PLUS Loans are federally-funded, fixed-rate college loans available to the parents of dependent undergraduate students. They are also available to graduate students to pay for their own education.
When your financial aid package falls short of your needs, a private student loan may be a competitive alternative to a PLUS Loan.
| Private Student Loans | PLUS Loans | |
| Lender | Bank, credit union, financial institution, state agency, college, or university | U.S. Department of Education |
| FAFSA Required? | No | Yes |
| Interest Rates | Fixed and variable options available | Fixed at 8.05% (first disbursed on or after July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) |
| Rate Based on Credit Criteria? | Yes | Yes, but debt-to-income or credit score are not considered |
| Cosigner Required? | Yes, unless borrower has a strong credit history | No, but borrower may not have an adverse credit history |
| Loan Fees | Typically 0% to 5%, but varies by lender and borrower | 4.228% (first disbursed on or after Oct. 1, 2022 through Sept. 30, 2023) |
| Repayment Plans | Vary by lender | Many options available |
| Suspending Repayment | Typically 1 year of forbearance, depending on lender | 3 years of deferment and 3 years of forbearance available, if eligibility requirements are met |
| Cancelling Repayment | Very limited options | Some forgiveness and discharge options available |
| Eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness | No | Grad PLUS Loans: Yes; Parent PLUS Loans: No |
| Eligible for Income-Based Repayment | No | Grad PLUS Loans: Yes; Parent PLUS Loans: No |
College Ave Student Loans products are made available through Firstrust Bank, member FDIC, First Citizens Community Bank, member FDIC, or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC.. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply.
1Rates shown are for the College Ave Undergraduate Loan product and include autopay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. If a payment is returned, you will lose this benefit. Variable rates may increase after consummation. Borrow Responsibly
We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan. Loans for Undergraduate & Career Training Students are not intended for graduate students and are subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and school certification. Student must attend a participating school. Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., attend school in the U.S., apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident), and provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000. 1Advertised APRs for undergraduate students assume a $10,000 loan to a student who attends school for 4 years and has no prior Sallie Mae-serviced loans. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment. 2In 2022, instant credit decisions were provided to 97.8% of applicants. Other applications typically received credit decisions in 3 to 5 business days. 3Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note-first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.
Information advertised valid as of 08/25/2023. SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION. Smart Option Student Loans® are made by Sallie Mae Bank. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Edvisors is not the creditor for these loans and is compensated by Sallie Mae for the referral of Sallie Mae loan customers. © 2023 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. *Education Loan Finance is a nationwide student loan provider offered by Tennessee based SouthEast Bank. ELFI is designed to assist students financially with receiving their education. Subject to credit approval. See Terms & Conditions. Interest rates current as of 04-01-2023. Variable interest rates may increase after closing but will never exceed 18.00%. Interest rates may also differ from the rates shown above. The term of your loan, financial history, and other factors, including your cosigner’s (if any) financial history can affect the interest rate. For example, a 10-year loan with a fixed rate of 7% would have 120 payments of $11.61 per $1,000 borrowed. Rates are subject to change. * Ascent's undergraduate and graduate student loans are funded by Bank of Lake Mills or DR Bank, each Member FDIC. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Certain restrictions, limitations; and terms and conditions may apply. For Ascent Terms and Conditions please visit: www.AscentFunding.com/Ts&Cs Rates are effective as of 9/01/2023 and reflect an automatic payment discount of either 0.25% (for credit-based loans) OR 1.00% (for undergraduate outcomes-based loans). Automatic Payment Discount is available if the borrower is enrolled in automatic payments from their personal checking account and the amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. For Ascent rates and repayment examples please visit: www.AscentFunding.com/Rates 1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. Cosigned Credit-Based Loan student must meet certain minimum credit criteria. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your cosigner. Lowest APRs require interest-only payments, the shortest loan term, and a cosigner, and are only available to our most creditworthy applicants and cosigners with the highest average credit scores. The minimum amount is $2,001 except for the state of Massachusetts. Minimum loan amount for borrowers with a Massachusetts permanent address is $6,001. 5-12 years Variable: 0.00% APR - 23.00% APR1 Edly IBR Student Loans are unsecured personal student loans issued by FinWise Bank, a Utah chartered bank, Member FDIC. All loans are subject to eligibility criteria and review of creditworthiness and history. Terms and conditions apply. Loans from $5,000 - $15,000 per academic year, with a $25,000 aggregate maximum with repayment terms of 84 months. 