There is an option for undergraduate and graduate students who have not yet applied for their student loans or for those without sufficient federal funds for the fall semester. Phoenix-based NextStudent, a premier education funding company, has a private student loan program to help undergraduate and graduate students receive the funding they need to get them through college.
NextStudent's Private Student Loans have no application deadlines or fees and are available throughout the year to help cover the total cost of a student's education, less financial aid. An annual maximum of $40,000 or the calculated cost of attendance (lesser amount) is available with a program maximum of $130,000. Private student loans pay for tuition and fees, housing, supplies and computers.
Preapproval often is available in minutes when student borrowers apply directly online with NextStudent's fast and easy application form.
College students who need a loan and want to avoid Saturday's big interest rate hike have one last-minute option: the Internet."We have actually been overwhelmed by callers," said Whitney Bank president Tommy Tait. "At this point in time it's too late with all the paperwork we would have to process."Tait recommends applying online through Sallie Mae, the leading provider of student loans.Bank of America, with several branches in the Pensacola Bay Area, also participates in the student loan program. Applicants can seek a last-minute loan through the Bank of America's Web site.Students who want to consolidate their existing loans, or need loans to start school this fall, have every incentive to lock in rates before Saturday.The rate increase will be one of the largest one-year increases in the history of the federally backed student loan program.