Students pursuing fulltime education often do not have the comforts of a salaried job. The cost of education is also increasing day by day. Under these conditions student loans have come to the rescue of the students to fund their education. Student loans are usually given at a low interest as it is for education. Students normally take the student loan for a period and amount depending upon their need. They take the only that amount that they would be able to pay back practically. Student loans can also supplement scholarships, grants and personal savings.

There are broadly four types of student loans depending on their source:

1. Government Student Loans Government student loans are issued by the Department of Education and are granted directly to the students. The students need to repay the loan with interest when their studies get over. They usually have a low interest rate. The amount of money a student can borrow is decided by the lender.

2. Parent Student Loans Parent student loans are issued to the parents of dependent students. So the parent has to make the repayments on completion of his/her child's study.

3. Private Student Loans Private Student Loans are issued by private institutions like banks, lenders, etc. Like other types of student loans they finance the studies of the student by granting a loan, which is to be repaid on completion of the studies. Here rate of interest is higher than the government student loans.

4. Other Loans - Other sources of student loans could be something like a home equity loan, which offers tax benefits. Since grants and scholarships are far and few student loans have become an increasingly popular method of financing ones studies. About private student loans:

Private student loans have all the features of government loans and potentially can be the best choice for some students. They offer higher loan limits with attractive interest rates. They also offer a grace period and students can repay after completion of their studies.

Although the private student loans offer lower interest rates, the rates could be a little higher than the government loan rates, but it is much lower than the rates for other private loans. There are no processing fees associated with the student loans.

Credit history of the applicant or the co-signer plays a major role in getting a private student loan. International students can acquire these private loans with the help of a co-signer. The loan amount is paid directly to the school by the lender and the remaining money is given to the student as living expenses.

A word about student loan consolidations

Unemployed student loan consolidation works just like any other loan consolidation. It combines various loans into a single consolidated loan. This takes care of various debts. Depending on the total loan amount and availability of security/collateral unemployed student can apply for a secured or an unsecured debt consolidation. Unsecured debt consolidation can be used for smaller amounts that are below 25,000. Secured debt consolidation can be used to borrow larger amounts like 25,000-75,000. Repayment time for secured unemployed debt consolidation is normally 10-30 years and the interest rates are also lower than the unsecured debt consolidated loans.

Advantages of Unemployed student loan consolidation

1. A single monthly payment instead of several payments 2. Overall monthly payment is less than the sum of the earlier installments. 3. No credit check or processing fees. 4. The consolidated interest rate is lower than the earlier rate

Students can look at electronic debit option to save money and avoid missing payments. Student Loans are available online so students can shop around and find what is suitable for them.