Financial Aid Option at Vantage

The price tag on a college education continues to soar. Since 1985, costs have increased over 600%, outpacing the Consumer Price Index, even increases in the cost of gasoline and healthcare. Paying for all this isn’t getting any easier. When it comes to paying for higher education, there are a number of options, from scholarships to grants to savings programs to loans. Much depends on your situation and time frame.

Many consider scholarships to be the Holy Grail of financial aid. If you have the time and gumption, it’s free money. That’s why the typical student applies for five to six scholarships, with the odds of winning running at about one in ten.* While those odds aren’t too bad, it’s still a very competitive market out there, a market you’ll want to exhaust before moving onto a loan(s).

But what happens when you’ve exhausted all the more traditional forms of financial aid? Here at Vantage, we offer a financial aid option for when you run short of alternatives; it’s the CU Scholar Private Student Loan available through cuStudentLoans.org.

Here are some details:

• Borrow as little as $2,000, or up to Cost-of-Attendance per year for a maximum of $120,000 in undergraduate loans, or $160,000 in graduate loans.
   
• Choose between making interest payments or a nominal $25 Proactive Payment towards the loan while in school.
   
• Use the funds for all qualified educational expense, including past-due tuition bills.
   
• Quick approval once we receive your completed application.
   
• Cosigner release available after 24 consecutive on-time principal + interest payments for creditworthy borrowers.

Student benefits include:

• Zero origination fees for all qualified student borrowers.
• Competitive interest rates, and with good grades, even lower rates.
• 1% interest-rate reduction once 10% of the loan principal is repaid during the full repayment period.
• 30-day no-fee return policy allows you to cancel the loan if you find a better option.
• Use for ALL education expenses.

You’ll find more information about the financial aid process, including a financial aid loan calculator, when you check out our College Resource Center.

Don’t forget, Vantage awards 20 $1,000 Quest For Education scholarships each year. The 2012-2013 school year application will become available in August.

<sub>Please note; Private student loans (PSLs) should always be the last resource for financing your college education. In addition, be sure to complete the FAFSA first to apply for any grants or scholarships, as well as the Federal Student Loans. PSLs should only be considered after you have exhausted all other avenues.

* Mark Kantrowitz; publisher FinAid.org</sub>