Some of our students have the need to borrow additional funds from private sources.  While we recommend that students and families exhaust all of the Stafford and PLUS eligibility, we realize this is not possible in all circumstances.  Private loans are more costly, riskier and typically require a co-signor and have a greater affect on long term credit scores of the borrower and co-signor.

Suggested private/alternative loan lenders

We do not make any specific recommendations of lenders to use for this type of loan.  The  HESC Marketplace may help you to make an informed decision about the best lender and loan product for you.
New York State Higher Education Services Corporation, a New York State Agency, has developed the HESC Marketplace, a tool that can be used to compare different private loan products.  It is a dynamic, interactive Web site that lets you learn about and compare multiple private loans with accurate and pre-qualified pricing.  Using this one site, you can get facts and information you need to evaluate your options.  The HESC Marketplace allows you to compare lenders using several different criteria, specific to your situation.