My school doesn’t offer federal student loans…?
I’m going to a community college that doesn’t offer federal loans. I’m going to get a pell grant that will cover most of tuition but I need help with living expenses, books, computer, etc. I would get a job to make ends meet, but I’m required to have a 2 yr internship for my program, that is likely to be unpaid.My parents don’t have very good credit and are wary to sign a loan in their name. Is there anything other than private loans with horribly high interest rates?
Not to worry!
No school actually offers federal student loans. All of these loans are “offerred” by the government. The only way you could not recieve a federal stafford loan is if you are not attending an accredited school, which would be a whole other issue, of course. This is clearly not hte case with you though since you are recieveing a Pell Grant from the federal government, meaning your school must be accredited. Some schools offer more “help” as far as taking out these student loans. It sounds like yours doesn’t so much. This does not mean you are not eligible or cannot recieve the federal aid.
Here’s what you do…you don’t need a private loan. You are still going to take out a federal stafford loan. It will just be through a private company. This means that instead of your school acting as intermediary between you and the federal government, this institution will. You will contact them with the information and they will take care of disbursing the funds to your school. The most well known and respected lender to deal with is Sallie Mae. You can visit their website to get the ball rolling. www.salliemae.com
Good luck with everything!! 
