In the Federal Stafford, Federal Parent PLUS, Federal Graduate PLUS and the non-federal Alternative loan programs, borrowers must choose a lender that will provide the education loan funds to the school.

Because many students and parents request guidance in identifying a lender-partner, we have developed a recommended lender list for each of the programs which canbe found on our 2009-10 loan comparison site. It is important to remember, however, that borrowers may choose any participating lender when borrowing through these loan programs. In addition to the loan comparison site, a list of national lenders is available on the AES/PHEAA website for your use when selecting federal loans.

We have carefully selected these lenders through a Request for Information (RFI) process. Features we considered when developing our recommended lender list included the following: fee structure, interest rate structure, electronic processing, electronic funds transfer and customer service. Specific information on how the recommended lender list was developed can be found in the section titled Recommended Lender Selection Process.

**All Federal Stafford, PLUS and Graduate PLUS lenders on Slippery Rock University's recommended lender lists are Keystone Best Lenders. If you borrow from a Keystone Best Lender, you have the option of electronically signing your Master Promissory Note (MPN) on line.

Borrowers may choose any participating lender when borrowing through the federal loan programs. In order to assist students who would like guidance in selecting a lender, we have developed a list of recommended lenders. Our recommended lenders are guaranteed through AES/PHEAA. We encourage you to compare lenders and choose those whose repayment, services and benefits meet your need.

To access SRU's loan comparison information, click HERE.

If you choose not to borrow from an SRU recommended lender, you can find a list of all AES/PHEAA Keystone Best Lenders and a National Lender list at http://www.aessuccess.org. Once again, borrowers may choose any lender, even lenders not identified on the recommended lender list.

IF YOU DECIDE TO USE A LENDER NOT REPRESENTED ON OUR LISTS, HERE ARE SUGGESTIONS FOR EVALUATING OTHER LENDERS:

•  What is the interest rate?

•  Are there fees? (up front? And/or back-end?)

•  What back-end benefits do they offer, if any?

•  Does the lender participate in electronic processing with Slippery Rock University ?

•  Does the lender disburse funds electronically to Slippery Rock University ?

•  Are they guaranteed by AES/PHEAA? If not, the student must initiate the loan application process every year, typically with a paper application.

•  Additional questions specific to Non-Federal Alternative Loans can be found on the Alternative Loan page or in the loan section of the “Understanding Your Award Letter Brochure”