IEFA Blog

Over the past few years, there have been two main types of private loans, including those private loans available to international students. The first are called “school certified” (or school channel, in lender terms) and the second are called “direct to consumer” loans (DTC in lender terms). Direct to Consumer Loans With direct to consumer…

As the fall semester approaches, and the level of inquiries that we receive about international student loans peaks, its a good time to review the state of play in the market for international student loans. Much has changed in the past year. The credit crunch and economic crisis continues to impact the availability of international…

Reports continue about the problems caused by the lack of international student loans this year. Although international student loans have never been available to the general population of international students without a co-signer, a few prestigious schools had negotiated with Citibank and Sallie Mae for no-cosigner private student loan programs for their students in particular….

From the perspective of an international student seeking funding for an education in the US, we begin 2009 much like we ended 2008 – with worldwide financial markets in turmoil and very limited options for international education financing. A quick update as we start the new year. For starters, both International Student Loan and Study…

Open Doors Report 2008 released today by the Institute of International Education After several years of modest rises and even post-9/11 declines this decade, the number of international students studying in the USA soared this past year, to a record total of 623,805, a 7% increase over the previous year’s enrollment of 582,984. The 7%…

New Rules for International Students – British Home Office (from the UK Visa Bureau) Last week, the British Home Office announced the new Australian-style points-based system for international students in the UK, known as Tier 4 under Home Office rules. Under the new system for UK student visas, all universities and colleges wanting to educate…

Its that time of year again — everyone’s back in school, and InternationalStudent.com has launched its 3rd Annual Travel Video Contest! Time to start thinking about what you would do and where you would go with a fat wad of cash. The entry deadline is October 31 and the grand prize has been increased this…