Alternative, or private, loan programs are designed to bridge the funding gap when savings, grants, federal loans, and other resources are not enough, or simply not available. YSU encourages all students to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and exhaust all eligibility for federal funds before applying for alternative loans. Alternative loans are provided by private lenders and approval is based upon the credit worthiness of the borrower and/or co-signer.
Application Steps
- Explore all Federal Loan options first; visit the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for eligibility information.
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Click the links below to continue to an external site that provides the current lenders offering private loan products. Terms, interest rates, fees and loan procedures are provided for each lender. The information on the web site is provided and kept current by Great Lakes, a student loan servicer. Borrowers should read the information provided at time of application carefully and ask questions of the lender they select.
Student borrower, click below to review and select a Student Alternative Loan provider
Parent Borrower, click below to review and select a Parent Alternative Loan provider.
Private Educational Loan Disclosures:
In accordance with 34 CFR 668.14(b)(29)(ii), an institution must, upon the request of the applicant, discuss the availability of Federal, State, and institutional financial aid. Staff members in Youngstown State University’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships are happy to discuss with prospective students, current students, and their parents, all financial aid options available to them. Students and parents may qualify for loans or other assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act programs. The terms and conditions of Title IV HEA program loans may be more favorable than the provisions of private educational loans. The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-35) (HEOA) added section 128(e)(3) to the TILA to require that before a private educational lender may consummate a private education loan for a student in attendance at an institution of higher education, the private education lender must obtain the completed and signed Self Certification Form from the applicant. The Federal Reserve Board’s Final Regulations published on August 14, 2009 incorporate this new requirement at 12 CFR 226.48(e). Many lenders of private loans will provide the Self Certification Form to the student borrower.
The form is also available in pdf format: Private Education Loan Self-Certification