Best Student Loans

With so many student loan options on the market today, many wonder what the best student loans are for them. There is no standard answer that fits the needs of all students, but there are methods for choosing which student loans are best for you.

Federal Student Loans

If you attend a school that is eligible for federal Stafford loans, these should be your first source for borrowing as they represent the best option based on low interest rates and generous repayment provisions. Stafford loans offer unparalleled benefits and should always be used before private student loans. Unfortunately, while Stafford loans are the best student loans for most students, Stafford loans don’t always allow students to borrow the full cost of education.

Other types of federal student loans include:

• Perkins Loans
• Stafford Loans
• Direct Loans
• Parent PLUS Loans

Private Student Loans

After exhausting Stafford loan eligibility, many students search for the best student loan to cover the remaining gap between what they've received from Stafford loans and the total cost of college education. Private student loans, which help students cover the financing gap, are offered by a number of lenders and come with very different rates and benefits. We encourage students to use comparison sites to search for the private student loan that best fits their needs.

A Think Student Loan - which is a private student loan – allows students to borrow up to the full cost of education and up to $250,000 over their lifetime.¹ The application takes about 15 minutes and the check is sent directly to the applicant(s).²

¹ Maximum loan amount denotes a lifetime aggregate maximum.

² This loan does not require school certification and the proceeds are disbursed in the form of a check co-payable to the borrower and cosigner (if applicable), mailed directly to the applicant with the stronger credit profile.