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Discover the Best Student Loans of 2025

Highly reviewed and rated, discover the student loan companies that can help you make your educational dreams a reality. These lenders are also found on Forbes, CNBC, Money, CNN, and Fund.com. Apply now to finance your education.
Last Updated: June 06, 2025
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🥇Our #1 Choice for Students and Parents

  • Lowest Rates - APR starting at 3.24%1
  • Cover up to 100% of school costs
  • Offers instant credit decision
  • Apply online in less than 3 minutes
  • No origination or prepayment fees

 

View All College Ave Rates 🎓

Our Partner

Sallie Mae

  • Rates starting at 3.45% APR1

  • Option to fund entire year (if approved)

  • Loans for part-time students are available

1Undergraduate Loan - Fixed rates 3.45% - 16.49% APR* with auto debit discount. 

Our Partner

SoFi

  • Fixed rates starting at 3.29% APR1
  • No fees required
  • No limit on covered expenses as long as they are school-certified

Companies listed above are sorted by required credit score to apply, lowest to highest.

Minimum credit score to apply (for students and co-signers):

  • College Ave Student Loans: 620+
  • Sallie Mae: 630+
  • Nelnet Bank: mid to high 600s
  • SoFi: 670+

College Ave Student Loans

About College Ave:

College Ave specializes in helping students and families access funding for higher education through flexible loan options. It has built a reputation for responsive customer service and user-friendly online tools. The lender provides clear information on rates, repayment plans, and borrower protections. College Ave offers loan products for undergraduate, graduate, and parent borrowers.

 

HIGHLIGHTS
What it covers
Up to 100% of school-certified costs (tuition, fees, housing, books, and more).
Rates
Fixed and variable rate options available, with rates starting at 3.24% APR (with auto-pay discount).¹
Terms
5, 8, 10, 15, or 20 years
Fees
No application, origination, or prepayment fees.
Repayment Options
Full deferment, interest-only payments, or flat $25/month payments while in school; Full principal and interest payments available immediately.

Cosigner Information:

Most undergraduate borrowers will need a cosigner. College Ave offers cosigner release after more than half the repayment term is complete and the borrower meets credit requirements.

Application Process:

The online application takes about 3 minutes. You can prequalify without impacting your credit score, and get an instant credit decision. A loan calculator helps estimate monthly payments based on your choices.

Best For:

College Ave is ideal for students and parents looking for customizable private loans with flexible repayment plans, competitive rates, and a quick, digital-first application experience.


Sallie Mae Student Loans

About Sallie Mae:

Sallie Mae stands out as a reputable private student loan lender, offering flexible financing solutions for undergraduate, graduate, and career training programs. With competitive interest rates and a range of repayment options, Sallie Mae empowers students and their families to tackle the cost of higher education with clarity and control.

 

HIGHLIGHTS
What it covers
Up to 100% of school-certified expenses, including tuition, fees, housing, books, and supplies.
Rates
Fixed and variable rate options available, with rates starting at 3.45% APR.¹
Terms
5 to 15 years, depending on the loan type and repayment plan selected.
Fees
No origination or prepayment fees.²
Repayment Options
Full deferment, interest-only payments, or flat $25/month payments while in school; Full principal and interest payments available immediately.

Cosigner Information:

Applying with a creditworthy cosigner may improve your chances of approval. Cosigner release is available after 12 consecutive, on-time principal and interest payments, pending credit review.

Application Process:

The application is quick and online, and you can view personalized rates and repayment options before you apply. Decisions are typically made within minutes.

Best For:

Sallie Mae is a strong choice for students and families looking for flexible loan options, competitive rates, and helpful features like cosigner release and automatic payment discounts.

Undergraduate Loan - Fixed rates 3.49% - 15.99% APR* with auto debit discount.


SoFi Private Student Loans

About SoFi:

SoFi offers private student loans with competitive rates, no fees, and flexible repayment terms for undergraduate and graduate students. With a strong emphasis on member benefits and financial tools, SoFi supports borrowers beyond the loan, helping them achieve long-term financial success.

