<p>The credit should go to the financial aid forum and the wonderful people who frequent there. Most of my information is from them and all I’ve done is apply their knowledge to UCSC’s information combined with my personal experience. Since I pay for school myself, I have to research this stuff extensively and learn every angle I can cut costs at.</p>
<p>Also I highly recommend speaking to UCSC’s financial aid to clear up specific questions. They’re very nice and can give you much more official information than I can :)</p>
<p>thatonekidd: Do you mean private loans or stafford loans? I highly recommend against the former type unless you can find a really good interest rate through a credit union (if you happen to have access to NavyFed or USAA, their rates are sometimes good). For the latter, those are direct through UCSC.</p>
<p>However, if you absolutely need private loans, I am not aware of any specific bank requirement. But make sure you read every single document in detail before you sign for anything. Also know that a private loan will more than likely require a co-signer.</p>
<p>Information on private loans: [UC</a> Santa Cruz - Financial Aid - Welcome!](<a href=“http://www2.ucsc.edu/fin-aid/privateloans.shtml]UC”>http://www2.ucsc.edu/fin-aid/privateloans.shtml)</p>
<p>Star`: Hrm, that one I’m not sure on since I accepted my loans immediately. I remember reading in the financial aid forum about there being a set date when you can request loans up until, but I cannot seem to find the information on any website (UCSC or the federal loan website). I’d call the financial aid office and ask how long the offer of loans will be available.</p>
<p>From the federal loan website:
</p>
<p>[Applying</a> for Federal Direct Loans](<a href=“http://www.direct.ed.gov/applying.html]Applying”>http://www.direct.ed.gov/applying.html)</p>
<p>I think I’m just overlooking the date somewhere.</p>
<p>schooldad: I cannot find a precise date and I do not recall having a deadline. If there is one, it would probably be listed in the award letter/email.</p>
<p>[UCSC</a> Financial Aid - Deadlines and Key Dates](<a href=“http://www2.ucsc.edu/fin-aid/dates.shtml]UCSC”>http://www2.ucsc.edu/fin-aid/dates.shtml)</p>