.

    Get Informed: Find Student Loans

59. PGPresents

    

    PGPresents is an independent student loan counseling service that works with students to make sure they have the resources they need to stay on track with managing their loans.

    Get Informed: Help For Non-Medical Graduate Students

60. Acumen Student Loans

    

    Acumen Student Loans help give college students the resources they need to succeed and make the most of their college experience. Students can take out loans at a relatively low interest rate.

    Get Informed: FAQ

61. Student Loan Network

    

    The Student Loan Network equips students with many different resources for locating loan providers in the private sector, along with outlining how to apply for federal loans. Included on the site as well are loan consolidation resources.

    Get Informed: Repayment

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Consulting, Advice & Assistance

Sometimes hiring a professional, or at least reading their blog, is the best way to get help sorting through the complexities of getting a student loan and paying it back in the long term.

62. Miller Student Loan Consulting

    

    Miller Student Loan Consulting is an independent student loan consulting company. It helps borrowers across the U.S. manage their student loan debt, and create a customized repayment plan that perfectly fits their budget. Team up with Miller today to take charge of your student loan debt, and make your repayment benefit you.

    Get Informed: Blog

63. Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority

    

    The Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority is an agency of the state government that provides information about all types of financial assistance for education. While the blog is customized for students in Utah, the information about nationally available financial help is applicable to all students.

    Get Informed: 2013 Fafsa Scholarship Rules – Eligibility

64. Direct Student Aid

    

    Direct Student Aid is a consulting service that provides student loan rehabilitation programs that are both effective and affordable. Learn how to straighten out your defaults, avoid wage garnishment, and reduce your payments while improving your credit score through this service.

    Get Informed: New Trends in Student Debt

65. Student Loan Service

    

    Student Loan Service is an organization that provides consulting and document processing services for students and graduates who want to consolidate their Federal Student Loans. Learn about their services and make a call to see if they can help you reduce your payments to fit your budget.

    Get Informed: Services

66. Student Loan Borrower Assistance

    

    Student Loan Borrower Assistance is a resource for students and their families who have borrowed money for college educations. This organization, part of the National Consumer Law Center, offers reports, guides, and answers to questions about how to resolve any student loan debt.

    Get Informed: Public Service Forgiveness

67. GL Advisor

    

    Graduate students may be happy about ending a college career successfully, but now they look to paying a significant amount of money to repay school loans. GL Advisor offers services to medical, dental, law, and veterinary grads on how to wade through student debt and build a successful financial future.

    Get Informed: Information About Our Service

68. Student Loan Alliance

    

    The Student Loan Alliance is a nonprofit organization that focuses on developing solutions that address the current student loan crisis. Members of this organization help students and graduates address excessive student loan debt by promoting partnerships, borrower outreach, counseling, and education.

    Get Informed: SLA News

69. Wrightlaw

    

    Wrightslaw provides students with quality links to different resources to not only better educate students on college loans, but also links to different loan resources.

    Get Informed: College

70. StudentDoc

    

    Feel ill about your student loan debt? Look for the StudentDoc for some remedies on how to reduce your debts through consolidation. This site is geared toward medical students, but consolidation information on this site can pertain to any debt-ridden student or grad.

    Get Informed: Forums

71. Student Loan Relief

    

    Student Loan Relief is a consulting service that identifies the best way to pay for college through a mix of different means that students may qualify for at federal, state, and even local levels.

    Get Informed: Articles

72. Inceptia

    

    Inceptia is the nonprofit guarantor for the National Student Loan Program and helps by guiding schools and students through the cumbersome student loan process.

    Get Informed: Resource Center

73. Student Loan Hero

    

    Student Loan Hero provides innovative ways to approach student loans to understand how long it will take to pay off loans and how to make the process much easier to understand.

    Get Informed: Sign Up

74. R&B Student Loan

    

    R&B Solutions Student Loan Programs gives students the advice they need to not fall past due on loans. They provide entrance counseling, a default prevention plan, and an outreach representative, among others.

    Get Informed: College Planning Tips

75. ECMC

    

    ECMC is a quality resource for managing student loans and getting a grasp on the process of managing student loans.

    Get Informed: Prepare to Pay

76. MoneySavingExpert – Student Checklist

    

    Money Saving Expert has all the best advice for staying on track with student loans and works to ensure students have to tools on hand to succeed.

    Get Informed: Student Financial Help

77. Money After Graduation

    

    Money After Graduation is a site created by a young professional who carried a ton of student loan debt. Learn how she paid off more than 75 percent of a $20,580 school loan in less than two years!

    Get Informed: Tools

78. BS in Debt

    

    Two graduates joined forces to create a site about how to obliterate student loan debt…and their mission is to accomplish this goal with a sense of humor. The “Borrower Profiles” section is a fascinating look into students who have borrowed and how their repayment plans have succeeded or failed.

