Private loans — also called alternative loans — can help you fill the gap when federal loans, scholarships, grants and work-study programs don't quite meet your financial need.

Borrowing money to finance your higher education can be a wise investment; however please consider the following before you apply for a private loan:

• You should always borrow from the federal student loan programs before you apply for private loans. Federal student loans, like the Stafford and PLUS loan, usually offer lower interest rates and an overall lower cost of borrowing. For more information on the difference between private and federal education loans view our loan comparison chart.



• Private loans are offered by private lenders, like SunTrust. Because these private supplemental loans aren't guaranteed by the federal government, you don't need to fill out any federal forms to apply.



• Private loans can be used for all education-related expenses. You can borrow up to the cost of attendance at your school, but we recommend that you only borrow what you need in order to limit your amount of debt.



• Interest rates for private loans are usually based on an index (such as Prime or LIBOR) plus a margin, depending upon your credit history.



• Private loans typically allow undergraduate students to apply for a loan with a cosigner; such as your parents, which can increase your chance of getting a higher loan amount, a better interest rate, and a lower monthly payment.



• Your monthly repayment obligation will be based on the amount borrowed, the interest rate, the origination or repayment finance charge (if applicable) and the length of repayment.

To find out more information about private loans available to you please select your state of permanent residency, the state where your school is located and the name of your school.*

Select your state of permanent residency--------AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Select your school's state Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Select your school

*

Certain restrictions and limitations may apply. SunTrust Bank reserves the right to change or discontinue these programs without notice. All loan programs may not be available in certain jurisdictions. When proceeding to the online application, please note the loan program(s) being presented. If you don't see your school on this list, call us at 1-800-552-3006.