BEST OF
11 Best Student Loan Refinance Companies of January 2021
The best student loan refinance company is the one that can reduce your rate the most. But certain lenders excel at serving certain types of customers.
NerdWallet student loan experts evaluated dozens of data points to identify the best student loan refinance companies for different customers:
PenFed and Earnest: Best overall.
SoFi: Best medical school loan refinancing.
Earnest: Best MBA and law school loan refinancing.
CommonBond: Best refinancing for parents.
PenFed: Best credit union refinancing.
Citizens Bank: Best bank refinancing.
Some student loan refinance lenders tied in these categories or stood out in other ways. We've identified all our selections below.
NerdWallet student loan experts evaluated dozens of data points to identify the best student loan refinance companies for different customers:
PenFed and Earnest: Best overall.
SoFi: Best medical school loan refinancing.
Earnest: Best MBA and law school loan refinancing.
CommonBond: Best refinancing for parents.
PenFed: Best credit union refinancing.
Citizens Bank: Best bank refinancing.
Some student loan refinance lenders tied in these categories or stood out in other ways. We've identified all our selections below.
Summary of Best Student Loan Refinance Companies of January 2021
Lender | NerdWallet Rating | Fixed APR | Variable APR | Min. Credit Score | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Best for Overall + Fast payoff + Customer service + Student loan refinancing with a credit union | 2.99 - 5.15% | 2.19 - 4.49% | 670 | Check Rate on Purefy's website | |
Best for Overall + Law school loan refinancing + MBA student loan refinancing | 2.98 - 5.79% | 1.99 - 5.64% | 650 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | |
Best for Overall + Medical school loan refinancing | 2.99 - 6.88% | 2.25 - 6.43% | Does not disclose | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | |
Best for Overall + Parent loan refinancing + Customer service | 2.98 - 5.79% | 1.99 - 5.61% | 680 | Check Rate on CommonBond's website | |
Best for Overall | 3.74 - 9.74% | 3.00 - 8.74% | Does not disclose | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | |
Best for Dental school loan refinancing | 2.80 - 6.00% | 1.89 - 5.90% | 700 | Check Rate on Laurel Road's website | |
Best for Veterinary school loan refinancing + Customer service | 2.79 - 5.99% | 2.39 - 6.01% | 680 | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | |
Best for Student loan refinancing with no degree | 3.49 - 6.99% | 1.87 - 5.87% | Does not disclose | Check Rate on Discover's website | |
Best for Student loan refinancing with a bank | 2.97 - 8.34% | 1.99 - 8.09% | Does not disclose | Check Rate on Citizens Bank's website | |
Best for International student loan refinancing | N/A | 6.56 - 8.65% | N/A | See my rates on NerdWallet's secure website | |
Best for Student loan refinancing with low income | 2.95 - 8.28% | 1.99 - 5.25% | 680 | Check Rate on LendKey's website |
Our picks for
Overall
on Purefy's website
PenFed Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on Purefy's website
on NerdWallet's secure website
Earnest Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website

on NerdWallet's secure website
SoFi Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
on CommonBond's website
CommonBond Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on CommonBond's website

on NerdWallet's secure website
Wells Fargo Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Fast payoff
These lenders have features like biweekly and greater-than-minimum payments via autopay and repayment schedules that fit your debt payoff goal.
on NerdWallet's secure website
PenFed Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Parent loan refinancing
Refinancing federal parent PLUS loans can save you money or get you off the hook completely by transferring the loan to your child.
on NerdWallet's secure website
CommonBond Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Medical school loan refinancing
Refinancing medical school loans is a no-brainer for physicians who won’t use federal loan benefits and have good enough credit to qualify for a lower interest rate.

on NerdWallet's secure website
SoFi Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Law school loan refinancing
Student loan refinancing makes sense for private-sector lawyers with high incomes, excellent credit and a history of on-time debt payments.
on NerdWallet's secure website
Earnest Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
MBA student loan refinancing
Student loan refinancing can make sense for business school graduates who have excellent credit and careers that won't require the use of federal loan benefits.
on NerdWallet's secure website
Earnest Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Dental school loan refinancing
Refinancing dental school loans makes sense if you won’t use federal loan benefits and have good enough credit to qualify for a lower interest rate.
on Laurel Road's website
Laurel Road Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on Laurel Road's website
Our pick for
Veterinary school loan refinancing
Refinancing may make sense for vets with a manageable debt-to-income ratio who don’t need federal student loan benefits — like making payments based on their income.
on NerdWallet's secure website
Education Loan Finance Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Student loan refinancing with no degree
If you have student loans but never received a degree, you have fewer options than borrowers with a degree.

on Discover's website
Discover Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on Discover's website
Our picks for
Customer service
These lenders offer above-average support thanks to services like dedicated loan advisors, in-house customer service teams and multiple contact channels.
on NerdWallet's secure website
CommonBond Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
on NerdWallet's secure website
PenFed Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
on NerdWallet's secure website
Education Loan Finance Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Student loan refinancing with a bank
If you already have an account with a bank that refinances student loans, you could get discounts or lower rates by refinancing with that lender.

on Citizens Bank's website
Citizens One Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on Citizens Bank's website
Our pick for
Student loan refinancing with a credit union
A credit union student loan refinance lender may be right for you if you prefer credit unions over banks, or if it offers the lowest interest rate you qualify for or a unique feature you value, such as initial interest-only payments.
on NerdWallet's secure website
PenFed Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
International student loan refinancing
International students can find it difficult to refinance loans if they don't have U.S. credit history or a qualifying co-signer.

on NerdWallet's secure website
Prodigy Student Loan Refinance

Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
Student loan refinancing with low income
You can refinance if you don't make a lot of money, but this may not make sense for federal loan borrowers.
on LendKey's website
LendKey Student Loan Refinance
Fixed APR
Variable APR
Min. Credit Score
on LendKey's website
Best student loan refinance companies
Last updated on January 14, 2021
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Student Loan Refinance Companies of January 2021
- PenFed Student Loan Refinance: Best for Overall + Fast payoff + Customer service + Student loan refinancing with a credit union
- Earnest Student Loan Refinance: Best for Overall + Law school loan refinancing + MBA student loan refinancing
- SoFi Student Loan Refinance: Best for Overall + Medical school loan refinancing
- CommonBond Student Loan Refinance: Best for Overall + Parent loan refinancing + Customer service
- Wells Fargo Student Loan Refinance: Best for Overall
- Laurel Road Student Loan Refinance: Best for Dental school loan refinancing
- Education Loan Finance Student Loan Refinance: Best for Veterinary school loan refinancing + Customer service
- Discover Student Loan Refinance: Best for Student loan refinancing with no degree
- Citizens One Student Loan Refinance: Best for Student loan refinancing with a bank
- Prodigy Student Loan Refinance: Best for International student loan refinancing
- LendKey Student Loan Refinance: Best for Student loan refinancing with low income