Item: Upstart
Rating: 4.5
Author: Jackie Veling

4.5

NerdWallet Rating

4.5

User rating (229)

Get My Rate

🏆 2026 Best Personal Loan for Bad Credit

4.5

NerdWallet Rating

4.5

User rating (229)

Est. APR

6.70 - 35.99%

Min. credit score

None

Time to fund

1 day

Loan amount

$1K - $75K

Loan term

3 to 5 years

Origination fee

0% to 12%

Disclosures from Upstart

Overview

Upstart is an online lending platform that connects borrowers with banks and credit unions to fund personal loans. It differentiates itself from other online lenders with its underwriting model that uses artificial intelligence and nontraditional data — like college education and work experience — to qualify borrowers.

» MORE: Compare the best personal loans

What is the
Best-of award?

🏆 2026 Best Personal Loan for Bad Credit

🏆 2024 Best Personal Loan for Fair Credit

🏆 2022 Best Personal Loan for Fair Credit

What the nerds think

Upstart’s underwriting model is certainly unique, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find another reputable lender that accepts borrowers without a credit score. But the potential origination fee and having no available rate discounts may translate to higher rates overall, so I recommend pre-qualifying first to see if you get a competitive offer.

Jackie VelingLead Writer & Content Strategist

What Upstart is best for

Bad Credit Loans

Best for thin credit

Debt Consolidation

Best for thin credit

Secured Loans

Best for online lender loans

How we rate Upstart

NerdWallet writers and editors rate lenders against a rubric that changes each year based on how personal loan products evolve. Here’s how we scored Upstart this year.

Affordability(25%)

3.5/5

We review lenders' annual percentage rate offerings and the competitiveness of each lenders' APR range. We also assess whether a lender charges an origination fee and any opportunity for borrowers to receive a rate discount.

Customer Experience(20%)

4.5/5

We consider the experience of the consumer trying to manage a personal loan, which means accessibility of customer service representatives, whether borrowers can choose and change their payment due date, and the ability to track their loan on a mobile app.

Underwriting and Eligibility(20%)

5/5

We consider the rigorousness of each lender's underwriting practices and how widely available their loans are. This category includes whether a lender does a hard credit check before providing a loan, the range of credit profiles they accept and how many states their loans are offered in.

Loan Flexibility(20%)

4/5

We assess how flexible lenders can be with borrowers, including whether they offer multiple loan types, personal loan amounts and repayment term options and whether they offer direct payment to creditors on debt consolidation loans.

Application Process(15%)

5/5

We consider the lender's full application process, including a borrower's ability to preview their loan offer via pre-qualification, whether basic loan information such as APR range and repayment terms are available and easy to find online and how quickly a loan can be funded after approval.

Overall Rating

4.5/5

Where Upstart personal loans stand out

Alternative data use: Many personal loan lenders primarily rely on credit and income to make an approval decision, but Upstart includes details like college education and work history in its borrower evaluations. The lending platform says its nontraditional underwriting model helps approve more applicants at lower rates.
Accepts borrowers from across the credit spectrum: Upstart considers applicants with thin credit histories or no credit score. If an applicant has a credit score, Upstart accepts scores as low as 300, meaning the lender effectively doesn't have a minimum credit score requirement.
Fast approval and funding: Upstart says most borrowers receive an instant approval decision after applying. Once a borrower is approved, it funds loans as fast as one business day. That means borrowers could go from application to funding in one day, which is hard to beat.
Secured loan option: Bad-credit borrowers may increase their chances of qualifying for a personal loan or getting a lower rate by securing the loan with collateral. Upstart allows borrowers to use a vehicle they own as collateral for a secured loan.
Wide range of loan amounts: Upstart’s loans are very flexible, ranging from $1,000 to $75,000. Though some other lenders may offer loans up to $100,000, they tend to have higher starting amounts, so they’re not a good fit for smaller expenses. Upstart’s wide range means you can use its loans to cover small, medium or large expenses.