 

HIGHLIGHTS
What it covers
Up to 100% of school-certified expenses, including tuition, room and board, books, and other related costs.
Rates
Offers fixed or variable rates, plus a 0.25% discount for enrolling in autopay.¹
Terms
5, 7, 10, 15, 20 years
Fees
No fees for origination, prepayment, or late payments.
Repayment Options
Offers multiple repayment options, including deferred, interest-only, and immediate full payments.

Cosigner Information:

Students can apply with a creditworthy cosigner to enhance approval chances. SoFi offers a cosigner release option after a specified number of on-time payments, subject to credit review.

Application Process:

The application is entirely online and can be completed in minutes. Borrowers can check their rates and terms without impacting their credit score, facilitating informed decision-making.

Best For:

SoFi is ideal for students seeking flexible private student loans with competitive rates, diverse repayment options, and added member benefits to support their financial journey.


Advertiser Disclaimers and Disclosures:

College Ave: 

College Ave Student Loans products are made available through Firstrust Bank, member FDIC, First Citizens Community Bank, member FDIC, or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply.

¹ All rates include the auto-pay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. If a payment is returned, you will lose this benefit. Variable rates may increase after consummation. Approved interest rate will depend on creditworthiness of the applicant(s), lowest advertised rates only available to the most creditworthy applicants and require selection of the Flat Repayment Option with the shortest available loan term.

Sallie Mae: 

Borrow Responsibly. Sallie Mae encourages students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.

Loans for Undergraduate & Career Training Students are not intended for graduate students and are subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and school certification. Student must attend a participating school. 

¹ Advertised APRs for undergraduate students assume a $10,000 loan to a student who attends school for 4 years and has no prior Sallie Mae-serviced loans. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment. For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website may be subjected to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time.

² Although Sallie Mae does not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note—first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.

Based on a comparison of approval rates for Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loans for undergraduate students who applied with a cosigner versus without a cosigner during a rolling 12-month period from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.

³ Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., attend school in the U.S., apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident), and provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000.

College Finance is not the creditor for these loans and is compensated by Sallie Mae for the referral of Smart Option Student Loan customers.

SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

© 2025 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.

SoFi: 

Please borrow responsibly. SoFi Private Student loans are not a substitute for federal loans, grants, and work-study programs. SoFi encourages you to evaluate all your federal student aid options before you consider any private loans, including SoFi's. Terms and Conditions Apply. SOFI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. SoFi Private Student loans are subject to program terms and restrictions, such as completion of a loan application and self-certification form, verification of application information, the student's at least half-time enrollment in a degree program at a SoFi-participating school, and, if applicable, a co-signer. In addition, borrowers must be U.S. citizens or other eligible status, be residing in the U.S., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, or American Samoa, and must meet SoFi’s underwriting requirements, including verification of sufficient income to support your ability to repay. Minimum loan amount is $1,000. See SoFi.com/eligibility for more information. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. SoFi reserves the right to modify eligibility criteria at any time. This information is current as of 4/22/2025 and is subject to change. SoFi Private Student loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891. (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

¹ Fixed rates range from 3.54% APR to 15.99% APR with 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates range from 4.64% APR to 15.99% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates are capped at 17.95%. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 6/2/2025 and are subject to change at any time. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term and type of repayment option you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer (if applicable) and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Check out SoFi's eligibility criteria at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/. 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.

Citizens Bank:

¹ Variable interest rates range from 4.99% - 15.51% (4.99% - 15.47% APR). Fixed interest rates range from 3.49% - 15.49% (3.49% - 14.99% APR).

² Citizens Undergraduate Booked Loans from 10/1/2023 through 9/30/2024 were 4 times more likely to be approved with a qualified cosigner.

Credible:

1APR Disclosure: Before making a decision, please read rates and terms at – https://www.credible.com/student-loans

2Prequalified rates are based on the information you provide and a soft credit inquiry. Receiving prequalified rates does not guarantee that the Lender will extend you an offer of credit. You are not yet approved for a loan or a specific rate. All credit decisions, including loan approval, if any, are determined by Lenders, in their sole discretion. Rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Rates from Lenders may differ from prequalified rates due to factors which may include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in your personal credit circumstances; (ii) additional information in your hard credit pull and/or additional information you provide (or are unable to provide) to the Lender during the underwriting process; and/or (iii) changes in APRs (e.g., an increase in the rate index between the time of prequalification and the time of application or loan closing. (Or, if the loan option is a variable rate loan, then the interest rate index used to set the APR is subject to increases or decreases at any time). Lenders reserve the right to change or withdraw the prequalified rates at any time.

