Government Education Loans

The United States government really wants to promote education and make it more affordable for everyone, so they offer a great number of educational loans and grants. There are currently 17 different loan or grant programs offered that cover a variety of situations and eligibility requirements. Altogether, billions of dollars are given out each year through these programs.

One of the most popular student loan programs is known as FAFSA, which stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Almost all 2 and 4 year colleges and universities within the US use this program for awarding federal, state, and college funded student aid. Almost every graduating high-school senior who is planning on attending college fills out the FAFSA forms to determine eligibility for need-based financial aid. This is not just for the poor, as most middle class families are eligible for at least some aid, whether in the form of loans or grants. Some colleges and universities actually meet 100% of the need determined by the FAFSA program. Even some distance learning programs use the FAFSA numbers to determine financial need.

Other education loans provided by the government include: AIDS Research Loan Repayment Program, Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program, Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, Contraception and Infertility Research Loan Repayment Program, Education Consolidation Loans, Extramural Clinical Research Loan Repayment Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds, and Federal Perkins Loan Program.

There are actually even more student loan programs out there, including the federstal student aid loan and grant data, general research loan repayment program, health disparities research loan repayment program, indian health service loan repayment program, nursing education loan repayment program, PLUS parent loans, pediatric research loan repayment program, and stafford loans for students.