Best Private Parent Student Loans for March 2023

Private parent loans are an option for parents who wish to help their children pay for college without adding to their children’s student loan debt. Unlike some private student loans that allow parents to act as a cosigner or co-borrower, with parent student loans, the parent is the primary borrower.

Best Private Parent Student Loans for March 2023

Private parent loans may offer more competitive interest rates and little to no fees. In comparison, the federal Parent PLUS Loan comes with a fixed interest rate regardless of credit, and charges an origination fee.

College Ave Parent Loan

College Ave offers private parent student loans with the following features and benefits:

Fast credit decisions
Zero origination fees
Competitive rates
Up to $2,500 in your bank account (the rest of your loan is paid directly to your school)

Apply for a College Ave Private Student Loan

Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Variable rates as low as: 4.74% APR¹

Fixed rates as low as: 4.74% APR¹

Repayment Terms

5, 8, 10 or 15 years²

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Compare Private Parent Student Loan Lenders

To get the parent student loan that’s best for you, you will need to compare lenders. Look at characteristics of the loan, such as repayment term and APR. Some private lenders also offer additional benefits such as brief periods of deferment during qualified hardship, or discharge in the case of your death. Some lenders also offer loan forgiveness in the event of the student’s death or permanent and total disability.

Keep in mind that the lowest interest rates you see are available to the most creditworthy applicants. We make comparing your options easy. Just enter your child’s school below and you’ll receive a list of lenders we work with who offer loans for that school.

Complete the Application With Your Preferred Lender

Once you have decided on a particular lender, simply complete an application with them to see if you qualify. Many lenders offer online and mobile friendly applications to streamline this process. Some lenders may offer the option to get pre-qualified after you provide them with some basic information.

How to Apply for a Private Parent Student Loan

To apply for a private parent loan, you will need to gather some basic information to fill out the application. You should be prepared to enter the following:

Primary information - Your name and email address
Contact information - Your phone number and physical address
Personal information - Your date of birth, citizenship status, Social Security Number (SSN), and proof of income
School and student information - Your student’s SSN, your relationship to the student, the student’s estimated financial aid, the year in school the loan will cover, and so on.

If your application is approved by the lender, you will still need to sign for your loan and accept the full terms. After signing for your loan, the school’s Financial Aid Office will be asked to certify (i.e. confirm) the loan amount before it can be disbursed. Loan proceeds are usually sent directly to the school, unless otherwise specified in your agreement with the lender.

Eligibility for a Private Parent Student Loan

In general, your eligibility for a private parent student loan will depend on your credit history and ability to repay it. The minimum credit score, income, etc., will vary from lender to lender.

Some of the factors affecting your eligibility may include the following:

Credit score
Debt-to-income ratio, or DTR
Income
Employment history
Citizenship
Loan limits (minimums and maximums)

Who Pays a Parent Student Loan?

With a parent student loan, the parent is legally responsible for paying back the loan. This is because the parent is the primary borrower. This differs from a traditional private student loan where the student is the primary borrower and a parent acts as the cosigner. With those loans, the child and the parent are co-borrowers which means that they are both equally responsible and obligated to repay the loan. If a parent has trouble repaying a parent student loan, it will impact their credit history but not that of their child, even though the loan was taken out for the child’s education.

This may seem like a big responsibility for the parent to bear, but parents may have additional options. For example, parents can choose to refinance the student loan into the child’s name. This will require that your child has the means to take over the loan, including demonstrating stable employment and a good credit history.

An additional option is to cosign on a student loan refinance that features cosigner release. With this option, you cosign on your child’s refinance loan. After a series of consecutive, on-time monthly payments (typically 12 to 24 months) your child may request that you (the cosigner) are released from the loan.

Benefits of Private Parent Student Loans

Private parent loans have a number of benefits. They do not generally have fees such as application or origination fees. The interest rates on private parent loans are based on current market trends and can be more competitive than the rate offered for parent PLUS loans, particularly for borrowers with strong credit. And most lenders offer an interest rate deduction when you enroll in automatic payments.

While private parent loans do not come with the same government benefits as a PLUS loan, you may find that the benefits they do offer can potentially provide you with a better deal.

In summary, here are some of the benefits you might receive with a private parent student loan:

Competitive interest rates
Little to no loan fees
No penalties for paying off the loan early
Interest rate deduction after enrolling in automatic payments
Help your child pay for school without adding to their total student loan debt

Parent Student Loan Interest Rates

	Private Parent Student Loan	Parent PLUS Loan
Interest Rate Type	Variable or Fixed	Fixed
Current Interest Rate	Variable as low as 4.49% and fixed as low as 4.49%	7.54% (for loans disbursed between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023)

Best Private Parent Loans for College

Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Variable rates as low as: 4.74% APR¹

Fixed rates as low as: 4.74% APR¹

Repayment Terms

5, 8, 10 or 15 years²

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Cosigner Recommended

Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Variable Rates: 5.49% APR - 15.83% APR¹

Fixed Rates: 4.50% APR - 14.83% APR¹

Repayment Terms

10-15 Years⁶

(undergraduate)

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Variable Rates: 5.49% APR - 15.83% APR. Fixed Rates: 4.50% APR - 14.83% APR. Lowest rates shown include 0.25% interest rate discount with auto debit payments.¹
Apply online in minutes and receive an instant credit result²
Multiple repayment options from in-school payments to deferred.¹ No origination fee or prepayment penalty³
Last year, students were 4x more likely to be approved with a cosigner⁴ and it may help you get a better rate.
Borrow up to 100% of school-certified expenses, whether you're online or on campus⁵

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 2021, instant credit decisions were provided to 97% 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.

