Questions to consider when financing your education with student loans:

Do you offer federal and alternative loan products?

(Federal - subsidized Stafford, unsubsidized Stafford, and Graduate Plus Loans)

Do you work with ELM Resources?

(ELM Resources provides automated Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) and alternative loan data exchange, updates, and loan information through the Internet)

Do you charge any loan fees on your federal loans? If so, what are they?

How long have you been origination loans?

Do you sell your loans?

How often do you capitalize interest, and do you capitalize during postponement periods?

Do you offer borrower benefits on all your loan products? If so, what are they?

What percentage of your borrowers receives benefits?

What happens if my payment is late or I miss a payment do I lose the benefit?

Do you offer e-sign (electronic signature)?

Can I access my account information online?

Do you offer online debt management and budget resources?

Do you charge any loan fees on your alternative loan? If so, what are they?

What are the annual / aggregate loan limits for the alternative loan?

Do you offer a co-signer option to reduce loan fees at disbursement on the alternative loan?

What are your repayment terms for the alternative loan?

Do you offer a co-signer release option on your alternative loan?

What is your interest rate cap on your alternative loan?