Our goal is to give you the tools and confidence you need to improve your finances. Although we receive compensation from our partner lenders, whom we will always identify, all opinions are our own. By refinancing your mortgage, total finance charges may be higher over the life of the loan. You’ll typically need good to excellent credit
to qualify for a student loan. If you have poor credit or haven’t yet built a credit history, one way to potentially get approved is by applying with a creditworthy cosigner — this generally means your cosigner must meet the underwriting criteria set by the lender, which includes having good credit. If you don’t know someone with good credit who is eligible to cosign your loan, you might be able to qualify on your own with one of the lenders that offer student loans for bad credit. Here’s
what you should know about the best student loans for bad credit without a cosigner and where to find them: To find the right
private student loan for your needs, it’s important to research and compare as many lenders as possible. Keep in mind that the best student loans that don’t require a cosigner provide competitive interest rates, a wide selection of loan terms, inclusive eligibility requirements, and responsive customer service. Here are Credible’s partner lenders that offer private student loans for poor or no credit without a cosigner: Credible Rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more.
Read our full methodology.
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Credible Rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency,
repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
View details Credible Rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help
of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology.
View details Trustpilot With Ascent, you can borrow $2,001 to $400,000 (depending on if your credit is tested or not) with repayment terms from five to 20 years (depending on the loan type). Additionally, you could be eligible for a 1% cashback graduation reward from Ascent if you earn your degree within five years. 4.9
Credible rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts,
customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology. Ascent Private Student Loans Fixed APR Lowest fixed rate available from this lender 4.12%+10 Variable APR Lowest variable rate available from this lender 3.04%+10 Loan amount Total amount you can borrow from this lender $2,001 to $400,000 Loan terms (years)
How many years you have to repay the loan 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 20 Ready to find a student loan? Check Personalized Rates Checking rates won't affect your credit score
INvestEdIf you live or attend school in Indiana, INvestEd might be a good choice for a student loan. You can borrow $1,000 up to 100% of your school’s cost of attendance (minus any other financial aid you’ve received) with terms from five to 15 years. 4.6 Credible rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology. INvestEd Private Student Loans Fixed APR Lowest fixed rate available from this lender 5.25%+8 Variable APR Lowest variable rate available from this lender 4.38%+8 Loan amount Total amount you can borrow from this lender $1,001 up to cost of attendance Loan terms (years) How many years you have to repay the loan 5, 10, 15 Ready to find a student loan? Check Personalized Rates Checking rates won't affect your credit score
MEFAMEFA student loans are available from $1,500 up to your certified cost of attendance (minus any other financial aid you’ve received) with terms from 10 to 15 years. Keep in mind that you must attend a public or nonprofit school to work with MEFA — for-profit schools aren’t eligible. 4.4 Credible rating Credible lender ratings are evaluated by our editorial team with the help of our loan operations team. The rating criteria for lenders encompass 78 data points spanning interest rates, loan terms, eligibility requirement transparency, repayment options, fees, discounts, customer service, cosigner options, and more. Read our full methodology. MEFA Private Student Loans Fixed APR Lowest fixed rate available from this lender 4.89%+ Variable APR Lowest variable rate available from this lender N/A Loan amount Total amount you can borrow from this lender $1,500 up to cost of attendance less aid Loan terms (years) How many years you have to repay the loan 10, 15 Ready to find a student loan? Check Personalized Rates Checking rates won't affect your credit score
Learn More: Student Loan Requirements: How to Qualify for a Student Loan MethodologyTo find the “best companies,” Credible looked at loan and lender data points from 10 categories to give you a well-rounded perspective on each of our partner lenders. Here’s what we considered:
Our hope is that this will be a win-win situation for you and us — we only want to get paid if you find a loan that works for you, not by selling your data. This means Credible will only get paid by the lender if you finish the loan process and a loan is disbursed. Additionally, Credible charges you no fees of any kind to compare your loan options. Other private student loan lenders to considerHere are more private student loan companies we evaluated. Note that you might need to apply with a creditworthy cosigner to potentially qualify with these lenders if you have poor or no credit. Also keep in mind that these lenders aren’t offered through Credible, so you won’t be able to easily compare your rates with them on the Credible platform like you can our partner lenders.