⁴Based on a comparison of approval rates for Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loans for Undergraduate Students who applied with a cosigner versus without a cosigner during a rolling 12-month period from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021.

⁵ For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website may be subjected to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time.

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.

Information advertised valid as of 02/27/2023

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.

Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Variable rates as low as: 5.86% APR¹

Fixed rates as low as: 4.62% APR¹

Repayment Terms

5, 7, 10, 12 and 15 years

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Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Variable rates as low as: 4.99% APR (with autopay)^*

Fixed rates as low as: 4.49% APR (with autopay)^*

Repayment Terms

Up to four repayment types (including no payments while in school) and multiple repayment terms help you find the loan that fits your budget

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Variable Rates: Starting variable rates range from 4.99% APR - 13.13% APR (with autopay)^*, and will never exceed 13.95% (sometimes lower in certain states as required by law)
Fixed Rates: Fixed rates range from 4.49% APR to 13.98% APR (with autopay)^*
Easy online application!
No origination fees, late fees, and no insufficient fund fees. Period
Up to four repayment types (including no payments while in school) and multiple repayment terms help you find the loan that fits your budget
0.25% discount when you set up autopay^*

*UNDERGRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 4.49% to 13.98% annual percentage rate ("APR") (with autopay), variable rates from 4.99% to 13.13% APR (with autopay). GRADUATE LOANS: Fixed rates from 5.25% to 13.60% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 5.49% to 13.07% APR (with autopay). PARENT LOANS: Fixed rates from 6.50% to 13.98% APR (with autopay), variable rates from 6.32% to 13.13% 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 01/30/2023.

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)

Recommendation

Best for Private Loans

Interest Rates

Graduate Rates

Fixed: 4.45% - 14.15% APR¹

Variable:4.99% - 12.29%APR¹

Undergraduate Rates

Fixed: 4.45% - 14.60%APR¹

Variable: 4.99% - 14.40%APR¹

Repayment Terms

5, 7, 10,15 or 20 years

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Check your eligibility in just 2 minutes
Flexible repayment options you can choose from
No fees for origination, disbursement, prepayment, or late payment³
Skip a payment once per year (once repayment period restarted)⁴
Will cover up to 100% of the school's certified cost of attendance
9-month grace period (3 months more than most lenders)²

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 4.70% APR to 14.85% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 5.24% APR to 14.65% 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.

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.

The information provided on this page is updated as of 03/08/2023. 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.

THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO MAKE ANY PAYMENT OR TAKE ANY OTHER ACTION IN RESPONSE TO THIS OFFER.

Private Parent Student Loan FAQs

Is There a Credit Check for a Private Student Loan?

Yes, private parent student loans require a credit check. Lenders check your credit to determine your creditworthiness which also impacts the interest rate you might qualify for. If you’re worried about your loan application impacting your credit score, some lenders allow potential borrowers to pre-qualify for a loan with a soft credit check that will not impact your credit score. If offered, this can be a great way of seeing what interest rates you can expect before applying officially.

What Expenses Can a Parent Student Loan Be Used for?

A parent student loan can be used to cover up to 100% of school-certified expenses including:

Tuition and fees
Room and board
Books and supplies
Transportation
Laptop

What Information Will I Need to Apply?

To apply for a private parent student loan, you will have to provide information regarding the student, your child’s school, and yourself. A private lender will also need the school to verify the cost of attendance and may need to confirm that the student meets satisfactory academic progress.

Also, be prepared to provide things like proof of income, date of birth and social security number.

How Much Can I Borrow In a Private Parent Student Loan?

You can borrow up to your child’s cost of attendance minus any other financial aid received. You also want to keep in mind that your private student loan lender may have minimum and maximum loan limits. And depending on your creditworthiness and debt-to-income ratio, you may be approved for an amount that is lower than you applied for.

Can I Refinance a Parent Student Loan?

Private parent student loans are eligible for refinancing. You may want to consider refinancing if you believe you would qualify for a better interest rate, or if you have several parent student loans that you would like to roll into one new loan. Another reason many parents refinance is to transfer the loan to their child.

Can I Transfer a Parent Loan to the Student?

A parent student loan can be transferred to the student through refinancing with a private lender. Your student will have to qualify for a refinance loan on their own, but this decision could relieve the parent of the burden of paying back the student loans. If the student does not qualify for a loan by themselves, you may want to look into lenders who offer cosigner release options. If you work with a lender who offers these options, you can then cosign the refinance loan with your student and be released after your student meets the criteria. Some lenders offer cosigner release after the borrower successfully makes 12, 24, 36, or 48 consecutive on-time monthly payments. The primary borrower on the refinance loan (the student) must be the one to initiate cosigner release.