Types of Education Loan for Indian Students

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 261,406 Indian students studied abroad in 2020 and number of students are expected to grow more in the coming year to attain high-quality education. Education loan are considered as the best ways to cover the cost of studying abroad. There are numerous banks in India providing loans different types of loans. Let’s explore types of education loan for Indian students.

What is an Education Loan?

An education loan is an amount of money borrowed to pay for post-secondary education or costs associated with higher education. There are a number of lenders in the market offering various types of education loan for students. Education loans are meant to help students cover the costs of tuition, books, and supplies, as well as living expenses while pursuing a degree. Payments are typically deferred while students are in college, and they may be extended for another six months after graduation, depending on the lender.

How Does an Education Loan Work?

Education loans are available to help students pursue a degree at a recognized college or university. Government and private-sector credit sources are also available for education loans. The interest rates for federal loans are often cheaper, and some even contain interest that is subsidized. The application process for private-sector loans is more conventional, and the interest rates are often higher than those for federal government loans.

Also Read: How to Get an Education Loan for Studying Abroad?

Types of Education Loan in India

There are several different sorts of education loans available for various types of educational programs. There are student loans for diploma and certificate courses, student loans for skill-based courses, student loans for studying abroad, and so on, depending on the sort of education one wishes to pursue. Regardless of the course, there are two broad categories for education loans:

• Domestic Education Loan: For educational courses inside the country’s geographical boundaries.
• Study Abroad Education Loan: A study abroad education loan, as the name implies, is a loan that may be used to pay for a course of study abroad. There are a variety of possibilities accessible under the study abroad education loans depending on the sort of course. Aside from this, student loans may be further classified into a few more different categories. The following are some of them:

Undergraduate Education Loans

These types of education loans are intended to assist students in pursuing and completing an undergraduate degree program. The undergraduate curriculum might be three or four years long, and it will provide the student with several work prospects. The applicant must have completed or been pursuing secondary education to be eligible for this loan.

Education Loans for Professionals and Graduates

Students who intend to pursue advanced degrees or higher education at universities around the country can apply for these types of professional/graduate student loans. To apply for a graduate student loan, a student must first complete an undergraduate course.

Also Read: Types of Masters Degrees

Career Education Loan

Many banks and other financial organizations provide career education loans to assist people to pay for training and courses that will help them advance their careers or qualify for employment. This loan is available to applicants who want to enrol in career-oriented programs at Indian as well as abroad universities and technical and trade institutions.

Education Loan Features

No matter which type of education loan you choose, there are several benefits for doing so.

• Local students can borrow up to INR 50 lakhs, while international students can borrow up to INR 1 crore
• For some circumstances, 100% financing is possible
• Other costs, such as student exchange travel fees and computers, are covered by the funding
• For overseas disbursements, preferential exchange rates may be offered
• The loan repayment duration might be extended to twelve years after six months of completing the course  

Eligibility

You must satisfy the criteria for the loan before you can apply for it. The criteria may vary, depending on the type of education loan you choose.

• Obtaining admission/invitation from a university to a degree/diploma program at a recognized university/college
• For an undergraduate program, you must have finished 10+2 (12th grade) and an undergraduate degree for a postgraduate course
• You must pursue from colleges/universities recognized by the UGC/Govt./AICTE/AIBMS/CMR which provide approved courses leading to graduate/post-graduate degrees and PG certificates

Also Read: 5 Things to Keep in Mind to Apply for an Education Loan

Documents Required

Mentioned below are the documents required to apply for education loan:

• KYC documents
• 10th, 12th, graduate, and entrance test mark sheets
• Admission letter
• Fee structure
• In some circumstances, co-applicant KYC and income evidence are required.

