4 Options for Student Loan Refinancing for International Borrowers
To refinance international student loans you must build U.S. credit, get a co-signer or qualify for a niche loan.
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Refinancing international student loans is more difficult for visa holders working in the U.S. who don’t have a credit history. There are private lenders that will refinance student loans, but you’ll have to do one of the following:
Build your U.S. credit history.
Have an eligible co-signer.
Qualify for a niche loan for international working graduates.
Refinancing means a lender will pay off your existing student loans with a new single loan at a lower interest rate. It can help you save money immediately and over time.
Below you'll find lenders that refinance international borrowers, plus more information about the refinancing strategies available to noncitizens who have built U.S. credit history, have a U.S. co-signer or have graduated and are working in the U.S. These lenders will only refinance student loans that were originally borrowed with a co-signer from U.S.-based lenders or from niche lenders for international students studying in the U.S.
Refinancing international student loans is more difficult for visa holders working in the U.S. who don’t have a credit history. There are private lenders that will refinance student loans, but you’ll have to do one of the following:
Build your U.S. credit history.
Have an eligible co-signer.
Qualify for a niche loan for international working graduates.
Refinancing means a lender will pay off your existing student loans with a new single loan at a lower interest rate. It can help you save money immediately and over time.
Below you'll find lenders that refinance international borrowers, plus more information about the refinancing strategies available to noncitizens who have built U.S. credit history, have a U.S. co-signer or have graduated and are working in the U.S. These lenders will only refinance student loans that were originally borrowed with a co-signer from U.S.-based lenders or from niche lenders for international students studying in the U.S.
Options for Student Loan Refinancing for International Borrowers From Our Partners
Lender | NerdWallet rating | Min. credit score | Fixed APR | Variable APR | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() MPOWER Student Loan Refinance Check rate on MPOWER's website | Best for Borrowers with no co-signer | None | 12.69- | N/A | Check rate on MPOWER's website |
![]() SoFi Student Loan Refinance Check rate on SoFi's website | Best for Borrowers with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer | 650 | 4.49- | 5.09- | Check rate on SoFi's website |
![]() Brazos Student Loan Refinance Check rate on Brazos' website | Best for Borrowers with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer | 690 | 4.40- | 4.54- | Check rate on Brazos' website |
Earnest Student Loan Refinance Check rate on Earnest's website | Best for Borrowers with a green card | 680 | 4.47- | 4.47- | Check rate on Earnest's website |
Our pick for
Borrowers with no co-signer

on MPOWER's website
MPOWER Student Loan Refinance

Min. credit score
NoneFixed APR
12.69-Variable APR
N/Aon MPOWER's website
Our pick for
Borrowers with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer

on SoFi's website
SoFi Student Loan Refinance

Min. credit score
650Fixed APR
4.49-Variable APR
5.09-on SoFi's website

on Brazos' website
Brazos Student Loan Refinance

Min. credit score
690Fixed APR
4.40-Variable APR
4.54-on Brazos' website
Our pick for
Borrowers with a green card
on Earnest's website
Earnest Student Loan Refinance
Min. credit score
680Fixed APR
4.47-Variable APR
4.47-on Earnest's website
Ways to refinance international student loans
Building a U.S. credit history
U.S. credit bureaus don't take into consideration credit history from other countries, so you’ll have to start from scratch. But as you live and work in the U.S. you can grow your credit profile.
Start building U.S. credit history. If you attended college in the U.S. and have student loans in repayment with a U.S. lender, you may already have some credit built. You can find out an existing credit history for free from one of the three major credit reporting bureaus — TransUnion, Experian or Equifax.
If you don't have a history or you want to continue building credit, apply for a credit card. Typically, credit lenders will want you to have a permanent address, a taxpayer ID number, income and a bank account. You might have to start with a secured credit card, which requires a cash security deposit.
Once you have a line of credit established, make payments each month, on-time and in full. Over time, you can build enough credit history to get your loans approved for refinancing by private lenders. Refinancing lenders look for borrowers with credit in at least the high 600s, a history of on-time loan payments and an income that is high enough to pay off the debt.
Refinancing if you have a visa
Some lenders may allow you to refinance, even if you have a working visa, as long as you have a co-signer who can meet credit history, income and payment history qualifications. Your co-signer will have to be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, as well.
STUDENT LOAN REFINANCE RATINGS METHODOLOGY
Our survey of more than 29 banks, credit unions and online lenders offering student loans and student loan refinancing includes the top 10 lenders by market share and the top 10 lenders by online search volume, as well as lenders that serve specialty or nontraditional markets.
We consider 41 features and data points for each financial institution. Depending on the category, these include the availability of biweekly payments through autopay, minimum credit score and income requirement disclosures, availability to borrowers in all states, extended grace periods and in-house customer service.
The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.
Read more about our ratings methodologies for student loan refinance and our editorial guidelines.
Last updated on December 19, 2022
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Options for Student Loan Refinancing for International Borrowers
- MPOWER Student Loan Refinance: Best for Borrowers with no co-signer
- SoFi Student Loan Refinance: Best for Borrowers with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer
- Brazos Student Loan Refinance: Best for Borrowers with a U.S. citizen or permanent resident co-signer
- Earnest Student Loan Refinance: Best for Borrowers with a green card