You’re our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products or services. Here is a list of our partners.
3 Standout Student Loan Refinancing Lenders
Graduate to a better student loan
Refinancing your student loans can save you thousands — either by shrinking your interest rates or tapping into other unique (and sometimes creative) perks. Better yet, it’s free to refinance and you can get prequalified in less than ten minutes.
Refinancing your student loans can save you thousands — either by shrinking your interest rates or tapping into other unique (and sometimes creative) perks. Better yet, it’s free to refinance and you can get prequalified in less than ten minutes.
Standout Student Loan Refinancing Lenders From Our Partners
on Earnest's website
Earnest Student Loan Refinance
5.0
NerdWallet ratingMin. credit score
680Fixed APR
4.96-Variable APR
5.15-on Earnest's website
Variable APR
5.15-8.94%
Key facts
Best for borrowers who want to customize their repayment schedule to pay off debt fast.
Pros
Customizable payments and loan terms.
Option to skip one payment every 12 months.
You can see if you’ll qualify and what rate you’ll get without a hard credit check.
Cons
You can’t apply with a co-signer.
Loans aren't available in Nevada.
Qualifications
Typical credit score of approved borrowers or co-signers: 760.
Loan amounts: $5,000 to $500,000.
Must have a degree: No, but must be within six months of graduation and have income or a job.
Available Term Lengths
5 to 20 years
Disclaimer
Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 5.21% APR to 9.24% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 5.40% APR to 9.19% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Earnest variable interest rate student loan refinance 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. The maximum rate for your loan is 8.95% if your loan term is 10 years or less. For loan terms of more than 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95%. Please note, we are not able to offer variable rate loans in AK, IL, MN, NH, OH, TN, and TX. 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.

on SoFi's website
SoFi Student Loan Refinance
5.0
NerdWallet rating
Min. credit score
650Fixed APR
4.99-Variable APR
5.74-on SoFi's website
Variable APR
5.74-9.99%
Key facts
Best for borrowers who want plenty of benefits with their refinanced student loan.
Pros
You can refinance parent PLUS loans in your name.
You can see if you’ll qualify and what rate you’ll get without a hard credit check.
Additional perks like career planning, job search assistance and entrepreneurship support available.
Cons
No co-signer release available.
Loan size minimum is higher than most lenders.
Qualifications
Typical credit score of approved borrowers or co-signers: 700+.
Loan amounts: $5,000, up to your total outstanding loan balance.
Must have a degree: Yes, an associate degree or higher.
Available Term Lengths
5, 7, 10, 15 or 20 years
Disclaimer
Fixed rates range from 4.99% APR to 9.99% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates from 5.74% APR to 9.99% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates on 5-, 7-, and 10-year terms are capped at 13.95% APR; 15- and 20-year terms are capped at 13.95% APR. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. 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. 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. This benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit lowers your interest rate but does not change the amount of your monthly payment. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi.

on Splash Financial's website
Splash Financial Student Loan Refinance
5.0
NerdWallet rating
Min. credit score
650Fixed APR
5.34-Variable APR
7.27-on Splash Financial's website
Variable APR
7.27-7.27%
Key facts
Best for receiving offers from multiple lenders.
Pros
Select from multiple repayment options between 5 and 25 years.
You can see if you’ll qualify and what rate you’ll get without a hard credit check.
Cons
Loan features vary by lender.
Forbearance and death discharge may not be available.
You may need to become a member of a credit union to qualify.
Qualifications
Splash Financial currently does not offer variable rates or accept co-signers through NerdWallet.
Typical credit score of approved borrowers or co-signers: 700+.
Loan amounts: $10,000 to $500,000.
Must have a degree: Yes, a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Available Term Lengths
5 to 25 years
Disclaimer
Splash Financial, Inc. (NMLS # 1630038) reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. The information you provide is an inquiry to determine whether Splash’s lending partners can make you a loan offer, but does not guarantee you will receive any loan offers. Terms and conditions apply. Products may not be available in all states. These rates are subject to change at any time. If you do not use the specific link included on this website, offers on the Splash website may include other offers from lending partners that may have a higher rate. Fixed Rate options range from 5.34% (with autopay) to 8.37% (with autopay). Variable rate options range from 7.27% (with autopay) to 7.27% (without autopay). Some of the rates are based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) index and some are 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). Fixed loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 5.47% for a 12-year term would be $94.86. Variable loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 25 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 5.90% for a 15-year term would be $83.85.
See why the lenders make the grade
Earnest: Borrowers can choose their own monthly payment amount and increase it at any time to become debt-free faster.
SoFi: Offers borrowers extra perks like career coaching and no-fee investing.
Splash Financial: Offers borrowers who want quotes from more than one lender.
What is student loan refinancing?
Student loan refinancing saves borrowers money by replacing existing education debt with a new, lower-cost loan through a private lender.
To qualify, you’ll need:
Credit scores at least in the high 600s – ideally higher.
A steady income.
If you fall short on either, you might need a co-signer who qualifies.
You can refinance both federal loans and private loans. It doesn’t cost anything to refinance student loans, and you may be able to reduce your monthly payment or pay off your debt faster.
To decide if refinancing your student loans makes sense, you'll want to make sure your loans qualify, that you're not giving up payment options you might need, that you're getting a better interest rate, and that you've chosen the right company.
To recap our selections...