YEREVAN, September 6. /ARKA/. VTB Bank (Armenia) has designed a student loan with a low interest rate, the Russian-owned bank said today in press release, adding that students are given an exceptional opportunity to pay only interest on the loan during their studies, and pay the principal amount after receiving higher education diplomas. The bank said also the rate for students with excellent academic achievements is one percent lower.

Loans are provided for the payment of bachelor's and master's degrees to students of about 60 state-owned and private state-accredited educational institutions. The eligible students must be aged 16 and above and be citizens and residents of Armenia. The loan is issued only if there is a guarantee from a parent or a trustee.

To obtain a loan, the borrower does not need to have income. But the parent (s) or the trustee must have. If the parent’s or trustee’s income is insufficient a co-borrower may be involved.

Decision is made within 2 working days. The loan is issued in Armenian drams with the annual interest rate of 10% (9% for students with excellent academic achievements). The repayable term is education duration +6 years (but no more than 10 years). The maximum amount for one academic year is 450,000 drams, and the maximum amount for the entire period of study is 1.8 million drams. Commissions are not charged.

The list of educational institutions and more detailed information about the loan is available on the bank's official website www.vtb.am or by calling 87-87.

VTB Bank (Armenia) is entirely owned by Russian VTB Group. It runs 67 branches across Armenia. -- ($ 1 - 478.29 drams).0-