student loans

When is the Best Time to Submit a Student Loan App?

By Morgan StaubLast updated on March 24, 2025

Student loans have always been popular, but in recent years, their ubiquity has exploded. The economic downturn of the late 20-aughts led many students to explore auxiliary methods of paying for college. Student loans are at the forefront. As of the first quarter of 2017, American college students owe a combined $1.3 trillion dollars in …

student loans

Can GPA Affect My Ability to Get a Student Loan?

By Allison WignallLast updated on February 27, 2025

After exhausting their financial aid opportunities for scholarships, grants, and work studies, many students turn to take out a loan. There are a host of things that affect students’ chances of earning a student loan, and GPA is definitely one of them. So in short: Yes. In terms of Federal Student loans (which should be …

student loans

Do Student Loans Hurt Your Credit Score?

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 6, 2025

By itself, taking out a student loan will not hurt your credit score. In fact, simply taking out a student loan will neither hurt nor benefit your credit score. How you handle your loan payments it what will impact your credit. If you miss a payment for any reason, that will hurt your score. On …

student loans

How Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Works

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on December 22, 2022

With the cost of college tuition becoming more expensive every year, it is becoming increasingly more difficult for students to realize their higher education dreams without taking a loan. However, while this solves one problem it does create another in that students bear the burden of having to return that loan with a huge interest …

student loans

Stats about Student Loans

By Morgan StaubLast updated on December 22, 2022

A great man named Jay-Z once said, “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.”  This mantra seems to hold true in nearly all areas of life, especially when it comes to the hot-button issue of student loans. As student loan debt and financial aid has recently become a polarizing—and often politicized—issue, the most straightforward information often …

student loans

8 Ways To Reduce Student Loan Debt

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on March 5, 2025

With the rising cost of tuition, most families in America take federal and private student loans to cover these costs. As a result, the majority of students graduate with thousands of dollars in student loan debt. While this may be unavoidable, there are things you can do to reduce what you owe in student loans. …

student loans

The Difference Between Loan Deferment and Forbearance

By Allison WignallLast updated on March 24, 2025

Some people use the two terms interchangeably, but that can lead to misconceptions because the two aren’t actually the same. Deferment To boil it down and really simplify it: deferment is delaying the repayment of a loan until after the student borrower graduates. While in school, they can focus on their studies. Students do not …

student loans

What if You Have Trouble Repaying Student Loans? 2 Things You Must Do

By College Raptor StaffLast updated on December 22, 2022

It happens more often than you think—students take loans with every intention of repaying them but life gets in the way and they struggle to pay back what they owe. If this happens to you, the worst thing you can do is sit back and see what happens. In fact, letting your lender know is …

student loans

How Much Should I Borrow in Student Loans for College?

By Allison WignallLast updated on March 24, 2025

Did a little chill slither down your spine when you read “student loans”? It can be an intimidating topic to many college-bound students and their families. There are a lot of questions and concerns (especially for first gen or firstborn students). One of the big questions is: just how much money should I take out …

student loans

What Information is Needed to Apply for a Student Loan?

By Allison WignallLast updated on December 22, 2022

There are a lot of famous sayings and phrases about preparation. “Fortune favors the prepared” and “Failing to plan is planning to fail” chief among them. So, it always pays to be prepared. If you’re planning on taking out a student loan, be sure to do plenty of research, and go in with these bits …