Student loans basics

Student loans come two primary sources -- the federal government and private lenders. In order to obtain federal student loans, you will first need to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is your application for all federal financial aid including federal student loans. There are four main federal loan programs:

* Federal Stafford Loan
* Federal PLUS Loan
* Federal Graduate PLUS Loan
* Federal Consolidation Loan

You can learn the ins and outs of each at their respective page on this site. The Federal Stafford loan is made in the name of the student, is based on need, does not require a credit check (it's guaranteed by the government rather than credit/income/assets, etc.) and does not have to be repaid until after the student graduates, leaves school or stops attending on at least a half-time basis. Some school offer Stafford loan directly through the federal government. These are commonly known as Direct Stafford Loans. The schools that offer Direct Loans are known as Direct Lending Schools. Other schools offer Stafford loans ( college loans) through banks or other lenders. These schools are commonly called FFEL schools (Federal Family Education Loan). In order to obtain a federal Stafford loan through a FFEL school, you will need to choose a lender.

source : http://www.estudentloan.com/