Our unique fixed interest rate Student Alternative Loan allows the student to be the primary borrower. A credit-worthy co-borrower may be required, which reduces the origination fee. After 48 consecutive on-time payments, the co-borrower may be released.
Current features and terms for the 2010-2011 academic year:
Repay your loan over 15 years.1
Defer payments until six months after the student graduates or leaves the program. Maximum deferment is 5 years.
Co-borrower release option2 after 48 consecutive on-time payments.
There's no application fee, only a 4.00% origination fee. (The fee is 7.00% without a co-borrower.)
Benefits Massachusetts residents attending college in-state or out-of-state, and for students from across the U.S. attending a Massachusetts college or university.
Download a Fact Sheet PDF 
(To continue, you will leave the MEFA website. The privacy and security policies of the third-party website may differ from those of MEFA. Please consult the privacy and security policies of the third-party website you are visiting for further information.)
For an even lower fixed interest rate, learn more about the MEFA Undergradute Loan.
The parent and student are co-borrowers and equally responsible for repayment.
Adding a creditworthy co-borrower can strengthen your MEFA loan application and may help your application be approved. A co-borrower can be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or other creditworthy adult. Each borrower (including you!) is equally responsible for repayment, and any borrower on the loan application may make a payment. With the MEFA Student Alternative Loan, the co-borrower may be released after 48 consecutive on-time payments.2
Benefits of adding a co-borrower to your MEFA Student Alternative Loan application:
Increase your chances of being approved
Still able to establish credit history (many students don't have one yet)
Co-borrower may request to be released after 48 consecutive on-time payments from the first payment date2
Up to three borrowers are encouraged to apply: student borrower and up to two co-borrowers. All borrowers have the same rights and responsibilities on the loan, and any borrower may make payments. The co-borrower(s) may be released after 48 consecutive on-time payments.
To be eligible for a MEFA Student Alternative Loan, you must meet the following requirements:
1. The deferment period does not extend the overall repayment period. .
2. Co-borrower release option is available upon request and must meet the then-current underwriting standards.
3. The Annual Percentage Rate (APR) reflects both the accruing interest and the effect of borrowing the origination fee and paying the expected monthly payment over the term of the loan. APR varies with length of deferral, length of in-school period, and the presence of a co-borrower.
4. Interest payment and principal repayment begin 6 months after the student graduates, leaves the program, is not making satisfactory academic progress as defined by the institution, or reduces his/her hours to less than half-time status while in school.
MEFA reserves the right to modify or terminate benefits, products, services and terms in its sole discretion and without prior notice. MEFA education loan availability is subject to MEFA’s acceptance of a completed loan application, including credit approval and fund availability for the applicable loan category at the proposed disbursement time.
