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From the inception of the T.H.E. Program, our non-profit mission has been fulfilled by reducing origination fees and giving back to our borrowers the T.H.E. Bonus. Collectively we have saved our borrowers over 224 million dollars by providing REAL savings.

Our structure has remained focused on achievable savings while tapping into the global markets as our funding source to loan money out to our borrowers. Recent and ongoing disruption in the global markets has forced us to TEMPORARILY SUSPEND our borrower benefits. Additional information is available here.

T.H.E. Bonuses - temporarily suspended 2/18/08

As a non-profit organization, T.H.E.'s mission is to lower the cost of education to students. Rather than paying stockholders huge profits, we return our profits to you as borrower benefits.

Our T.H.E. benefits are real, reliable and predictable: more than 95% of our borrowers earn the T.H.E. Repayment Bonus month after month.

Most lenders’ benefit programs have so many conditions that only 10% qualify for the full advertised savings.* Missing just one payment is all it takes for most lenders to disqualify a borrower from their repayment benefit. It can happen to anyone, no matter how responsible they are.

But with T.H.E., the odds are in your favor. We designed our repayment benefits for real people in the real world, where things don’t always go as planned.

*Get an expert’s analysis of why most incentives never pay: www.finaid.org/loans/studentloandiscounts.phtml
(or visit http://www.finaid.org)

T.H.E. Immediate Monthly Bonus

Parent PLUS and GradPLUS
This borrower benefit is a 0.25% monthly credit that applies immediately after 1st disbursement and continues throughout repayment. Your effective interest rate is 8.25% after credit of this bonus.

T.H.E. Repayment Monthly Bonus

This borrower benefit is a monthly credit that offers savings of 0.25% annually. It starts immediately upon entering repayment for Stafford loans. Private loans offer a 1.0% Repayment Bonus.

T.H.E.'s current Repayment Bonus payment rates are:
T.H.E. Repayment Bonus
(Per Annum)
T.H.E. Loan Program Effective Interest Rate**
(Per Annum)
0.25% Federal Stafford Loans 6.55%
0.25% Federal Graduate PLUS 8.25%
1.0% * Private Loans varies

Be sure to compare benefits that ALL borrowers receive. Some loan programs offer teaser repayment benefits to only a lucky few who qualify. Their repayment benefits are typically tied to you making 33 or 48 consecutive on-time payments to qualify for the benefit.

The T.H.E. Repayment Bonus is currently being paid out as a monthly credit equal to an annualized interest rate discount and is paid to all borrowers according to the descriptions above. The Bonus will pause for borrowers 60 or more days delinquent at the time of credit and will resume when the account is brought current. The T.H.E. Bonus is treated as a reduction in the interest cost. This amount is based on current financial market conditions and portfolio performance and is therefore subject to change.

Click here for important information on loan terms!

* Not applicable to private loans offering the premier interest rate.

** The effective interest was computed by subtracting the T.H.E. Bonus percentage from the actual interest rate for that loan type (e.g. The effective Federal Stafford Loan Interest Rate is 6.8% minus 0.25% or 6.55% . The actual interest rate used for the computation of payments and the accrual of interest is not changed on the account. The T.H.E. Bonus should be thought of as a monthly return or credit of interest paid).