Who funds them

Private student loans are provided through private lenders, such as an online lender, bank or credit union. A number of state student loan authorities also offer student loans and student loan refinancing with similar terms to private loans.

How you can use the funds

You can use private student loans to pay for education-related costs and living expenses, which may not be covered by your federal student loans. These include college tuition and fees, and food and rent. Interest rates and terms on private student loans can vary, depending on your needs, financial situation and credit history. In many cases, private student lenders will require a co-signer.

Fixed rates for life

Federal student loans are provided directly by the U.S. Department of Education, which does not evaluate your ability to repay. The initial rates on federal student loans issued to new borrowers are recalibrated once a year, so it’s not uncommon for borrowers to have different interest rates for the federal student loans they take out each year they’re in college. Once taken out, rates on federal student loans are fixed for life.

Qualify with FAFSA

Everyone taking out the same type of loan at the same time pays the same rate. While rates on federal student loans for undergraduates can be tough to beat, they are higher for graduate students and parents. You can qualify for federal student loans by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (the “FAFSA”).

Benefits and protections

Federal student loans offer borrowers a number of benefits and protections — such as loan deferment, loan forgiveness and repayment options — that most private lenders often can’t match. However, more private lenders have begun adding similar programs to better compete with federal loan offerings. Most private student lenders offer a choice of fixed or variable-rate loans, and many offer a choice of repayment plans, including the option to defer payments until after leaving school.

The cost of attendance

With a private student loan, you may be eligible to borrow up to 100% of what your school says it costs to enroll and attend classes (the “cost of attendance”), minus other aid and loans you’ve already received. Private student loans are often used to cover the gap between what a student receives in federal student loans and what it costs to attend a school, including living expenses. Once students have hit their limits on the most affordable federal student loans, private loans can be competitive with costlier federal PLUS loans.

Limits vary by lender

How much you can actually borrow is determined by the private lender’s underwriting rules. These vary by lender and, as is the case with federal student loans, can include annual or cumulative borrowing limits. Other private lender criteria that can affect how much you can borrow include your credit history, the credit quality of your co-signer, your school’s cost of attendance, the degree you’re earning and your corresponding expected income with that degree.