Subsidized And Unsubsidized Student Loan
In order to pay for college, most students will need to take out a student loan. There are many different types of student loans, and some are more affordable than others. You may have heard of subsidized and unsubsidized loans, but what’s the difference? Both options can help you pay for college expenses, but it’s important to know how they differ before deciding which one is right for you.
Subsidized student loans are federal loans that are offered to undergraduate students who have financial need.
Subsidized student loans are federal loans that are offered to undergraduate students who have financial need.
A subsidized loan will not accrue interest while the student is in school at least half-time, during grace periods and deferment periods. The government pays the interest on these loans through an annual loan subsidy and the interest rate is fixed at 4% for the life of your loan. If you’re a member of the military on active duty or a National Guard or Reserves member called to active service, your interest rate won’t exceed 6%.
You can use our handy calculator below to find out if you qualify for a subsidized Federal Loan!
When you’re approved for a subsidized loan, the government will pay the interest on an as-needed basis until you graduate or leave school.
When you’re approved for a subsidized loan, the government will pay the interest on an as-needed basis until you graduate or leave school.
- Interest is paid while you are in school.
- Interest is paid while you are in school and during grace period.
- Interest is paid while you are in school, during grace period, and during deferment period
For example, if you want to enroll at least half-time in a college or career school and still be eligible for federal student aid, you must meet certain academic progress requirements.
When you’re eligible for federal student aid, you can receive both subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Subsidized loans are available to students who have demonstrated financial need. For example, if you want to enroll at least half-time in a college or career school and still be eligible for federal student aid, you must meet certain academic progress requirements.
The interest rate on the subsidized loan is fixed at 3.76% – 4% during the life of the loan (up to 10 years after graduation). The length of each payment period is determined by the number of months in your repayment plan:
- 12 months = 1 payment per month
- 24 months = 2 payments per month
If you don’t make the minimum progress on your subsidized student loan, you could lose eligibility for the subsidy.
If you don’t make the minimum progress on your subsidized student loan, you could lose eligibility for the subsidy. You can lose your eligibility even if it is not a choice of yours to drop out or transfer schools. If you are in default on your federal student loans, then all of your federal aid will be canceled and cannot be reinstated without repaying the defaulted amount first.
If you have good credit and financial need, a subsidized student loan may be the way to go.
A subsidized student loan is a federal student loan that’s awarded to students with financial need. If you qualify for a subsidized student loan, the government will pay your interest while you’re in school. This means your payments are lower than they would be otherwise and that you only have to make payments on what you owe once school is over.
If you have good credit and financial need, a subsidized student loan may be the way to go. It will help reduce debt when compared with unsubsidized loans, which require interest payments during enrollment periods even if no payment has been made on them yet (as in the case of forbearance).
If you don’t qualify for a subsidized Stafford Loan, or even a Perkins Loan, consider an unsubsidized Stafford Loan.
If you don’t qualify for a subsidized Stafford Loan, or even a Perkins Loan, consider an unsubsidized Stafford Loan. The interest on these loans accrues while you are in school and is added to the amount of your loan when it’s time to pay back your tuition.
You are responsible for paying the interest while you are in school. However, there are two options available that can help defer payments:
- You can choose to pay interest while you’re still in school. This will reduce the total balance of your debt after graduation by adding more money right away than if you didn’t pay any interest until then.
- You can choose not to pay any extra money until after graduation when it’s time to repay all outstanding balances on loans taken out during college (which may include both subsidized and unsubsidized loans). This option allows more money from each paycheck throughout repayment because of lower monthly payments due from having had less outstanding principal during those years post-graduation
You can choose between these two types of loans based on your credit and financial needs.
You can choose between these two types of loans based on your credit and financial needs.
- Subsidized student loans: With these loans, the government pays the interest while you’re in school. This means that you won’t have to pay anything back right away. The federal government offers subsidized loans to students who demonstrate financial need (as determined by their FAFSA information). They also offer subsidized loan options for parents whose child is attending college or another institution of higher education. These are an excellent choice if you have a low credit score, as they have lower interest rates than unsubsidized student loans (8% vs 8-10%). However, there’s a limit on how much you can borrow with this type of loan—and it’s just $5,500 per year! For example: If your first-year costs for tuition are $20k/yr at an average private university or public community college; that would mean most people would not be able to take out enough to cover all their expenses because these limits aren’t very high compared with typical cost estimates from schools themselves which run upwards into hundreds thousands annually especially if living on campus where housing costs may account for nearly half total cost (50%) depending upon grade level lived off campus or out west where land isn’t cheap anymore).
So what should I do?
If you have good credit and financial need, a subsidized student loan may be the way to go. If you don’t qualify for a subsidized Stafford Loan, or even a Perkins Loan, consider an unsubsidized Stafford Loan.