3 steps to getting a student loan without a cosignerThere are ways to get a student loan without a cosigner, even if you have bad credit. 1. Borrow the maximum amount of federal student loans firstIf you need to borrow for school, it’s generally a good idea to take out federal student loans first. This is mainly because these loans come with federal benefits and protections — such as access to income-driven repayment plans and student loan forgiveness programs. Many federal loans also don’t require a credit check. Tip: Also be sure to research college scholarships and grants — since unlike student loans, these don’t have to be repaid. There’s also no limit to how many you might be able to get, so it’s worth applying to as many scholarships and grants as you possibly can. Here are the main federal student loans that might be available to you:
Check Out: How to Apply for Federal and Private Student Loans 2. Fill in the gaps with private student loansAfter you’ve exhausted your scholarship, grant, and federal student loan options, private student loans could help fill any financial gaps left over. However, keep in mind that if you have poor or no credit as well as no cosigner, you’ll likely end up with higher interest rates. Because of this, it’s best to treat private student loans as a last resort, since they’ll be more expensive in the long run. Tip: It’s critical to shop around and compare as many lenders as possible before you borrow. This way, you can find a loan with the most optimal rate and terms for your situation. Also be sure to borrow only what you need to keep your future costs as low as possible. You can find out how much you’ll owe over the life of your federal or private student loans using our student loan calculator below. Enter your loan information to calculate how much you could pay Loan amount ? Enter the total amount borrowed $ Interest rate ? Enter your annual interest rate % or Loan term ? Enter the amount of time you have to repay your loan years With a $ loan, you will pay $ monthly and a total of $ in interest over the life of your loan. You will pay a total of $ over the life of the loan, assuming you're making full payments while in school. Need a student loan? Check Personalized Rates Checking rates won’t affect your credit score. 3. Build credit during collegeMany college students don’t yet have the necessary credit to qualify for private student loans on their own. If this is the case, it could be a good idea to focus on building your credit while you’re still in school. A few ways to potentially do this include:
Check Out: Student Loan Limits: How Much in
Student Loans You Can Get Can I be a student loan cosigner with bad credit?Cosigners are typically required to have good to excellent credit — which means you likely won’t be eligible to cosign a loan if you have bad credit. A good credit score is usually considered to be 700 or higher. If you have poor credit and want to cosign a loan in the future, it’s a good idea to focus on building your credit beforehand. Learn More: What to Do If You’re Denied a Student Loan With a Cosigner Do I need a cosigner for student loans?This depends on the type of student loan you want to get as well as your credit.
Check Out: The Right Cosigner Can Save Students Thousands on Their Student
Loans Who can be a student loan cosigner?Many college students rely on one of their parents to cosign private student loans. However, a cosigner doesn’t have to be a parent. A student loan cosigner can be anyone with good credit — such as a relative, or trusted friend — who is willing to share responsibility for the loan. Just keep in mind that your cosigner will be on the hook if you can’t make your payments. Tip: Several lenders offer a cosigner release option with their student loans. Before you can apply to remove your cosigner from the loan, you’ll typically need to make consecutive, on-time payments for a certain period of time as well as meet the underwriting criteria on your own. If you decide to take out a private student loan — with or without a cosigner — remember to compare as many lenders as you can to find the right loan for your situation. This is easy with Credible: You can compare your prequalified rates from multiple lenders in just two minutes. Compare student loan rates from top lenders
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Rates About the author Dori Zinn Dori Zinn is a student loan authority and a contributor to Credible. Her work has appeared in Huffington Post, Bankate, Inc, Quartz, and more. Read More What to do if you have no credit and no cosigner?If you want to get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner, your options are limited to credit-builder loans, secured personal loans, home equity loans and borrowing from alternative sources like friends and family.
What happens if you don't have a cosigner for a student loan?You can earn credits and increase your income, which will help you get approved for private student loans without a cosigner. Find a part-time or full-time job with a company that offers tuition reimbursement. You can earn money and credits, as well as tuition money you won't have to repay.
Can I get a loan with no credit history?Yes, it's possible to obtain a personal loan without a credit history. That said, you may be faced with higher interest rates and unfavorable loan terms, especially when applying for an unsecured loan.
Can a cosigner have 0 credit?Although there might not be a required credit score, a cosigner typically will need credit in the very good or exceptional range—670 or better. A credit score in that range generally qualifies someone to be a cosigner, but each lender will have its own requirement.
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