College students who have taken out student loans to cover tuition might need another type of financing to help cover miscellaneous expenses – or any emergencies that might come up. Instead of maxing out their credit cards, students might consider personal loans for non-college-related costs.
Personal loans usually have lower interest rates than credit cards, and that’s not the only positive they offer. Read on to learn more.
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Lender |
Learn More |
APR |
Max. Loan Amount |
Min. Credit Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
9.99% to 29.99% | $40,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
8.24% to 35.97% | $50,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
7.99% to 23.43% | $100,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
6.50% to 35.99% | $50,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
5.99% to 23.99% | $100,000 | 670 | |
 |
7.74% to 17.99% | $50,000 | 650 | |
 |
8.05% to 36.00% | $40,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
7.99% to 29.99% | $50,000 | Not disclosed | |
 |
8.99% to 35.99% | $50,000 | 640 | |
 |
9.95% to 35.95% | $35,000 | 640 |
Happy Money offers Payoff personal loans designed to consolidate credit card debt. It operates in all but two states and provides loans of up to $40,000. Happy Money is not a bank and instead works with lending partners that originate the loans. The California-based financial wellness company takes a psychological approach to money matters.
Upgrade offers access to personal loans, the Upgrade card with a personal line of credit, rewards checking and credit monitoring and educational tools. Founded in 2017 in San Francisco, the firm also has operations offices in Chicago, Phoenix and Montreal.
SoFi, short for Social Finance, offers personal loans of up to $100,000 with terms between two and seven years. The lender was founded in 2011 and is known for offering loans with no fees. In addition to personal loans, SoFi offers student loans, auto and student loan refinancing and home loans.
Upstart is a lending platform that uses artificial intelligence to improve access to affordable credit. Based in California and founded by former Google employees in 2012, Upstart also applies AI to reduce lending risks and costs for its bank partners. The lending intermediary provides unsecured personal loans from $1,000 to $50,000 to borrowers anywhere in the U.S. except West Virginia or Iowa.
LightStream is the online consumer lending division of Truist Bank. Low-interest fixed-rate loans from $5,000 to $100,000 are available for almost any purpose and backed by a $100 satisfaction guarantee. Borrowers have good to excellent credit and may receive funds as soon as the same day they apply from the website or mobile app.
Although PenFed Credit Union – officially Pentagon Federal Credit Union – serves members of the armed forces, military associations, veterans and retirees, and their families, a military connection is not required to become a member. The credit union offers personal loans for eligible members and eligible co-borrowers in all 50 states, as well as in Guam, Puerto Rico and Okinawa, Japan.
LendingClub connects borrowers and investors through its online marketplace. The company originated on Facebook and evolved into an extensive peer-to-peer lender, though it no longer offers peer-to-peer loans. Borrowers in all U.S. states and Washington, D.C., can apply for $1,000 to $40,000 loans with LendingClub.
Achieve, formerly FreedomPlus, is a digital personal finance company affiliated with Freedom Financial Network. Borrowers can get same-day decisions and quick disbursal for fixed-rate personal loans from $5,000 to $50,000. All personal loans are originated by New Jersey-based Cross River Bank.
Best Egg is an online lender founded in 2014 and owned and operated by financial technology company Marlette Holdings. Borrowers can access personal loans starting at $2,000 to cover medical bills, home remodeling projects and many other expenses. Loans are issued by New Jersey’s Cross River Bank and can be funded in as little as one business day.
Chicago-based Avant has lent $8 billion to borrowers since its 2012 founding. In partnership with WebBank, Avant offers secured and unsecured personal loans and a credit card. Most customers that receive loans have credit scores between 600 and 700, according to Avant.
Personal loan interest rates rose this week, trending higher for three-year and five-year loan terms. Here are the average personal loan rates offered to well-qualified applicants with a credit score of 720 or greater, as of Feb. 27:
- Three-year personal loan term: 18.34% (down from 18.62% a week ago).
- Five-year personal loan term: 19.7% (up from 18.89% a week ago).
