Other Loans
Private/Alternative Parent Loans
Parents who wish to finance all or a portion of undergraduate educational costs have several options available to them. The best option will vary by family situation. Families with available home equity may want to consider a home equity loan before these other alternatives.
Private Loans vs. Federal Loans
Private education loans may have significant disadvantages when compared with federal educational loans. We encourage families to carefully consider federal education loan options before proceeding with private education loan programs.
The private lender SoFi offers a private parent loan alternative to the federal parent PLUS loan for parents of Stanford students. Please refer to SoFi's web site for details of the program. Stanford University has no financial involvement with the program.
| Federal Parent PLUS Loan | SoFi Parent Loan | |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Signer Required? | No; although possible way to resolve credit issues | No |
| Credit Check Required? | Yes, although only testing for "absence of negative credit" | Yes; credit worthiness determines eligibility and interest rate |
| Deferment Options | Deferment while the student is in school and during a 6 month grace period after graduation is possible. Interest does continue to accrue. | None |
| Repayment Period | 10 years; no prepayment penalty | Options for 5 or 10 years; no prepayment penalty |
| Interest Rate | 6.84% fixed (2015-2016 academic year) | Options for fixed or variable, range from 3.16% to 7.38% |
| Loan Fees | 4.292% origination fee (4.272% if first disbursement is on or after 10/1/2015) | None |
Self-Certification Form
Parents who choose the SoFi Parent Loan will need to complete the Private Education Loan Applicant Self-Certification form.
In Section 2 of the self-certification form, you will be asked to provide the following three dollar amounts:
A. Student's cost of attendance for the period of enrollment covered by the loan
B. Estimated financial assistance
C. Difference between amounts A and B
The student can find the amounts for items A and B on his or her most recent financial aid award letter (available in Axess). For item A, use the figure listed for Total Expenses. For item B, add the Total Grants and Scholarships plus any student loans and federal work-study eligibility that you’ve accepted.
If you have trouble locating these figures, you may contact the Financial Aid Office for assistance.
Final Disclosure and Right-to-Cancel Period
Under the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA), your lender must provide you with a finalized disclosure statement after you have signed your promissory note. The final disclosure statement confirms the terms and conditions of your loan.
At the time that this final disclosure is delivered, your "right-to-cancel" period begins. During this period of six business days, you may cancel the loan by contacting the lender. The lender cannot release the first disbursement of your loan funds until the end of the right-to-cancel period.
Updated on September 4, 2015 1:59 PM
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