Private Student Loans for International Students

April 9th, 2012 by Jennifer Frankel

If you are an international student interested in coming to the United States to study, or if you are currently enrolled in a US university or college, you may be looking for private sources of funding. While scholarships, grants and fellowships are a great place to start, you may soon realize that this is insufficient to cover your tuition, room and board, books, and other living expenses. Many international students turn to private student loans in this case.

If you are an international student considering a private student loan, there are a couple of pointers that you will want to know before applying for any loan.

1. Not all loans work for international students. Each lender has their own restrictions on eligibility. Some lenders only work with US citizens or green card holders, thereby eliminating any possibility of an international student obtaining a private student loan. Before you begin your application, be sure to check whether you are eligible before spending time gathering your information and completing the required documents.

2. Not all loans work for all schools. Private student loans have to be school-certified and thus only certain schools work with specific lenders. You will need to check with your lender to confirm that they work directly with the school you plan to attend – or the school you are currently enrolled in. Once you apply for a loan, the total loan amount is certified by your school. Loans are typically certified for the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid. The funds are then dispersed to your school that then disperse the funds to the international student.

3. Cosigner required. Most international students are required to have a US cosigner. That cosigner must be a US citizen or permanent resident that has lived in the United States for the last two years. To get the best available rate, your cosigner should have good credit history and rating.

For additional help in comparing lenders, check out our international student loan comparison tool that consider all of these factors to provide you with a list of eligible private student loan options. By choosing your school and citizenship, you will be given a list of lenders that have been prescreened based on your eligibility.

Other useful posts:

Canada student visa fees

Can You Get a Student Loan to Study Abroad?

Proof of Funds for your F-1 International Student Visa

Posted in International Student Loans

52 Comments

Nursahat says:

January 28, 2013 at 5:50 am

Hi ı’m Nursahat ı’m from Turkmenistan ı wont to stady english in us but ı don’t know how and where and ı have a problem ı don’t have more money for stady if you know some school for study english where ı’m study cheep and same time ı want to work for earn mone for study sorry about incorrect sentece or word thanks

Reply
- Bryanna Lindblom says:
  
  January 30, 2013 at 5:10 pm
  
  Hi Nursahat,
  
  Thank you for your inquiry. I’m glad to see that you are interested in studying in the US. You can find more on international student loans here. There, you can view what lenders are available to you and apply right online.
  
  Good luck with your studies.
  
  Reply
Bryan says:

March 11, 2013 at 11:03 am

Hello

I have been accepted to NYIT but i do not have any sponsor for my Visa procession. They say i must show that atleast $45400 in the bank statement..or my sponsors should show that they have that money. Am set to go for the 2013 fall semester and i really need help. Where can i get a students loan without a cosigner? And what is the possiblity of me getting a loan considering my mum is a school teacher. I need a students loan to cover for my visa issuance…

Thank you

Thank you

Reply
- Bryanna Lindblom says:
  
  March 14, 2013 at 3:23 pm
  
  Hi Bryan,
  
  Unfortunately a co-signer is required for all international student loan programs. After you choose a lender that works with your school, you are able to apply for the loan- applying is the only way to know for sure if you and your co-signer will be granted a loan.
  
  You can get started here.
  
  Reply
Francis Charlene says:

June 4, 2013 at 8:15 am

Can I obtain a loan to study in the Usa? I also want to be a citizen too how is it possible

Reply
- Bryanna Lindblom says:
  
  June 4, 2013 at 4:09 pm
  
  Hi Francis,
  
  Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately we are only able to assist you with information on international financial aid. To learn more about obtaining an international student loan you can visit here.
  
  Good luck with your studies!
  
  Reply
Dex says:

May 18, 2014 at 9:30 am

sagarghosh19@gmail.com

Reply
Souvik Ghosh says:

May 31, 2014 at 1:35 am

I am joining masters in Electrical Engineering from San Diego State University this fall. I am interested in taking student loan for which I have a co signer in USA. Please let mw know the procedure.

Reply
- Bryanna Davis says:
  
  June 12, 2014 at 9:53 am
  
  Hi Souvik,
  
  If you need an international student loan, the first step is to complete the loan comparison tool to see what lenders are available at your school. You can get started here.
  
  Reply
peter says:

June 21, 2014 at 8:46 am

PLEASE I AM FROM NIGERIA BUT I PRESENTLY STUDY IN RUSSIA BUT I INTEND MOVING TO USA TO STUDY BUT I DO NOT HAVE MONEY FOR THE PROCESSING ,BUT I AM SO MUCH INTERESTED IN GETTING A LOAN FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF MY STUDY IN USA.PLEASE CAN YOU ASSIST ME IN THAT REGARD…MY E-MAIL ADDRESS—dadaiyanupeter@yahoo.com

Reply
- Bryanna Davis says:
  
  July 29, 2014 at 4:02 pm
  
  Hi Peter,
  
  Thanks for visiting. Unfortunately we only have loans for those from the US going abroad, and for international students coming to the US. However, you might want to check out if you qualify for any scholarships. Good luck.
  
  Reply
Javokhir Toshpulatov says:

July 26, 2014 at 3:56 am

Hello. I am dead interested in studying at a university in usa like Harvird. Unfortunely i as well as my parents can’t afford me to study there. So that i am looking forward to find a loan’type for me to pay my tuition fee and living costs 🙂 can you advice me somewhat type of loans which can be given to uzbek national students 18 years old

Reply
- Bryanna Davis says:
  
  July 29, 2014 at 4:15 pm
  
  Hi Javokhir,
  
  Thanks for your interest.
  
  The only way to know if there is a lender available to you is to use the loan finder tool here.
  
  Good luck!
  
  Reply
Adebiyi Abiodun says:

December 13, 2014 at 5:29 pm

Pls I wish I could be one of opportunist of this student loan. I’m a graduate in chemistry SLT in EKSU Nigeria.I wish to proceed and study my masters degree in US.. Thanks

Reply
- Bryanna Davis says:
  
  April 2, 2015 at 11:34 am
  
  Hi Adebiyi,
  
  You will want to start by seeing if there is a lender available at the college or university in the US you wish to attend. You can do this by using our loan finder tool. Good luck.
  
  Reply
edwin chituri says:

December 1, 2015 at 11:22 am

hi my name is edwin chituri i come from zimbabwe i applied at phoenix east aviation school and i need loan so that i will be able to pay the fees

Reply
- Bryanna Davis says:
  
  January 5, 2016 at 2:58 pm
  
  Hi Edwin,
  
  Thanks for visiting! Please feel free to see if your school has any lenders available by using the loan comparison tool here. Good luck!
  
  Reply
Mercy Lianika says:

March 24, 2022 at 3:27 pm

Am mercy from kenya l need cosigner for my loan to study in usa

Reply
- Al C says:
  
  March 25, 2022 at 7:04 am
  
  We have information about cosigners here: https://www.internationalstudentloan.com/resources/how-to-find-a-cosigner.php
  
  We also have loan programs available to international students studying at an approved school in the United States or Canada without a cosigner. For more information, see below:
  
  In the U.S.: https://www.internationalstudentloan.com/loan_information/no_cosigner_loan
  
  In Canada: https://www.internationalstudentloan.com/loan_information/international_students_canada
  
  Please let us know if you have any further questions.
  
  Reply