Get $200 if you can find a better rate” (All bonus payments are by gift card). See terms.

110 Corcoran Street, 5th Floor, Suite 151 Durham, NC 27701.
Credible Operations, Inc. NMLS# 1681276, “Credible.” Not available in all states.

 

College Ave Disclosure

College Ave Student Loans products are made available through Firstrust Bank, member FDIC, First Citizens Community Bank, member FDIC, or M.Y. Safra Bank, FSB, member FDIC. All loans are subject to individual approval and adherence to underwriting guidelines. Program restrictions, other terms, and conditions apply.

(1) All rates include the auto-pay discount. The 0.25% auto-pay interest rate reduction applies as long as a valid bank account is designated for required monthly payments. If a payment is returned, you will lose this benefit. Variable rates may increase after consummation. (2) As certified by your school and less any other financial aid you might receive. Minimum $1,000.

Information advertised valid as of 11/01/2024. Variable interest rates may increase after consummation. Approved interest rate will depend on creditworthiness of the applicant(s), lowest advertised rates only available to the most creditworthy applicants and require selection of the Flat Repayment Option with the shortest available loan term.

Sallie Mae Disclosure

Borrow Responsibly

We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college. Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan.

Loans for Undergraduate & Career Training Students are not intended for graduate students and are subject to credit approval, identity verification, signed loan documents, and school certification. Student must attend a participating school. Student or cosigner must meet the age of majority in their state of residence. Students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents must reside in the U.S., attend school in the U.S., apply with a creditworthy cosigner (who must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident), and provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID. Requested loan amount must be at least $1,000.

1. Advertised APRs for undergraduate students assume a $10,000 loan to a student who attends school for 4 years and has no prior Sallie Mae-serviced loans. Interest rates for variable rate loans may increase or decrease over the life of the loan based on changes to the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rounded up to the nearest one-eighth of one percent. Advertised variable rates are the starting range of rates and may vary outside of that range over the life of the loan. Interest is charged starting when funds are sent to the school. With the Fixed and Deferred Repayment Options, the interest rate is higher than with the Interest Repayment Option and Unpaid Interest is added to the loan’s Current Principal at the end of the grace/separation period. To receive a 0.25 percentage point interest rate discount, the borrower or cosigner must enroll in auto debit through Sallie Mae. The discount applies only during active repayment for as long as the Current Amount Due or Designated Amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. It may be suspended during forbearance or deferment.

2. Although we do not charge a penalty or fee if you prepay your loan, any prepayment will be applied as outlined in your promissory note—first to Unpaid Fees and costs, then to Unpaid Interest, and then to Current Principal.

3. For applications submitted directly to Sallie Mae, loan amount cannot exceed the cost of attendance less financial aid received, as certified by the school. Applications submitted to Sallie Mae through a partner website may be subjected to a lower maximum loan request amount. Miscellaneous personal expenses (such as a laptop) may be included in the cost of attendance for students enrolled at least half-time.

4. Based on a comparison of approval rates for Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loans for undergraduate students who applied with a cosigner versus without a cosigner during a rolling 12-month period from October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.

5. Examples of typical costs for a $10,000 Smart Option Student Loan with the most common fixed rate, fixed repayment option, 6-month separation period, and two disbursements: For a borrower with no prior loans and a 4-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.28% fixed APR, 51 payments of $25.00, 119 payments of $182.67 and one payment of $121.71, for a Total Loan Cost of $23,134.44. For a borrower with $20,000 in prior loans and a 2-year in-school period, it works out to a 10.78% fixed APR, 27 payments of $25.00, 179 payments of $132.53 and one payment of $40.35 for a total loan cost of $24,438.22. Loans that are subject to a $50 minimum principal and interest payment amount may receive a loan term that is less than 10 years.

College Finance is not the creditor for these loans and is compensated by Sallie Mae for the referral of Smart Option Student Loan customers.

SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE.

Information valid as of 10/25/2024.

Sallie Mae loans are made by Sallie Mae Bank. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

2024 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved.

SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.