College Ave Parent Student Loan Review
Parent Loan
Rewards: Autopay Discount
Yearly Loan Limits: 100% Cost of Attendance
Overall Loan Limits: $1,000 (minimum)
Cosigner Terms: Cosigner optional
We rate College Ave as one of the best lenders for parents of college students. Their Parent Loan offers among the lowest interest rates in the market, and some of the most flexible requirements for qualifying.
Pros
- Covers up to 100% of the annual cost of attendance
- Offers a repayment term of 5 years (in addition to another of 10 years)
- Available for non-U.S. citizens or residents that have a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident cosigner
Cons
- Capitalizes accrued interest on a monthly basis
- Unclear deferment and forbearance policies
- Does not allow you to defer payments while the student is in school
How does this loan compare?
Full Review
Rated as one of the best parent loans out there, College Ave has a lot to offer. When it comes to costs, they’re about as low as you’ll find. Though they charge a fee for late payments and only offer an autopay discount, their interest rates are lower than the majority of other private lenders. As for qualifying, they have a low minimum borrowing limit, cover up to 100% of your student’s annual cost of attendance, and their parent loan is available in all 50 states (and even to non-citizens and non-residents!).
That being said, there are elements of their repayment terms that are less desirable (or simply not spelled out). Their deferment and forbearance policies are unclear. And if you let unpaid interest accrue, they will capitalize it monthly, leaving you with a large loan balance in the end.
College Ave - Private Student Loan Details
- Credit Check: Soft to check rates, hard to process application
- Repayment Terms: 5, 15 years
- Minimum Borrowing Limit: $1,000
- Yearly Borrowing Limit: 100% of Cost of Attendance
- Aggregate Borrowing Limit: Not specified by lender
- Application Fee: None
- Origination Fee: None
- Prepayment Penalty: None
- Late Fee: Yes
- Minimum Credit Score: Not specified by lender
- Minimum Annual Income: Not specified by lender
- Citizenship Restriction: Available to Citizens, Permanent Residents, and International Students with a credit-worthy Citizen or Permanent Resident cosigner
- Minimum Enrollment Restriction: Not specified by lender
- List of States where Loan is Not Available: None
- Approved Schools Include: Title IV
- Immediate Principal and Interest Repayment: Yes
- Fixed Monthly Repayment: None
- Interest-Only Repayment: Yes
- Full Deferment: None
- Length of Grace Period: None
- Maximum Deferment Period: Not specified by lender
- Maximum Forbearance Period: Not specified by lender
- Cosigner Release Option: Not specified by lender
- Death Discharge: Yes
- Disability Discharge: Yes
- US-Based Call Center: Not specified by lender
- Hours of Operation (in addition to weekdays): Evenings
- Application Timeline: Not specified by lender
- Scholarship Search Tool: Yes
- Sponsors a Scholarship: Not specified by lender
- Job and Career Assistance: None
- Financial Literacy Training: Not specified by lender