    Get Informed: Borrower Profiles

79. OhTheseStudentLoans

    

    A university graduate shares her disappointments with her enormous student loan debts. This blog is her way to raise awareness on how student loans are different than other loans, and how consolidation is becoming more and more difficult to obtain.

    Get Informed: D-E-F-A-U-L-T

80. OPM.GOV

    

    OPM.gov outlines the Pay & Leave aspect of student loan repayment. It also explains which loans are eligible for payment, as well as the limitations included.

    Get Informed: Best Practices

81. Student Loan Debt Help

    

    Do quick debt solutions really work? Find the answer at Student Loan Debt Help, where articles filled with tips and advice can help you learn more about repayment options available to you.

    Get Informed: Are There Really Fast Debt Solutions?

82. Student Loan Relief Counsel

    

    A group of graduate students formed the Student Loan Relief Counsel to help other students make better decisions regarding their loans. Check this organization out if you want more information on how to repay your loans, move into a positive credit rating and net worth.

    Get Informed: Services

83. College Financing Group

    

    You don’t need to hire the College Financial Group to learn about resources for financial aid and student loan repayment. However, after reading their comprehensive information, you may want to contact them to learn more about their services.

    Get Informed: The Importance of Student Loans

84. ReadyForZero

    

    Ready for Zero is a site that is all about reducing debt, especially student loan burdens. Use the tips, tools (including a do-it-yourself credit repair kit), and resources to bring that student loan debt down to zero.

    Get Informed: Do-It-Yourself Credit Repair (Without Spending a Dime)

85. My Student Loan Assistance

    

    Stay on top of your student loan repayment rights and responsibilities through the information offered on this site. You can find very useful tools, advice, tips, and resources that can help you straighten out your student loan debt easily and on your own.

    Get Informed: What are my repayment options?

86. Student Loans Net

    

    Student Loans Net guides students through some how-to options for applying for loans and different factors they should consider before and while they’ve applied for student loans.

    Get Informed: Articles For College Students About Student Loans

87. Fix Student Loans

    

    Fix Student Loans works with students to combine all loans taken out during college and package them into one payment. This makes it easier to manage and includes a reduction in interest sometimes as well.

    Get Informed: Eligibility

88. Student Debt Consolidation

    

    Student Debt Consolidation combines loans for students to make it more manageable to pay their debt and stay on track.

    Get Informed: Services

89. College Loan Consultant

    

    The College Loan Consultant offers tons of information about college loans, including private, government, and state loans, parent loans, and Pell Grants. Look to this site, also, to learn more about repayment options and tax credits, and to use tools such as calculators to stay on top of interest rates.

    Get Informed: College Loan Blog

90. University Parent – Financial Planning

    

    University Parent doesn’t just have student loan advice, but their financial planning page is a great resource for parents trying to help their college-bound kids with every part of the financial process of going to college.

    Get Informed: Why paying for college should be the best thing that happens to you

91. IBR info

    

    IBR Info is an independent source on student loan information. They outline different programs and those based around income as well.

    Get Informed: What Are These Programs?

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College & University Loan Pages

Most colleges and universities have comprehensive resources regarding student loans, both public and private, on their web pages. Here are a few stellar examples of college financial aid pages doing a great job of helping students through the rigorous loan application process.

92. Reed College

    

    Reed College’s Financial Aid Section breaks down how to apply for private student loans and the particular process that must be taken in order to successfully secure private loans.

    Get Informed: Financial Aid Handbook

93. Santa Clara University

    

    Santa Clara University gives information on how to understand different loans for graduate students.

    Get Informed: Undergraduate Student Loans

94. Georgia State University

    

    Georgia State University breaks down how to apply for loans and the different types that students can find useful.

    Get Informed: Types of Aid

95. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

    

    The School of the Art Institute of Chicago educates students on the different options they have for loans and how to best cope with paying for school.

    Get Informed: Federal/State Grants and Outside Scholarships

96. San Diego State University

    

    San Diego State University provides information on how much loans cost, how much in Direct Loans can be borrowed, different loan conditions, and alternative loans.

    Get Informed: Fees

97. Keck Graduate Institute

    

    Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences outlines student loans and gives plenty of advice to make the process much more understandable.

    Get Informed: Financial Aid

98. Schoolcraft College

    

    Schoolcraft College’s Financial Aid section outlines the key information for student loans, including deadlines, counseling, and enrollment requirements.

    Get Informed: General Loan Information

99. Brookdale Community College

    

    Brookdale Community College outlines information on student aid, the different types, and how to secure it. They also inform on how to complete a FAFSA and scholarship tips.

    Get Informed: Repaying Your Student Loan

100. Butler County Community College

     

     Butler County Community College uses their financial aid section to inform students on how to navigate the cumbersome financial aid process.

     Get Informed: New to Financial Aid

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