TuitionU and GreenNote offer innovative student lending

Finding a lender with a soul can be difficult, but finding a student loan lender with a soul is damn near impossible, which is why when I first heard of TuitionU I was a bit skeptical. The service, which helps students bridge the gap between federal student aid and the cost of higher education, prides itself in putting students first. But do they really live up to the marketing hype?

I was able to talk with Brian Cox, the founder of TuitionU, to learn more about the service. After a half hour chat I can definitely state that this is a company that gets student loans and understands the needs of today's students. In fact, they are a student loan company with a soul! Then again, TuitionU isn't a typical student lender. In fact, it isn't so much a lender as a connector of students with need to lenders who aren't looking to bleed students dry.

TuitionU has two main programs available to students who need financial aid; a private student loan option available at credit unions nationwide, and a peer-to- peer lending model that lets students leverage their social networks to get loans at affordable rates.