Alternative Loan Lenders Used by UC Students
Students can choose an alternative loan product from any lender they wish. Note, however, that various products offered have very specific eligibility requirements. You must obviously meet the lender's eligibility requirements for their loan product in order to use their alternative loan.
The University of Cincinnati does not endorse lenders or loan products nor does it limit student choice. But to assist students who may be looking for an alternative lender, we do provide a listing of lenders utilized by our students over the past two academic years.
Lenders Used by UC Students Recently
The following lenders were used for alternative loans by UC students during academic years 2018-19 or 2019-20.
- Abbey Credit Union
- Affinity Plus Federal Credit Unit
- Bank of North Dakota
- Baxter Credit Union
- BMI Federal Credit Union
- CEFCU
- Cincinnati Police Federal Credit Union
- CINFED Federal Credit Union
- Citizens Bank
- Citizens One
- Code Credit Union
- Cognition Financial
- College Avenue
- Commonbond, Inc
- Community West Credit Union
- Credit Union of Ohio by Sallie Mae
- Day Air Credit Union
- Digital Federal Credit Union
- Directions Credit Union
- Discover Student Loans
- Earnest
- Education First Credit Union
- Elements Financial Federal Credit Union
- Higher Ed Servicing Corporation
- International Harvester
- ISM
- Kemba Financial Credit Union
- KHEAA Advantage Education Loan
- LendKey Tech Credit Union
- Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority
- Messiah Lutheran Church
- National Education Association by Sallie Mae
- New Hampshire Higher Ed
- Northwest Federal Credit Union
- Ohio Educational Credit Union
- PNC
- Prodigy Finance
- Purdue Federal Credit Union
- Regions Bank by Sallie Mae
- Richland State Bank
- Sallie Mae
- SoFi
- Summit Credit Union
- Suntrust Bank
- Tendto Credit Union
- Three Rivers Federal Credit Union
- Thrivent Federal Credit Union
- TLC Community Credit Union
- Trumark Financial
- Union Federal
- Wells Fargo
- Wright-Patt Credit Union
FASTChoice Loan Information
To assist students in comparing loan products from lenders used by students recently, we have asked lenders to supply information in the FASTChoice product from Great Lakes Higher Education Loan Service.
Via FASTChoice, you can receive basic counseling on alternative loans. You can then review general information and see side-by-side comparisons for alternative loan products used by UC students in the past if the lender has supplied the information to Great Lakes.
Alternative Loan Processing
Unlike federal loans using a master promissory note allowing continuous borrowing, alternative loans require a note to be completed with each new or increased borrowing and require the use of a Private Loan Self-Certification.
Promissory notes can be completed online with the lender, or the borrower can request that a paper note be sent to them. Completed notes and private loan certification forms are submitted to the lender.
Once the note and required paperwork is received by the lender, a credit check occurs, and the prospective borrower is notified of the outcome. If the loan is credit-approved, UC's Student Financial Aid Office will also be informed and will certify the loan based on eligibility.
You can monitor the certification status of an approved loan since, after certified, the alternative loan will appear as part of your online award offer. Funds will then be disbursed based on the required schedule determined by your lender and UC.