Stafford loans are the most common types of loan available for students perusing a higher education. Stafford Loans have been providing loans for students tuition and other college and school related financial requirements for many decades. There are many ways to receive a Stafford loan as many variants of the loans are available which can be processed depending on the cost and situation of the student.

Stafford loans are offered through the United States Department of Education either form the Federal Family Education Loan or in the form of William D Ford Federal Direct Loan. In both the circumstances, Stafford Loans are provided either to the student or parents who have requirements to pay for their children schooling fees.

Normally, most colleges and universities through out the United States do not participate in any one program for student loans. Some of them utilize the FFEL program whereas many go through the Direct Loan program. In the case of the Direct Loan program, it is the Federal Government that provides the loan amount but in the case of FFEL the amount of money for the loans come from credit institutions, banks or any other third party that participates in the program. The procedure of applying for the loan is same in both the cases but the repayment period and nature can be highly varied in both the options.

Also there are now two types of Stafford Loan, the first one being a subsidized Stafford Loan. In this type of loan the student actively pursues the college or university and it is the Government which pays for the interest on behalf of the student. The government pays for the interest during the student's college period and for an estimated grace period after the completion of the course or till the time when the student is unemployed or has no other method of repayment. These types of loan are need-based loans and students who don't qualify for the need based financial aid do not receive these types of loans.

An unsubsidized Loan is the second type of Stafford Loan which is not a need based loan. In this type of loan the government does not pays any interest at any time and it is the sole responsibility of the student to pay the interest and the principal amount, though the student can defer the interest rate for a further agreed time period. However students need to understand how interest will be added and applied to the principal of the loan.

Stafford Loans are popular amongst students due to their flexible nature of application and any type of student can apply for the loan and can be able to receive any version of the loan based on their eligibility. Stafford Loans are known for their easy repayment system and flexible nature which is highly suited for students and parents funding for college and or university education.