Private/Alternate Loans


Selecting a private/alternative education loan can be a challenging task.
Private education loans are credit-based consumer loans that can be used to pay any post-secondary education-related expenses, including tuition and fees, books, and transportation. Always consider your lowest-cost options first, including grants, scholarships, and federal student loans. Information on federal loans are listed on our website.


After exhausting loan opportunities available from the federal aid programs, many students will consider private loan programs as an additional source of funding. Virginia State University maintains a list of suggested private loan lenders that we believe offer strong customer service, competitive loan terms, and easy loan processing.


The link below will provide information to help you make an informed decision. We suggest you research the loans and the lender to find the best interest rate and terms of your loan. Please be aware that when viewing the alternative lender web pages below that you will be leaving the VSU web site. Alternative/Private loans are not backed by the federal government and therefore may have terms and conditions less favorable than federally funded student and parent loans. We encourage all students and parents to first consider and apply for federal student loans before applying for private loans.


The information contained on this chart is accurate as of the date it was collected. Because these are private loans, lenders can change the terms and conditions of these loans without notifying VSU. Therefore, we suggest you verify this information with any lender on this chart prior to applying for a loan with that company.



Please apply for private loans for each award year on/or after June 1st




You can apply for a loan on the Alternative/Private Loan website. You are not required to borrow with any of the lenders listed on this website; you may choose any lender. VSU does not discriminate against lenders and will certify loans from any private lender provided the student meets the lender’s eligibility requirements.