Excellent Student Loan Refinance Companies

Student loan refinancing means swapping your current student loans for a new loan with a lower interest rate. That could save you big money over time. Unlike refinancing a mortgage, refinancing student loans is free.

Ultimately, the best student loan refinance company is the one that can reduce your rate the most. The lower your rate, the more you’ll save monthly and long term. But certain lenders excel at serving certain types of customers. Compare these deals from our partners to find one that fits your needs.

Overall student loan refinancing

Medical school loan refinancing

SoFi is one of two lenders that let borrowers refinance student loans during their medical residency. Additionally, borrowers who refinance with SoFi get access to unique perks such as free career coaching and no-fee investing. SoFi also lets borrowers make biweekly or greater-than-minimum payments automatically.

Fast payoff

SoFi has one of the highest overall scores among refinancing lenders that offer all of the features NerdWallet experts agree help borrowers repay loans faster, including availability of shorter loan terms and the ability to make biweekly payments or greater-than-minimum payments via autopay.

Student loan refinancing with a credit union

Pentagon Federal Credit Union, or PenFed, is the highest-rated among the credit unions we've reviewed that offer student loan refinancing. PenFed's student loan refinancing product is powered by a company called Purefy. Purefy assigns each refinance customer a personal student loan advisor and gives borrowers access to an in-house customer service team.

Great for parent loan refinancing

CommonBond is the highest-rated lender that lets borrowers refinance their parents’ PLUS loans with their own. It also stands out for its longer-than-average maximum forbearance period.

Excellent customer service

Education Loan Finance is among the lenders that score highest in our customer support category and also have high overall scores. It matches borrowers with a dedicated student loan advisor for the length of the refinancing process. PenFed is among the lenders that score highest in our customer support category and also have high overall scores It matches borrowers with a dedicated student loan advisor for the length of the refinancing process.

Whether you should refinance student loans depends on your situation. You should refinance your student loans if:

If you decide to refinance, compare multiple lenders to see who offers you the best rate. If you have similar offers, give greater weight to lenders who offer the most flexibility with payments and the longest possible forbearance options.