The NC Assist Advantage

Interested in how NC Assist loans stack up against other student loans? As North Carolina’s non-profit lender, we offer competitive fixed interest rates with no fees that many other lenders can’t match.

See How Our Rates Stack Up

When comparing student loans, it’s important to look at the total cost, including interest rates and fees. NC Assist is frequently the best option for those who qualify. See for yourself with these charts for all types of loans:

Undergraduate Student Loans | Graduate Student Loans | Parent Loans

Undergraduate Student Loan Comparisons

empty		Federal Direct Loans	Private Lenders
Interest Rate	6.95%	5.50%	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	$0	1.057%	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying			No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$120,000	$31,000 for Dependent students, or $57,500 for Independent students	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-draft	.25% discount	.25% discount	Usually a .25% discount
Non-profit Lender		No	No

	empty
Interest Rate	6.95%
Loan Fees	$0
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$120,000
Rate Reduction for Auto-draft	.25% discount
Non-profit Lender

Federal Direct Loans	empty
Interest Rate	5.50%
Loan Fees	1.057%
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$31,000 for Dependent students, or $57,500 for Independent students
Rate Reduction for Auto-draft	.25% discount
Non-profit Lender	No

Private Lenders	empty
Interest Rate	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying	No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-draft	Usually a .25% discount
Non-profit Lender	No

Undergraduate students should look first at Federal Direct loans. While Federal Direct loans do carry fees, they could be a good option for the initial piece of funding. However, they often don’t cover all of college costs. For those who need to borrow more than the Federal $12,500 annual limit, NC Assist is a great way to bridge the gap.

Graduate Student Loan Comparisons

empty		Federal Direct Unsubsidized	Federal Direct PLUS	Private Lenders
Interest Rate	6.95%	7.05%	8.05%	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	$0	1.057%	4.228%	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying				No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$200,000	$138,500	No aggregate max limit	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount	.25% discount	.25% discount	Usually a .25% discount
Non-Profit Lender		No	No	No

	empty
Interest Rate	6.95%
Loan Fees	$0
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$200,000
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount
Non-Profit Lender

Federal Direct Unsubsidized	empty
Interest Rate	7.05%
Loan Fees	1.057%
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$138,500
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount
Non-Profit Lender	No

Federal Direct PLUS	empty
Interest Rate	8.05%
Loan Fees	4.228%
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	No aggregate max limit
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount
Non-Profit Lender	No

Private Lenders	empty
Interest Rate	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying	No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	Usually a .25% discount
Non-Profit Lender	No

Once you determine how much you need to borrow, a Federal Direct Unsubsidized loan may make sense for graduate students. However, loan fees may make the NC Student Assist loan the best option.

Parent Student Loan Comparisons

empty		Federal Direct PLUS	Private Lenders
Interest Rate	6.25%	8.05%	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	$0	4.228%	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying			No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$120,000	No aggregate max limit	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount	.25% discount	Usually a .25% discount
Non-profit Lender		No	No

	empty
Interest Rate	6.25%
Loan Fees	$0
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	$120,000
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount
Non-profit Lender

Federal Direct PLUS	empty
Interest Rate	8.05%
Loan Fees	4.228%
Know Your Rate Before Applying
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	No aggregate max limit
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	.25% discount
Non-profit Lender	No

Private Lenders	empty
Interest Rate	Up to 13.95%
Loan Fees	Some
Know Your Rate Before Applying	No
Aggregate Max Borrowing Limit	Varies
Rate Reduction for Auto-Draft	Usually a .25% discount
Non-profit Lender	No

The NC Parent Assist Loan provides rates substantially lower than Federal Parent PLUS loans and many private lenders.

*All data is based on research from lender websites. Last updated Feb. 21, 2023.

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