The best way to start the process of a student loan is to ask the financial aid department at your college. They have certain lenders that they deal with. Or you have the option of going to a bank yourself. Word of advise whichever lender you decide on stick with!! It will be much easier in the long run if you need to reapply or consolidate.

To get the lowest interest rate, fill out a FAFSA. You will be awarded aid and then you can accept or decline as much as you’d like. The interest rate is significantly lower than if you were to take out a student loan at a bank. Also, your credit is not checked when you take a loan out through the government (by filing a FAFSA). Repaying your loan will improve your credit and you won’t have to start repayment until after you’ve graduated, and then you’d even have a 6 month grace period. Since you’re only looking for a small loan for living expenses, take the Subsidized Stafford Loan out. That way the government pays your interest while you are still in school – so, you’re saving money.

Hope this helps!

What I did is go back to the main company that held my student loans (Citibank) and applied for a secondary school loan. It was fairly easy to do, the forms were all online. I did have a cosigner, because my credit wasn’t great, but it went off without a hitch. If you do it through a student loan company, the loan goes into deferment while you are in school, just like Stafford loans. You even get a 6 month grace period after you graduate! You will accrue interest though, so make sure you get a decent rate. If you have good credit, it shouldn’t be a problem.

One caveat – you can only borrow under student loans up to the amount that your school has determined that it will cost the average student to live for the year. You can find that on your school website, and its a different amount for living on your own as opposed to living on campus. So here’s how it worked for me: My school determined that it would cost me $14,500 per year to go to school, living off-campus. I already had $8,000 in Stafford loans, ergo, I was allowed to borrow another $6,500 under an additional student loan.

Hope this helps!

in some banks and companies is possible. I found interesting information about your answer, college loans, scholarships, college grants & partime works here. http://all-student-loan-consolidation.blogspot.com/2007/07/college-loan-consolidation.html Good luck!