Student Loans

Before you take out a student loan, you need to think about how much money you need to borrow. You will often be able to take out a larger loan than you actually need. Some loans accrue interest while you are a student, so even if you don’t end up using all of the money, it will still cost you in the future.


To determine your ideal loan amount, you should review your financial aid offer, plan a budget for each quarter you will be at Stanford, and factor in the money you plan to make during the year and summer. One trade-off you’ll likely encounter is deciding whether to take out a larger loan or work during the school year. It can make sense to take on more debt in order to spend more time focused on school work/extracurriculars during the school year. Both your GPA and extracurriculars will have a meaningful influence on what comes next for your after college. It’s up to you to decide how much work you can handle and how much debt you are willing to take on.

Terms You Should Know


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