Grad Loans for Health Professions
Low-interest rate loans for allied health, pharmacy, nursing, and other graduate-level health degrees.
What is a health professional?
A health professional is someone with advanced, graduate-level training in pharmacy, nursing, dental hygiene, allied health, or related disciplines.
Looking for a different healthcare field? We also have loans to support medical, dental, and veterinary students.
The Cure for the Common Grad Loan
That support is especially important for graduate students, whose costs often extend beyond the classroom to include indirect educational expenses like transportation, clinical fees, and required equipment and supplies.
Why Choose South Carolina Student Loan?
We offer student-first benefits designed to support you through graduate school.
Competitive Rates
As a nonprofit, we offer competitive rates for every year of grad school.
Flexible Payments
Take advantage of multiple repayment plan options as you begin your healthcare career.
Multiple Uses
Our loans can be used for any education expenses, including equipment and tools specific to your fields.
Special Offers
We offer a 0.25% interest rate reduction for borrowers who sign up for recurring automated payments.
Personalized Guidance
Our team tailors options to fit you and your career goals.
Local Expertise
We're a South Carolina lender with decades of experience helping health professionals achieve their goals.
Grad Loans for Healthcare Degrees at a Glance
- What are the interest rates for medical school loans?
Fixed and variable rate options are available—and rates start as low as 5.625%.
*APR rates from 5.710% - 12.647%. Low rate shown includes a .25% reduction for bank draft. Rates based on credit and terms.
- What can the loan be used for?
Grad loans can be used to pay for any educational expenses, such as tuition and fees, room and board, books, school supplies, transportation, and a computer.
- Can the loans be used for any type of medical school?
For eligible borrowers, graduate loans can be used for any accredited medical school. Loans cannot be used for private proprietary colleges.
- How much can I borrow for medical school?
MINIMUM LOAN
The minimum loan amount is $2,500. Borrowers can borrow up to the cost of attendance, minus any other financial aid (as certified by the school).
MAXIMUM DEBT
The maximum total debt is $150,000 for borrowers and cosigners, including previous SCSL loans.
- Do I have to pay up-front fees?
There are no application or origination fees associated with this loan. Zero origination fees deducted from the loan means more loan funds are available to pay school expenses.
The origination fee exceeds 1% on federal Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized loans and 4% on federal Direct PLUS loans.
- Do I have to make payments while I'm still in school?
Loan terms and interest rates are based upon the many factors, including the choice of repayment plan when applying for the loan.
Student Borrowers:
Student borrowers taking out the PAL loan in their name have three repayment options during the initial enrollment period: fully deferred payments, monthly interest- only payments, or a required fixed $25 monthly payment plan. Student borrowers will have a 6-month Grace Period that begins the day after the borrower drops to a less than half-time enrollment status. If the borrower had elected to make required in-school payments, those payments will continue during the Grace Period.
Parent Borrowers:
Parent borrowers who select to have the loan processed in their name can select the interest- only monthly payment option, a required fixed $25 monthly payment, or begin full repayment (principal + interest) immediately.
- When do I start making full repayment (principal + interest)?
Student borrowers are required to start making full repayment within 60 days after the end of the Grace Period. Parent borrowers are required to start making full repayment within 60 days after the benefiting student is no longer enrolled on at least a half-time basis.
The servicer will provide the borrower with repayment information and billing statements so it is important that any change of address is provided to the servicer as soon as it is known.
- What is the interest rate based on?
A PAL borrower may select a fixed or variable interest rate.
The actual interest rate approved will be based on creditworthiness, selected loan term, and whether you elect to enter immediate repayment, pay your accruing interest or a required fixed monthly payment during the enrolled period, or for student borrowers, whether you elect to defer required payment during the enrolled period.
Rates will be disclosed in the Approval Disclosure. Only parents are eligible for immediate repayment.
Variable interest rates are based on the 1-Month Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Your rate will be effective quarterly on each January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. The rate will not increase more than once a quarter, and your interest rate is capped at 18%. A change in the interest rate may cause the amount of the monthly payment to increase or decrease, or may cause the number of payments to change.
A fixed interest rate means that the interest rate is fixed for the life of the loan. Fixed interest rates may be as low as 6.250%.
Signing up for recurring automated payments with the servicer will reduce your interest rate by 0.25%.
See Disclaimer at bottom of page for more details.
Talk to an Expert.
Access to our trained advisers is just one perk of using South Carolina Student Loan. They’ll help you maximize your scholarships and grants (ie: free money!) and then help you make up the difference with a smaller loan amount that you’ll be able to repay faster.
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