Loan decisions
How much student borrowing do I actually need?
Calculate the remaining funding gap, separate one-off costs and define the intended borrowing period.
Loan decisions
Assess needs, contracts and alternatives before borrowing.
Loan decisions
Studienkredit or Bildungskredit: different purposes
KfW-Studienkredit and Bildungskredit sound similar, but they are separate programmes.
Loan decisions
A one-off gap or a lasting shortfall?
An empty bank account can have two very different causes.
Loan decisions
Understanding nominal and effective interest
A loan offer may display both a nominal borrowing rate and an effective annual rate.
Loan decisions
Stress-testing variable interest in your budget
A variable interest rate can change during a loan.
Loan decisions
Questions to resolve before signing a loan
Signing a loan connects today's funding with obligations that may last for years.
Loan decisions
Interest during the payout period
With a student loan, principal repayment may start later even though interest arises during the payout period.
Loan decisions
Why the payout may not equal usable cash
A funding plan often contains one headline figure: the monthly loan payout.
Loan decisions
Comparing loans on equal terms
A loan comparison becomes meaningful when both offers are intended to solve the same problem.
Loan decisions
Overdrafts and recurring study costs
When rent and semester costs pass through a current account, an arranged overdraft can feel like a convenient buffer.
Loan decisions
Assessing instalments for a study laptop
A laptop may be necessary for university without the most expensive model being necessary.
Loan decisions
Discussing a written family loan agreement
Family money can make university easier, but people do not always mean the same thing by help.
Loan decisions
Thinking through a guarantor arrangement
A guarantee is sometimes presented as a small favour during a loan application.
Loan decisions
Education funds and income-linked payments
An education fund may link future payments to income.
Loan decisions
Reading loan advertising without pressure
Loan advertising is usually designed to attract attention.
Loan decisions
Why approval does not prove affordability
Loan approval tells you that a provider is willing to advance money under specified conditions.
Loan decisions
Preparing for student finance advice
A student-finance advice appointment is more useful when the meeting does not begin with a search for every figure.
Loan decisions
When a student loan is declined
A rejection initially means that a particular application did not produce the requested funding.
Loan decisions
Keeping track of two education loans
Two loans may fund different study periods or expenses at the same time.
Loan decisions
Questioning intermediary fees
Students searching for finance encounter intermediaries and advice services as well as lenders.
Loan decisions
Separating borrowing from hoped-for earnings
An expected salary after university can make borrowing today look smaller.