Majority of students takes loan from numerous sources for supporting their studies. As loans are loans and that should have to be paid back at some point unlike the scholarships, financial aids or grants. A student who takes loan not only pays back the total amount but also it must be repaid with interest. Commonly college graduates pays back these loans in 10 years.

There is no doubt about that college is one of most expensive investments in your lifetime. As the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) shows that 65% of four-year undergraduate students take out student loans to help paying for college.

Student loans are inclusive to undergrads but as matter of fact grad students needs more financial leverage than undergrad students.

Most Common Types of Student Loans

There are total six types of most common loans, which are taken by students mostly. These are:

• Federal Student Loans
• Private Students Loans
• Student Loans with bad of poor credit
• Student Consolidation Loans
• Alternative Loans
• Institutional Loans

Federal Student Loans

The Federal Family Education Loan Program’s (FFELP) main purpose is to provide additional financial aid to American college students and their families. Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans and Federal Consolidation Loans are included in Federal Student Loans.

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A good news for past, current or future loan takers with a new amendment to renegotiate your monthly student loan repayment bill to a maximum 15% of your discretionary income.

These new benefits will be affected from 1^st of July. This will regulate the student loan payments for millions of Americans. These benefits were signed into law in 2007 as part of College Cost Reduction and Access Act. They include:

• Low interest rates on need-based (subsidized) federal student loans. From 1^st of July the interest rates on subsidized federal student loans will decrease from 6% to 5.6%. That’s 2^nd from four annual cuts in this interest rate and it will continuously decrease down to 3.4% till 2011.

• Affordable monthly college loan payments plan for borrowers. The implementation of this new Income-Based repayment program will be effected from 1^st July, which allows borrowers to pay just 15% of their discretionary income (15% of what a borrower earns above 150% of the poverty level for their family size). The current or future borrower whose loan payment will be greater than 15% of their discretionary income is eligible. After 25 years in the program borrowers debts will be completely forgiven.

• Pell Grant scholarships covering the average tuition at public universities. The maximum Pell Grant scholarship for the 2009/2010 school year will be $5,350 which is $600 more than last year’s award and funding will be provided by both the College Cost Reduction and Access Act and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Read the full story