Best-Of Awards 2026 Methodologies

Best Student Loan For Flexible Repayment Options

How we picked the lenders to evaluate:

NerdWallet looked at 19 banks, credit unions and online lenders that offer private student loans and student loan refinancing, comprising close to 80% of the market. We also consider online search volume as a proxy for interest, as well as lenders that serve some specialty or nontraditional markets. Some of the providers are NerdWallet partners, but this did not influence our selection of the winner.

We send a survey to each lender inquiring about their loan products and services. Questions may differ based on the range of loan types on offer, but all surveys include more than 60 data points.

How we chose the winner:

NerdWallet scored lenders on 31 factors across multiple categories. Categories were scored and weighted as follows:

• FLEXIBILITY (30%): Lenders with the highest marks for flexibility generally offer a range of terms, including in-school repayment options; hardship forbearance of 12 months or longer, a grace period of longer than six months; and features to help with faster repayment.
• AFFORDABILITY (30%): Lenders that score well for affordability offer rate reductions for autopay and other opt-ins. They have the lowest fixed interest rates and charge the lowest fees, and automatically apply extra payments to the principal. (Rates were collected April 6-24, 2026.)
• AVAILABILITY (10%): Top lenders for availability generally lend to students in all states for a range of needs, such as undergraduate and graduate studies. These lenders accept the use of co-signers but don’t require it.
• TRANSPARENCY (20%): Top lenders for transparency generally allow borrowers to get their interest rate and loan terms with a soft credit check. These lenders also disclose key information, such as rate range, available loan terms and eligibility requirements on their website.
• CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE (10%): Top lenders generally have a defined complaint process and separate complaint department or ombudsman, live chat, in-house customer service and a willingness to work with borrowers facing financial difficulty.

How we verified our data:

NerdWallet writers and editors check lender websites to confirm key survey responses, and we follow up with company representatives as needed. At least one writer and an editor verifies every fact in every lender review to ensure accuracy.


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