Financial Aid...FAQs...Loans...Lenders and Links

College loans come from a number of different banks, but at Columbus State they're usually processed by the Great Lakes Higher Education Corp. and the U.S. Department of Education.

How to Choose a Lender  

Federal regulations allow students and parents to choose any lender when borrowing Federal Stafford Loans and Federal PLUS Loans for parents. We recommend that you select a lender that offers exceptional customer service by providing the following services:

• A toll-free number

• An interactive website that permits you to view the loan programs, as well as all terms and conditions.

• Knowledgeable and courteous Loan Consultants  

Parent (PLUS) Loans require a credit check. Choose a lender that will work with creditors to resolve outstanding credit worthiness issues. In addition, we recommend that you select a lender that maintains ownership of the loan from inception until the loan is paid in full.  

In order to assist our students in selecting lenders that provide exceptional customer service Columbus State Community College has compiled a list of lenders that we believe meet the above criteria.

However, students may select any lender they wish and Columbus State Community College will process the loan without penalty.  

REMEMBER: A LOAN IS MONEY THAT YOU MUST PAY BACK. BORROW ONLY WHAT YOU NEED. BE SURE TO KEEP ALL LOAN DOCUMENTS IN A SECURE PLACE.  

Students who are not eligible for Stafford Loans or find that Stafford Loan eligibility is inadequate to fully finance their educational expenses may wish to consider applying for Alternative Loans. Columbus State Community College strongly recommends that a student utilize Alternative Loans only upon ensuring that they have fully utilized their Stafford Loan eligibility.

Other Resources:

Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation
1-800-377-9095
http://www.glhec.org

U.S. Department of Education
1-800-621-3115
http://www.ed.gov/index.jsp

Information of defaulted student loans:
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/DCS/

Track loans online:

NSLDS Student Access via National Student Loan Data System

http://www.nslds.ed.gov