Where Upstart personal loans falls short

Origination fee: Some lenders that use Upstart’s online lending platform charge an origination fee, which is common with personal loans. However, Upstart’s maximum origination fee of 12% is higher than most lenders, which tend to fall under 10%. This origination fee will be deducted from the loan amount before the funds are disbursed. Compare personal loans with no origination fee.
Only two repayment terms: Upstart borrowers can only choose from two repayment options — three years or five years — to repay their loan. Most lenders offer three or more terms to choose from, which lets you better customize the monthly payment. This flexibility may be especially important for larger loans.
No joint or co-signed loans: Upstart offers unsecured and secured loans only. Adding a co-signer or co-borrower to an application can help borrowers who may not otherwise qualify get a personal loan or a lower rate.
No direct payment to creditors: When you consolidate debt with an Upstart loan, there’s no option to have the funds sent directly to creditors. This is a common perk among lenders, since having your lender pay off your credit cards for you helps simplify the process. Compare the best debt consolidation loans.

Do you qualify for an Upstart personal loan?

Upstart’s nontraditional approach to underwriting means there are few credit-related requirements to get a personal loan. Upstart says those with all types of credit profiles and income levels may qualify. Upstart loans are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Upstart’s borrowing requirements

Minimum credit score: None.
Minimum annual income: None.
Must have a valid U.S. bank account, U.S. residential address and email address.
Must provide a valid Social Security number.
Must have no bankruptcies in past three years.
Must provide a verifiable source of income.
Maximum debt-to-income ratio: 50%, not including rent or mortgage, in most states.

Interested in this lender? See what rate you can get by pre-qualifying

See My Rate

✅ No impact to your credit score

How does Upstart compare to the best lenders?

Personal loan lenders offer different rates, loan amounts and special features, so it pays to weigh other options. The best personal loan is usually the one with the lowest APR.


4.5 NerdWallet rating 4.5 User rating (229)	4.5 NerdWallet rating 4.8 User rating (44)	5.0 NerdWallet rating 4.5 User rating (89)	4.5 NerdWallet rating 4.5 User rating (129)
EST. APR 6.70-35.99%	EST. APR 6.49-24.89%	EST. APR 6.53-35.99%	EST. APR 8.74-35.49%
LOAN AMOUNT $1K-$75K	LOAN AMOUNT $5K-$100K	LOAN AMOUNT $1K-$60K	LOAN AMOUNT $5K-$100K
MIN. CREDIT SCORE None Get My Rate	MIN. CREDIT SCORE 660 Get My Rate	MIN. CREDIT SCORE 600 Get My Rate	MIN. CREDIT SCORE None Get My Rate

User reviews

Sort by:

Sara N.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

I applied online and was approved online. I had the funds already secured by the next day. It went very smoothly and quickly.

February 2, 2026

Mike D.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

I applied for the loan and I received the loan and I am satisfied now.

January 28, 2026

Diego V.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

I submitted some personal information on Upstart's website and I received, I want to say, two offers pretty immediately. And after accepting the one I felt worked best for me. I received a deposit relatively quick. I want to say within two days.

January 28, 2026

Alexander C.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Very satisfied. The money hit my account within like 24 hours and the portal was very easy to get in and pay back the loan. So yeah, very satisfied.

January 28, 2026

Jahim U.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

I'd say it went well. It was pretty easy and I'm pretty satisfied.

January 28, 2026

Flor G.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

It went well. It was pretty quick, but my service where I was was a little lacking, so it was a little delayed on my part of receiving.

January 28, 2026

Amanda R.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

Yes, I was.

January 28, 2026

Chrystian S.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

Open up the app and then apply for the upstart and then quickly. Got it, I guess. I took a few days.

January 28, 2026

Jerry D.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

It was very easy and I was pretty satisfied.

January 28, 2026

Hildebrand L.

Verified NerdWallet Customer

Would you recommend this product? Yes

It was pretty fast. All I had to do was apply and I have my funding within 24 hours

January 28, 2026

User reviews are displayed for informational purposes only and are not monitored for accuracy. These reviews do not reflect the opinions of NerdWallet or the financial institutions referenced and are not endorsed by them. Neither NerdWallet nor the financial institutions are responsible for the content of any review, nor are the financial institutions obligated to respond to or address any user posts.