GradBridge Review Private Student Loans: 2026 Review
GradBridge offers "second-look" undergraduate and graduate student loans for borrowers who may not qualify elsewhere.
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Student loan ratings
A GradBridge student loan can be a good fit for upperclassmen or graduate students who have exhausted all other financial aid and federal loan options but still need to make up additional money to remain enrolled.
Gradbridge Private Student Loan review
Pros
- Borrowers are eligible for a 0.25% interest rate discount when they sign up for automatic payments.
- Offers academic deferment for borrowers who return to school.
- Up to 24 consecutive months of hardship forbearance.
- Allows co-signers. Co-signer release only requires a soft credit check.
Cons
- GradBridge charges a 5% origination fee and a late fee of 5% or $5 (whichever is less).
- Only offers three term lengths: 5, 10 and 15 years.
- Does not have in-house customer service representatives.
Full GradBridge student loan review
GradBridge offers both undergraduate and graduate program student loans. GradBridge does not lend to borrowers enrolled less than half-time in school. The student loans from this lender are designed to help students who are further along in their educational journeys who may not qualify for other lenders or who have had their loan applications rejected from other lenders.
With a student loan from this lender, most borrowers can expect to learn almost immediately if they have been approved for a loan. As a second-chance lender, GradBridge loans have higher interest rates. Borrowers who sign up for automatic principal and interest payments are eligible for a 0.25% interest rate discount.
This lender does allow co-signers, and it will lend to borrowers who have previously declared bankruptcy (after 13 months). However, this lender could stand to be more transparent with borrowers: it does not disclose minimum credit score or income requirements, which we find to be helpful for prospective borrowers. Additionally, borrowers should be aware this lender will charge a late fee of 5% or $5 (whichever is less), and a 5% origination fee.
While GradBridge is a licensed lender in most states, not every state has approved it as a student loan lender. Some notable exclusions include: Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia.
More about GradBridge student loans
Loan and borrower requirements
Loan terms: 5, 10 and 15 years.
Loan amounts: $5,000 - $60,000.
Minimum credit score: Does not disclose.
Minimum income: Does not disclose.
Maximum debt-to-income (DTI) ratio: Does not disclose.
Time requirement after filing for bankruptcy: Yes, after 13 months.
Co-signer: Allowed, but not required.
Payment and repayment
Allows greater-than-minimum payments via autopay: Yes.
Allows biweekly payments via autopay: No.
Grace period following graduation: 6+ months with the option to extend.
In-school repayment options: Interest-only payments, fully deferred, and partial payments of $25.
Post-school repayment options:
Permanent loan modification.
Interest-only payments.
Internship deferment (not counted against other deferment options).
Residency deferment (not counted against other deferment options).
Administrative forbearance (not counted against other forbearance options).
Natural disaster forbearance (not counted against other forbearance or deferment options).
Temporary interest rate reduction.
Military deferment (not counted against other deferment options).
Customer experience
Customer service: Customer service is provided through GradBridge’s origination and servicing partners, butGradBridge oversees borrower complaints and disputes. Borrowers can reach a customer service representative through phone, email and mail.
Typical time for application approval: Typically borrowers know their acceptance status immediately after they’ve submitted their application, unless further information needs to be verified.
Loan servicer: Nelnet/Firstmark.
GradBridge extras
Borrowers do not have to have a certain GPA to qualify for a loan.
Unless the borrower specifies otherwise, extra payments are applied to the principal.
Only a soft credit check is required for a co-signer release.
Lender | Fixed APR | Min. credit score | Variable APR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Check Rate on Earnest's website | 4.25-9.79% | 650 | 5.68-9.79% | Check Rate on Earnest's website |
 Check Rate on SoFi®'s website | 3.99-9.99% | 650 | 5.74-9.99% | Check Rate on SoFi®'s website |
 Check Rate on LendKey's website | 4.39-9.24% | 680 | 4.18-6.23% | Check Rate on LendKey's website |
 Check Rate on ELFI's website | 4.29-8.44% | 680 | 4.74-8.24% | Check Rate on ELFI's website |
 Check Rate on Splash Financial's website | 3.71-10.24% | 650 | 4.74-10.74% | Check Rate on Splash Financial's website |
Gradbridge Graduate Student Loan review
Pros
- Borrowers are eligible for a 0.25% interest rate discount when they sign up for automatic payments.
- Offers academic deferment for borrowers who return to school.
- Up to 24 consecutive months of hardship forbearance.
- Allows co-signers. Co-signer release only requires a soft credit check.
Cons
- GradBridge charges a 5% origination fee and a late fee of 5% or $5 (whichever is less).
- Only offers three term lengths: 5, 10 and 15 years.
- Does not have in-house customer service representatives.
GradBridge offers these graduate school loans
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Dental | Law |
Veterinary |
Before applying for a GradBridge student loan
Before taking out a GradBridge student loan or any other private student loan, exhaust your federal student loan options first. Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, to apply.
» MORE: NerdWallet’s FAFSA Guide
Compare your private student loan options to make sure you’re getting the best rate you qualify for. In addition to interest rates, look at lenders’ repayment alternatives and the flexibility they offer to borrowers who struggle to make payments.
If you aren't eligible for a GradBridge student loan
If GradBridge denies your student loan application, the lender will let you know why. Depending on the reason, you may want to consider other lenders or, if you haven’t already, try applying with a co-signer.
If you don’t have access to a co-signer — or still aren’t eligible with one — consider other lenders that don’t require co-signers or specialize in bad or no credit student loans.
STUDENT LOAN RATINGS METHODOLOGY
Our student loans editorial team surveyed 20 banks, credit unions and online lenders that offer student loans and student loan refinancing. These include the top lenders by market share and online search volume, as well as some lenders that serve specialty or nontraditional markets.
We considered and scored more than 60 features and data points for each financial institution in the categories of loan flexibility, affordability, transparency, customer experience and variety of borrowers served.
The stars represent ratings from poor (one star) to excellent (five stars). Ratings are rounded to the nearest half-star.
Read more about our ratings methodology for student loans and our editorial guidelines.