Upstart Personal Loans: 2021 Review
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Our Take
4.5
The bottom line: Though Upstart’s personal loans don’t come with dazzling features, they’re a fast-funding option for borrowers with low credit scores and strong earning potential.
Full Review
Best Personal Loan for Bad Credit
on Upstart's website
on Upstart's website
Min. Credit Score
580
Est. APR
6.76 - 35.99%
Loan Amount
$1,000 - $50,000
Pros & Cons
Pros
Accepts borrowers new to credit.
Able to fund loans one business day after the borrower accepts a loan offer.
Offers direct payment to creditors with credit card consolidation loans.
Allows borrowers to choose and change payment date.
Cons
May charge an origination fee.
Borrowers can choose from two repayment term options only.
No mobile app to manage a loan.
Compare to Other Lenders
|  |  |
|---|---|---|
Est. APR6.76 - 35.99% | Est. APR5.94 - 35.47% | Est. APR5.99 - 29.99% |
Loan Term3 to 5 years | Loan Term2 to 7 years | Loan Term3 to 5 years |
Loan Amount$1,000 - $50,000 | Loan Amount$1,000 - $50,000 | Loan Amount$2,000 - $50,000 |
Min. Credit Score580 | Min. Credit Score560 | Min. Credit Score640 |
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Full Review
Upstart differentiates itself from other online lenders with its underwriting model. The company uses artificial intelligence and nontraditional data — like college education, job history and residence — to qualify borrowers. More traditional lenders, like banks, focus almost exclusively on a borrower's credit report, debts, income and assets.
The company says its underwriting model helps younger applicants and those with thin credit histories qualify for a loan.
» COMPARE: See your bad-credit loan options
Upstart is best for borrowers who:
Have at least a 580 FICO score and strong earning potential.
Want the ability to change their payment date.
Need funds fast.
Don’t need to manage their loan from a mobile app.
Upstart at a glance
Affordability |
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Key terms to know about personal loans
» MORE: Compare online loans
Where Upstart stands out
Fast funding: Upstart says borrowers can pre-qualify to see their rate in five minutes and should expect approval to take one business day. The company says the majority of its loans are funded one business day after a borrower signs a loan agreement.
If you’re prompt about sending paperwork, you can expect the whole process to take about two business days.
Direct payment to creditors: For personal loans used to pay off credit cards, Upstart sends your loan proceeds to your credit card issuers to simplify the debt consolidation process.
Flexible payments: Borrowers can change their monthly payment date an unlimited number of times through Upstart's online portal. Changing your payment date doesn’t change the original due date, though, and the 15-day grace period for late fees applies to the original due date.
For example, if your loan is due on the 8th of the month and you move your payment date to the 10th, your payment won’t be late because it’s within the due date’s grace period. However, if you move your payment date to the 25th, it will be late and you may be charged a late fee.
Multiple ways to pay: The lender lets borrowers pay via mailed check, over the phone, online and with automatic payments.
Alternative data use: In 2019, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published a blog post crediting Upstart’s underwriting model with approving more applicants at lower rates than a traditional underwriting model. In a test, the bureau says, consumers with FICO scores between 620 to 660 were approved twice as often as with a traditional credit model, and applicants younger than 25 were 32% more likely to be approved.
Lenders that use data like college major and work history in borrower evaluations — as Upstart does — say it gives them better insight into a borrower's financial reality. But consumer advocates say it could reinforce existing racial and economic disparities.
Where Upstart falls short
Limited repayment terms: Borrowers can choose a three- or five-year repayment term. Those same terms are offered by a few other online lenders, but they’re inflexible compared with lenders with as many as five or six repayment term options. The more repayment terms you have to choose from, the more control you have over monthly payments and overall interest costs.
Origination fee: Some lenders that use Upstart’s online lending platform charge an origination fee, which isn’t uncommon with personal loans, but the fee cuts into your total loan amount. Upstart’s fee can range from 0% to 8% of the loan amount.
No mobile app to manage a loan: Some online lenders have mobile apps where borrowers can make loan payments, view their payment history and see their latest credit score. Upstart doesn’t offer these features.
No co-signed, joint or secured loan options: Adding a co-signer, co-borrower or securing a loan can help borrowers who may not otherwise qualify get a reasonable rate on a personal loan. Upstart offers unsecured loans only.
» COMPARE: Lenders that offer joint, co-signed loans
How to qualify for an Upstart loan
Minimum credit score: 580.
Minimum credit history: None; borrowers with credit histories too limited to produce a FICO score may be accepted.
Minimum gross income: $12,000.
Employment: Full-time job, full-time job offer starting in six months, a regular part-time job or another source of regular income.
Must have a U.S. address where the borrower resides (unless military personnel on active duty).
Must be at least 18 years old.
Valid email account required.
Personal bank account with U.S. routing number required.
Loan example: A three-year, $12,000 loan with a 23.4% APR would cost $467 in monthly payments. A borrower would pay $4,812 in total interest on that loan.
How to get an Upstart loan
Pre-qualify on NerdWallet
NerdWallet recommends comparing loans to find the best rate for you. Pre-qualifying may get you personalized rates from multiple lenders that partner with us, including Upstart. Pre-qualifying will not impact your credit.
Apply on Upstart
You can check your rate on Upstart’s website. Enter the amount you want to borrow and answer questions about your credit score, level of education and other details to see an estimated rate for a loan.
on Upstart's website
Personal Loans Rating Methodology
NerdWallet’s review process evaluates and rates personal loan products from more than 30 lenders. We collect over 45 data points from each lender, interview company representatives and compare the lender with others that seek the same customer or offer a similar personal loan product. NerdWallet writers and editors conduct a full fact check and update annually, but also make updates throughout the year as necessary.
Our star ratings award points to lenders that offer consumer-friendly features, including: soft credit checks to pre-qualify, competitive interest rates and no fees, transparency of rates and terms, flexible payment options, fast funding times, accessible customer service, reporting of payments to credit bureaus and financial education. We also consider regulatory actions filed by agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. We weigh these factors based on our assessment of which are the most important to consumers and how meaningfully they impact consumers’ experiences.
This methodology applies only to lenders that cap interest rates at 36%, the maximum rate most financial experts and consumer advocates agree is the acceptable limit for a loan to be affordable. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for our star ratings. Read our editorial guidelines.
