Loans for International Students

For international students planning on studying at Saint Louis University School of Law, financial arrangements must be met before studies can begin. Federal aid is NOT available to international students on a F1 or F2 student visa, J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa or a G series visa. Contact the appropriate lenders for the loans for international students for specific requirements and qualifications. Saint Louis University School of Law does not endorse or recommend any alternative/private loan over another. Please read and research the various loans carefully to determine which loan(s) best match your needs.

These loans are available to international students. Most require a U.S. citizen or permanent resident as a co-signer on the loan. Alternative or private loans are based on credit history and ONLY the lender has discretion on approval on loan. Most alternative loan programs have similar requirements and limits, mostly differing mainly in guarantee and other fees and repayment options. 

If you are interested in finding out more about a particular loan, either contact the lender directly or call the School of Law Financial Aid Office at 314-977-3369 or by email at fin_aid@law.slu.edu.

We do not endorse or recommend one program over the other. We do, however; strongly recommend that you read all of the fine print and terms on the applications.

CitiAssist Loan by CITIBANK

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident Alien status or International Student

Amounts: Maximum loan amount - Up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid. Maximum cumulative education debt is $110,000 including both private and federal loans.

Co-Signers: All international students require a creditworthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer. INS documentation is required for international students (I-55I or I-94 or I-20). The CitiAssist Loan co-signer release option may allow your co-signer to be released from the loan if you are a creditworthy graduate and have made your first 48 consecutive payments on time.

Fee: No origination, guarantee or repayment fee.

Interest Rate: Variable rate based on the Prime Rate + .375%

Pre-Approval: On-line application at www.studentloan.com

Repayment: Repayment period up to 15 years. Repayment begins six months after leaving school or dropping below half-time status. There are no prepayment penalties or an interest-only option for 24 or 24 months after graduation. E-Z Pay lowers interest rate by .25% for making automatic loan payments from banking account. CitiExtra Savings lowers interest rate by .50% if you make your first 48 scheduled payments on time and continue to make on-time payments.

Contact: Phone: (800) 745-5473

Organization of American States/Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund

Eligibility: National of a Latin American or Caribbean member State of OAS. Applicant must also have a grade point average of 3.0 from their current or most recent academic institution. Applicant must be accepted as a full-time student and plan to return to their country of origin after completion of their studies.

Amounts: Maximum loan amount is $7,500 U.S. dollars per loan. Aggregate total of $15,000 U.S. dollars during the course of the studies for which the loan was granted.

Co-Signers: All student loans must be underwritten by a guarantor. U.S. citizen or permanent resident can guarantee the loan.

Fee: Disbursement fee of .5% will be taken out as insurance.

Interest Rate: Unknown

Repayment: Repayment begins three months after the completion of the studies for which the loan was approved. Loan repayment is scheduled in not more than fifty equal monthly payments. Borrowers may pay their loans at an accelerated rate, increasing their monthly payments, or in a lump sum at any time.

Contact: Leo S. Rowe Pan American Fund

National Education's TOTAL Alternative Loan (TAL)

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen or a permanent resident and have resided in the U.S. for the previous two years; or, an international student with a qualified credit-worthy U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-applicant.

Amounts: Maximum loan amount - Up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid with a $45,000 annual cap.

Co-Signers: Can apply for loan on own credit or apply with a credit-worthy co-applicant.

Fee: The origination fees vary, depending on the credit-worthiness of the student borrower and whether or not there is a credit-worthy co-applicant, from 6.5% to 10.5% of the total loan amount.

Interest Rate: Variable interest rate using the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) + 3.5%.

Pre-Approval: Apply online at www.nationaleducation.com/tal or call 1-866-213-3153, select #2 for Customer Service.

Repayment: Repayment of principal and interest begins six months after (i) graduation, or (ii) you cease to be enrolled at least half-time. Repayment can be up to 20 years and monthly payments will be fixed for the first year and the recalculated once each year based on the interest rate applicable.

Contact: Phone: (866) 213-3153 www.nationaleducation.com/tal

SallieMae Law Loan

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen, non-citizen permanent resident or international student.

Amounts: Minimum loan amount – $500. Maximum loan amount – Up to the cost of attendance minus any financial aid. Maximum aggregate loan limit without a co-signer - $150,000. No aggregate loan limit with a co-signer.

Co-Signers: Co-signer must be a US citizen or permanent resident. All international students must have a credit-worthy US citizen or permanent resident as co-signer. Co-signer release after the first 24 payments of principal and interest are made on time. Students must meet applicable credit requirements at that time.

Fee: 0% disbursement fees for all credit tiers

Interest Rate: Interest rate is a variable rate that will change based on the Prime Rate. Refer to Paragraph C-2 of the promissory note for complete information.

Pre-Approval: Students can apply online at SallieMae Law Loans. Co-signers can apply on-line also.

