Cosigner Option

International students may choose to borrow a fixed or variable interest rate private educational loan with a creditworthy US cosigner.  Each year, Columbia University publishes a suggested Lender List which provides a comparison chart of private lenders offering education loans to international students with a creditworthy US cosigner.  Your US cosigner must be a citizen or permanent resident.  Keep in mind that for some lenders, a student must have a social security number in addition to having a cosigner. For application instructions, please visit each lender's website.  Once you accept the loan with your lender, submit the Private Loan Request Form through our website.  Processing time for loans is 4-6 weeks assuming all documentation is in order.

No-cosigner Option

No-cosigner loan options, to our knowledge, are only available through Prodigy Finance and Mpower. To apply, please visit their websites. Amounts and rates will vary by lender.  Students have the right and ability to select the education loan provider of their choice, are not required to use any of these lenders and will suffer no penalty for choosing a lender that is not included here as a suggested lender.  Once you accept the loan with your lender, submit the Private Loan Request Form through our website.  Processing time for loans is 4-6 weeks assuming all documentation is in order.