1. Loan Example (IBR No Cosigner Student Loan): $10,000 Loan with Salary of $65,000. Loan is funded in September, borrower graduates in May. 2. Additional Loan Example (IBR No Cosigner Student Loan): $10,000 Loan with Salary at Minimum Income Threshold, $30,000. Loan is funded in September, graduates in May. 3. Additional Loan Example (IBR Cosigner Student Loan): $10,000 Loan with early payoff. Loan is funded in September, graduates in May. 4. Additional Loan Example (IBR Cosigner Student Loan): $10,000 Loan with Salary of $65,000. Loan is funded in September, graduates in May. About these examples: These are examples. Your specific terms will be provided if you are approved. In examples 1 and 2, a student defers while in school and post-graduation grace period for 11 months and then makes the minimum payment for 12 months followed by the income based payments beginning 24 months after taking the loan. In example 3, a student or co-signer defers for two months, then makes the minimum monthly payment for 9 months while the student is in school and then pays off the loan in month 12. In example 4, a student or co-signer defers for two months and then makes the minimum monthly payments for 9 months while in school followed by income based payments beginning 12 months after taking the loan. For co-sign loans, the student or co-signer must make small payments while the student is in school. The initial payment schedule is set upon receiving final terms and upon confirmation by your school of the loan amount. You may repay this loan at any time by paying an effective APR of 23%. Please refer to your loan agreement or call us for your payoff amount. In examples 1 and 2, the maximum amount you will pay is $22,500 (not including Late Fees and Returned Check Fees, if any). In examples 3 and 4, the maximum amount you will pay is $25,000 (not including Late Fees and Returned Check Fees, if any). The maximum number of regularly scheduled payments you will make is 84. You will not pay more than 23% APR. No payment is required if the student’s gross earned income is below $30,000 annually or if the student loses his or her job and cannot find employment. This does not apply for co-sign loans. Interest will accrue at the Growth Rate of 22.75% on the unpaid loan balance during the life of the loan including during any deferral periods. The Growth Rate is an annualized interest rate which uses daily compounding and assumes actual number of days in each month and the actual number of days in each year (“Growth Rate”). The effective APR differs from the Growth Rate and considers fees and reflects the cost of your loan as a yearly rate. For more information about the effective APR, see reference notes. See your loan agreement for additional information regarding your prepayment options, including how to prepay at the Pre-Payment Cap. Edly Student IBR Loans are unsecured personal student loans issued by FinWise Bank, a Utah state-chartered bank, Member FDIC. All loans are subject to eligibility criteria and review of creditworthiness and history. Terms and conditions apply. State Specific Restrictions: Not available in Iowa, Colorado, Maine, Vermont, West Virginia Product disclosure: Loan Application and Solicitation Disclosure Up to four repayment types (including no payments while in school) and multiple repayment terms help you find the loan that fits your budget *UNDERGRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.44% to 14.70% annual percentage rate ("APR") (with autopay), variable rates from 5.49% to 13.97% APR (with autopay). GRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.99% to 14.48% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 5.99% to 13.97% APR (with autopay). PARENT LOANS: Fixed rates from 6.50% to 14.83% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 6.32% to 14.03% APR (with autopay). For the SoFi variable-rate product, the variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. Interest rates for variable rate loans are capped at 13.95%, unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law. Lowest rates are reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. If approved for a loan, the interest rate offered will depend on your creditworthiness, the repayment option you select, the term and amount of the loan and other factors, and will be within the ranges of rates listed above. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Information current as of 08/31/2023. Terms and Conditions Apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or other eligible status and meet SoFi's underwriting requirements. Not all borrowers receive the lowest rate. To qualify for the lowest rate, you must have a responsible financial history and meet other conditions. If approved, your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, evaluation of your creditworthiness, years of professional experience, income, and a variety of other factors. Rates and Terms are subject to change at anytime without notice and are subject to state restrictions. SoFi refinance loans are private loans and do not have the same repayment options that the federal loan program offers, or may become available, such as Income Based Repayment or Income Contingent Repayment or PAYE. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Financing Law License No. 6054612. SoFi loans are originated by SoFi Lending Corp., NMLS # 1121636. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) This information is for graduate and undergraduate students attending participating degree-granting schools. Borrowers must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents if the school is located outside of the United States. Non-U.S. citizen borrowers who reside in the U.S. are eligible with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident) and are required to provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID to verify identity. Applications are subject to a requested minimum loan amount of $1,000. Current credit and other eligibility criteria apply. Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 4.67% APR to 16.15% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 5.64% APR to 16.45% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Earnest variable interest rate student loan origination loans are based on a publicly available index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The variable rate is based on the rate published on the 25th day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month, rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent. The rate will not increase more than once per month. Although the rate will vary after you are approved, it will never exceed 36% (the maximum allowable for this loan). Please note, Earnest Private Student Loans are not available in Nevada. Our lowest rates are only available for our most credit qualified borrowers and contain our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account. It is important to note that the 0.25% Auto Pay discount is not available while loan payments are deferred. 1You can take advantage of the Auto Pay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in Auto Pay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. For multi-party loans, only one party may enroll in Auto Pay. The information provided on this page is updated as of 07/20/2023. Earnest reserves the right to change, pause, or terminate product offerings at any time without notice. Earnest loans are originated by Earnest Operations LLC. California Finance Lender License 6054788. NMLS # 1204917. Earnest Operations LLC is located at 303 2nd Street, Suite 401N, San Francisco, CA 94107. Terms and Conditions apply. Visit https://www.earnest.com/terms-of-service, e-mail us at [email protected], or call 888-601-2801 for more information. Payments based on a fixed percentage of future income for up to 60 months after graduation Only pay when earning more than the $30,000 minimum income threshold. Payments stop early if you ever hit the payment cap (2.0x your initial funding amount) Payments based on a fixed percentage of future income. Lower (or no) payments when you're unemployed or underemployed. * Your Maximum Payment Period is inclusive of any months where Monthly Payments are made as well as any months that are Deferred Months; this will only be extended if you receive Forbearance, which will extend your Maximum Payment Period on a one-for-one basis. To be eligible for a Stride Income Share Agreement, students must fall into the following criteria: If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or call (214)775-9960. Best Private Student Loans for Graduate School
2This informational repayment example uses typical loan terms for a freshman borrower who selects the Deferred Repayment Option with a 10-year repayment term, has a $10,000 loan that is disbursed in one disbursement and a 8.35% fixed Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”): 120 monthly payments of $179.18 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments of $21,501.54. Loans will never have a full principal and interest monthly payment of less than $50. Your actual rates and repayment terms may vary.
3As certified by your school and less any other financial aid you might receive. Minimum $1,000.
Information advertised valid as of 09/13/2023. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. Approved interest rate will depend on the creditworthiness of the applicant(s), lowest advertised rates only available to the most creditworthy applicants and require selection of full principal and interest payments with the shortest available loan term.
6 Examples of typical costs for a $10,000 Smart Option Loan with the most common fixed rate, fixed repayment option, 6-month separation period, and two disbursements: For a borrower with no prior loans and a 4-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.28% fixed APR, 51 payments of $25.00, 119 payments of $182.67 and one payment of $121.71, for a Total Loan Cost of $23,134.44. For a borrower with $20,000 in prior loans and a 2-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.78% fixed APR, 27 payments of $25.00, 179 payments of $132.53 and one payment of $40.35 for a total loan cost of $24,438.22. Loans that are subject to a $50 minimum principal and interest payment may receive a loan term that is less than 10 years.
2Nine-month grace period is not available for borrowers who choose our Principal and Interest Repayment plan while in school.
3Earnest does not charge fees for origination, late payments, or prepayments. Florida Stamp Tax: For Florida
residents, Florida documentary stamp tax is required by law, calculated as $0.35 for each $100 (or portion thereof) of the principal loan amount, the amount of which is provided in the Final Disclosure. Lender will add the stamp tax to the principal loan amount. The full amount will be paid directly to the Florida Department of Revenue. Certificate of Registration No. 78-8016373916-1.
4Earnest clients may skip one payment every 12 months. Your first request to skip a payment can be made once you’ve made at least 6 months of consecutive on-time payments, and your loan is in good standing. The interest accrued during the skipped month will result in an increase in your remaining minimum payment. The final payoff date on your loan will be extended by the length of the skipped payment periods. Please be aware that a skipped payment does count toward the forbearance limits. Please note that skipping a payment is not guaranteed and is at Earnest’s discretion. Your monthly payment and total loan cost may increase as a result of postponing your payment and extending your term.
Instantly Compare Lenders for Your School
Learn More About Student Loans
Best Private Student Loans for September 2023
Federal Student Loans vs Private Student Loans
Introduction to Parent PLUS Loans
Fixed vs Variable Interest Rates
Financial Aid for Graduate School