Repayment: Repayment period is 15-25 years, depending on the amount borrowed, with repayment beginning nine months after leaving school or dropping below half-time status. Variety of repayment options available.

Contact: Phone: (800) 984-0190

U.S. Bank Gap Education Loan

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen, permanent resident or International Student with U.S. citizen or permanent resident as co-signer. Must be at least 18 years of age and are attending (or planning to attend) an eligible school on at least part-time basis.

Amounts: Minimum loan amount - $1,000. Maximum loan amount - Up to the cost of education less any financial aid received. Borrowers approved at the 8% Reserve Fee are restricted to an annual borrowing amount of $15,000 for graduate students. Aggregate borrowing limit is $100,000, including education loans from all sources.

Co-Signers: To qualify for a loan on your own, student must earn a minimum credit bureau score. If you do not meet he minimum credit score, you may be eligible to apply for the loan with a qualified co-signer. Co-signer must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen and must satisfy the lender's minimum credit criteria.

Fee: Depending upon credit history, a reserve fee of 4% to 8% of the loan amount will be assessed.

Interest Rate: Interest is a 91-day T-bill + 2.5% during the in-school and grace periods and 91-day T-bill + 3.5% during repayment period. Rates are variable quarterly.

Pre-approval: Apply online at US Bank Gap Loan. Be sure to have the necessary information required to complete the loan application. This information can be found online.

Repayment: Loan repayment is up to 15 years. Repayment begins six months after leaving school or dropping below half-time status. Once you use your six-month grace period, you CANNOT receive another In-School Deferment. You will automatically enter repayment. No requirement to pay principal during enrollment. Interest can be paid monthly, or accrued and capitalized when the Repayment Period begins. Interest rate deduction benefits up to 1/2% if you have your monthly payments automatically deducted from your checking account.

Contact: U.S. Bank Gap Application or 1-800-233-7824

U.S. Bank Graduate Education Loan

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen, permanent resident or International Student with U.S. citizen or permanent resident as co-signer. Must be at least 18 years of age and are enrolled at least part-time or more at eligible graduate schools.

Amounts: Minimum loan amount - $1,000. Maximum loan amount - Up to the cost of education less any financial aid received. Aggregate borrowing limit is $100,000, including education loans from all sources.

Co-Signers: To qualify for a loan on your own, student must earn a minimum credit bureau score. If you do not meet he minimum credit score, you may be eligible to apply for the loan with a qualified co-signer. Co-signer must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen and must satisfy the lender's minimum credit criteria.

Fee: Depending upon your credit history, a reserve fee of 4% or 9% of the loan amount will be assessed.

Interest Rate: Interest rates is Prime + 0% variable, no more than monthly.

Pre-approval: Apply online at US Bank Graduate Education Loan. Be sure to have the necessary information required to complete the loan application. This information can be found online.

Repayment: Loan repayment is up to 15 years. Repayment begins six months after leaving school or dropping below half-time status. Once you use your six-month grace period, you CANNOT receive another In-School Deferment. You will automatically enter repayment. No requirement to pay principal during enrollment. Interest can be paid monthly, or accrued and capitalized when the Repayment Period begins. Interest rate deduction benefits up to 1/5% if you have your monthly payments automatically deducted from your checking account.

Contact: U.S. Bank Graduate Education Loan or 1-800-233-7824

U.S. Bank No Fee Education Loan

Eligibility: U.S. Citizen, permanent resident or International Student with U.S. citizen or permanent resident as co-signer. Must be at least 18 years of age and are attending (or planning to attend) an eligible school on at least part-time basis.

Amounts: Minimum loan amount - $1,000. Maximum loan amount - Up to the cost of education less any financial aid received. Borrowers approved at the Prime + 3.95% tier are restricted to an annual borrowing amount of $15,000 for graduate students. Aggregate borrowing limit is $100,000, including education loans from all sources.

Co-Signers: To qualify for a loan on your own, student must earn a minimum credit bureau score. If you do not meet he minimum credit score, you may be eligible to apply for the loan with a qualified co-signer. Co-signer must be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen and must satisfy the lender's minimum credit criteria.

Fee: There are no reserve, origination or guarantee fees.

Interest Rate: Interest rates are Prime + 0%, Prime + 1.95% or Prime + 3.95%, depending upon the credit history of the borrower. All rates are variable over the life of the loan.

Pre-approval: Apply online at US Bank No Fee Education Loan. Be sure to have the necessary information required to complete the loan application. This information can be found online.

Repayment: Loan repayment is up to 15 years. Repayment begins six months after leaving school or dropping below half-time status. Once you use your six-month grace period, you CANNOT receive another In-School Deferment. You will automatically enter repayment. No requirement to pay principal during enrollment. Interest can be paid monthly, or accrued and capitalized when the Repayment Period begins. Interest rate deduction benefits up to 1/2% if you have your monthly payments automatically deducted from your checking account.

Contact: U.S. Bank No Fee Education Loan or 1-800-233-7824