Alternative and Private Loans

We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college.

If you have exhausted all other available resources, alternative/private loans are another resource to help you fund your education.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an alternative/private loan, you must:

• Be a matriculating student with a declared major.
• Meet your chosen lender’s criteria.
• Enroll in at least 6 credits.

You may request a loan up to your Cost of Attendance (COA). Previously awarded aid will also be factored into your loan availability.

Process

It can take up to 30 days for an alternative/private loan to be approved, processed, awarded, and disbursed to your student account.

1. Contact a private lender and apply for a student loan.
2. Once the loan is approved by the lender, you must submit the Certification Request Form (link below). The Financial Aid office will evaluate the requested loan amount and may adjust the amount to fit within your COA for the semester(s) requested.
3. It can take 10 business days for the school to receive private loan funds and process them. It may take an additional 3-5 business days before the funds are awarded and disbursed to your student portal. (If the loan is requested and certified before an upcoming semester, the school should receive the funds during the first week of the semester.)

Be sure to verify your eligibility and accept all federal student loans before completing the Certification Request Form.

Certification Request Form

Historic Lenders

As a courtesy, below is a randomly sorted list of private/alternative loan lenders used by our students during the past three years.

There are many lenders who provide alternative student loans. The BYU-Idaho Financial Aid office does not endorse any specific lender. We provide the list below as a place to start your search for additional loan funding, some of these lenders may no longer be providing student loans. Please take the time to research and compare interest rates, eligibility requirements, and the repayment criteria of each lender before accepting an alternative loan.

If you have specific questions about interest rates, loan terms and how to qualify please reach out to the individual lender.