Private educational loans (also known as alternative loans) are loans made by a private bank or lending agency for educational purposes. International students may qualify if the loan is co-signed by a creditworthy US citizen or permanent resident. The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) maintains a Preferred Lender List. Click on the link, choose UC Berkeley and then search “International” on the left-hand Program Type menu. This should populate a list of lenders that will loan to international students. In many cases a US co-signer and SSN will be required.
Other lenders such as Prodigy Finance, MPOWER Financing and Earnest offer loans to international students without the need for a co-signer. These lenders will have varying qualifications, loan terms and loan maximums. Students are encouraged to carefully explore all loan options available to them.
The Berkeley Law Financial Aid Office does not receive, and will not accept, inducements from lenders in exchange for inclusion on the International Loans information page, nor does the Berkeley School of Law share in the profits from student loans.
Students who have questions about federal or private student loans, or those who intend to secure such loans, should contact the Berkeley Law Financial Aid Office:
226 Law Building, Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: (510) 642-1563
Fax: (510) 666-3577
financial-aid-law@berkeley.edu
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