Other than interest, is there a charge for this loan?

You'll pay a fee of up to 4 percent of the loan, deducted proportionately from each loan disbursement. For a FFEL Stafford Loan, a portion of this fee goes to the federal government, and a portion goes to the guaranty agency (the organization that administers the FFEL Program in your state) to help reduce the cost of the loans. For a Direct Stafford Loan, the entire fee goes to the government to help reduce the cost of the loans. Also, if you don't make your loan payments when scheduled, you may be charged collection costs and late fees.