If you’re receiving federal funds, your grades could make or break you. With private loans? You’re generally safe as long as you’re enrolled above half time. However, you’ll still want to know the role grades play before you start applying for large student loans.
Usually, no. Federal student loans don’t have financial perks for getting good grades. Neither do most private lenders.
But there are exceptions. For example, Discover offers a 1% cash reward on your loan amount if you average a 3.0 GPA or higher during your loan term. To receive your reward, you must submit a redemption form within six months after your academic term the loan covered is over. Discover will then send you a check in the mail.
While grade-based rewards aren’t common now, it’s something to look out for in the future if you decide to go back to school. It’s possible other lenders will start offering similar features.
Bad grades could cause you to lose your eligibility for federal aid. This means that not only are your federal loans at risk, but you could also lose your grants and eligibility for work study.
The Federal Student Aid office of the Department of Education requires that you have satisfactory academic progress to remain eligible for federal aid. While it’s up to your school to decide what satisfactory academic progress means, you generally must:
You can find your school’s requirements for satisfactory academic progress either on its website or by reaching out to its financial aid office.
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Generally, no. Even Discover’s rewards program for good grades doesn’t penalize you for getting bad grades.
With that said, failing a course at the wrong time could affect both your federal and private student loan payments. If you fail a course during the last semester of your senior year and need to make it up the next semester, you’ll drop below half-time enrollment.
Most repayment plans that come with a deferment option that starts as soon as you drop below half time or six months after. Either way, you’ll have less time than you might have counted on after graduation.
Getting good grades might not help that much with loans — your grades just need to stay satisfactory. The same is true for many other types of financial aid. Most schools require at least a 2.0 GPA to be eligible for need-based aid or athletic scholarships.
You’ll need to score a bit higher to keep a merit-based scholarship, however. Most require students to earn at least a 3.0 to 3.5 GPA to qualify for or renew a scholarship or grant.
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Good grades can help you keep your student loans more than they can help you save. In fact, you need to keep a 2.0 GPA to stay eligible for any type of financial aid. While Discover offers a cash reward for keeping your GPA above 3.0, it’s the exception, rather than the rule. At least for now.
You can find out more about how student loans work and find providers to help pay for school or refinance your loansby checking out our guide.
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