A private alternative loan should only be considered after you have exhausted all other financing options and additional educational resources are still required. The following table is a list of alternative loan lenders that our students have borrowed from in the past three years, and to our knowledge, these are the only lenders that continue to borrow to our students. The list is in order of dollars lent to BSU students in the past year from highest to lowest. The Bemidji State University does not endorse any lender, nor does BSU or its employees receive any benefits or remuneration from any lenders. You are free to search and borrow from a private alternative lender not appearing on this list.
| Lender Name | Phone Number | Online Application |
| MN SELF Loan | 800-657-3866 | www.selfloan.org |
| Wells Fargo Collegiate Loan | 800-658-3567 | www.wellsfargo.com |
| Sallie Mae Smart Option Loan | 888-272-5543 | www.salliemae.com |
| Credit Union Student Choice | www.studentchoice.org | |
| ND DEAL Loan | 800-472-2166 | www.mystudentloanonline.com |
| Discover Student Loan | 877-728-3030 | www.discoverstudentloans.com |
| Mid MN Federal Credit Union | 866-687-5066 | www.mmfcu.studentchoice.org |
| Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union | 800-322-7228 | www.affinityplusstudentloans.org |
| Alaska Advantage | 800-441-2962 | http://akadvantage.alaska.gov |
| Union Federal Student Loans | 866-513-8445 | www.unionfederalstudentloans.com |
| Novation Student Loans | 866-414-2274 | www.novation.studentchoice.org |
| cuStudent Loans | 888-549-9050 | ww.custudentloans.org |
Credit unions may have additional membership requirements.