So I just recieved a little card from accessgroup telling me that if I get my federal loans through them I get to avoid paying this little $550 "origination fee" that I would otherwise see deducted from my $18500.
What's the catch?
All of the lenders at my school, University of the Pacific, offer no origination fees. I'd look around. Wells Fargo offers a 4.6% principal reduction after 3 yrs of payments, for example.