Top Education Loan Interest Rates 

The following is a list of education loan providers for Indian banks along with their respective interest rates:

Bank Name	Interest Rate (% p.a.)
Bank of Baroda	6.75
Union Bank of India	6.80
Central Bank of India	6.85
Bank of India	6.85
State Bank of India	6.85
Punjab National Bank	6.90
IDBI Bank	6.90
Canara Bank	6.90
Bank of Maharashtra	7.05
Indian Bank	7.15
Indian Overseas Bank	7.25
UCO Bank	7.30
HDFC Bank	9.55
Axis Bank	9.70
Federal Bank	10.05
ICICI Bank	10.50
Karur Vysya Bank	10.75
Karnataka Bank	12.19

Repayment of Education Loans

Both academic and non-academic expenses are covered by education loans. These loans, like all other loans, have payment terms that require interest on the principal amount to be paid. The start of repayment is determined by the type of loan taken out, but once it begins, it will be paid in EMIs throughout the agreed-upon time. You can speak with bank personnel, who will recommend an EMI based on your monthly income. You can begin making monthly payments if you agree with our proposal. Otherwise, you have the option to haggle over the price. In any event, the maximum payback period is often eight years.

Which Bank Provides Loan Easily?

Bank of Baroda provides some great education loan options for students. They offer various attractive interest rates options with the repayment tenure of up to 15 years. The bank provides loan of Rs. 40 lakh with no collateral needed for the identified premier institutes.

Top Education Loan for Girl Students in India

The following are the top education loans for girl students in India:

Provider Scheme
Central Bank of India Central Bank of India Cent Vidyarthi
The Corporation Bank of India Corp Vidya Scheme
Indian Overseas Bank Education Loan Vidhya Jyoti
Bank of Baroda Baroda Scholar Loan
Axis Bank Axis Bank Loan
HDFC Credila Credila Education Loan

Tax Benefits on Education Loan

There is a common misconception that taking an education loan attracts tax. However, it is not the case. If you are pursuing a full-time or part-time course at a recognised institute and taking an education loan to fund your study, then you can claim income tax benefits on principal paid and interest component up to Rs 1 lakh. Here’s why you can do that.

• Section 80E of the Income Tax Act offers tax deductions on the amount of interest paid towards education loans. However, the I-T department has clarified that the principal amount paid throughout the loan period is not eligible for deduction under this section.
• This section is applicable for all kinds of education loans, such as those taken for higher education, professional courses, and even vocational courses. As long as the loan is taken from a bank or a registered financial institution, it is eligible for this benefit. The limit of eight years is also applicable in case of education loans.
• The best feature of this tax benefit is that there is no cap on the interest rate which qualifies to be deducted. This means that if your interest rate is 11 per cent and you pay Rs 50,000 as interest in a particular year, you can claim deduction up to maximum Rs 54,250 that includes both principal and interest components.
• The income tax benefit can be claimed in the year in which you paid the principal amount as well as interest component. However, if you have not claimed the income tax benefits in earlier years, you can carry forward the benefit and claim it in a subsequent year. For example, if you studied in 2015-16, you would be eligible to claim income tax benefit for both 2016-17 and 2017-18. You need to submit Form 16B or Form 16C along with your ITR. 

Leverage Finance

To save you from high rates and menial bank visits, Leverage Finance offers the best exchange rates in the market, complete transparency and instant payments without the tedious paperwork. All you have to do is log in on Leverage Finance, create an account, add your recipient and transfer money anywhere in the world using popular payment gateways like UPI, Netbanking and Debit Cards.

Types of Education Loan by SBI

SBI offers various education loan schemes. Mentioned below are some of the options offered by SBI:

Name Loan Amount Interest rate
SBI Student Loan Scheme up to Rs 7.5 Lakh 10.90%
SBI Skill Loan Scheme up to Rs. 1.50 Lakh 10.40%
SBI Global Ed-Vantage Scheme above 7.5 Lakh up tp 1.5 Cr 10.90%
SHAURYA Education Loan up to 7.5 Lakh 10.90%

FAQs

We hope this article has provided you with all of the necessary information on the types of education loans for Indian Students. Get in touch with the experts at Leverage Edu to make the entire application process a breeze!