Personal loan rates vary widely based on creditworthiness. Borrowers with very good or excellent credit scores will see much lower interest rates than those with fair or poor credit, as seen in the chart below:
Powered by Bankrate
When you obtain a personal loan – whether from a bank, credit union or online lender – you usually get the money upfront and pay in monthly installments for as long as seven years. Personal loans can total as much as $100,000, but the amount allowed depends on your debt-to-income ratio and overall creditworthiness.
Personal loans can be used for a variety of reasons, ranging from home repairs to debt consolidation. A college student might use it to cover an emergency expense, like a car repair. A personal loan might be ideal because approval happens quickly and you’ll receive the money within a day or two.
Since the loan payments will need to start right away and the payment period is likely to last a few years, “be diligent about paying that off as scheduled,” says Justin Nichols, co-founder and managing principal for advisor services of Garrett Investment Advisors in Manhattan, Kansas. “Ideally, if you have to get a personal loan, next semester try to position your schedule so you can get a part-time job and aggressively pay off the personal loan ahead of schedule.”
Personal loans are not usually used to pay for direct college expenses like tuition because many lenders will not allow them to go toward postsecondary education. Most students also realize that student loans – whether federal or private – are likely to have more advantageous terms than a personal loan.
There are two primary types of personal loans – secured and unsecured. To get approved for a personal loan, you’ll need to rely on your creditworthiness to get an unsecured loan, or collateral – such as a vehicle or securities – to obtain a secured loan. Secured loans usually have a lower interest rate because the collateral decreases the risk for the lender in case you can’t pay off the loan. Personal loans typically have fixed interest rates for the life of the loan.
Unsecured Personal Loans
As a full-time student, it might be difficult to get approved for an unsecured personal loan on your own because you likely don’t have enough income or a strong credit score. Fortunately, there are loans designed for people with bad credit.
If you apply for a loan, a lender will want to know how you will pay it back. “Where is this magical money going to come from if you don’t have a job and you’re in school?” says Tiffany Aliche, founder of The Budgetnista and author of “Get Good With Money.”
When you apply for a personal loan, pay attention to the interest rate you’re offered. It could be in the single digits if you have a strong credit score, or be as high as 35%, which would likely be significantly higher than your credit card’s rate.
Additionally, if you don’t have the credit history needed to qualify for a personal loan, you can potentially enlist the help of a creditworthy co-signer, like a trusted relative or friend.
Secured Personal Loans
You might not have a lot of assets that would be valuable enough to serve as collateral on a personal loan, but a vehicle that’s fully paid off – especially if it’s fairly new – could be one.
“The bank naturally should be more comfortable because there is a tangible asset that is acting as security for that loan,””Nichols says.
But if you can’t pay back the loan, you could lose your car.
That’s why an unsecured loan is “a more desirable loan for a borrower because if you can’t pay, the assets you have aren’t at risk of being taken right away,” Aliche says.
Find the Personal Loan That’s Right for You
The minimum credit score necessary to get a loan varies by lender – it can be anywhere between 550 and 720. You’ll also need proof of consistent income. Remember that the higher your credit score, the better the interest rate you’ll get. To improve your chances of getting approved on your own, you could look for ways to quickly improve your credit score.
You could also apply with a co-signer, such as a family member or friend, who could make your application more appealing to the lender. If the co-signer has a consistent income, low debt-to-income ratio and a strong credit record, it should dramatically increase your chances for approval.
You’ll need to let the prospective co-signer know that you’re “putting them in a position that if you don’t pay, they are equally as responsible,” Aliche says. Your co-signer’s credit report will also reflect this new debt and possibly affect the person’s ability to buy a home or car.
Just bringing up the idea of a loan co-signer with a friend or family member could start a conversation that leads to that person lending you the money directly, Nichols says.
Benefits
- Better interest rate than credit cards: There’s no guarantee your interest rate will be in the single digits or low double digits – which would likely be lower than your credit card rates – but if it is, you could save hundreds of dollars over the life of the loan. “The interest rate on a personal loan should be more reasonable than racking up any credit card debt,” Nichols says.
- Immediate solution to a crisis: If you need money right away to deal with an expense that could dramatically affect your daily life and safety – such as urgent auto repairs or a medical emergency – a personal loan can quickly provide the funds you need.
- Expected payoff with future earnings: If you expect to start a full-time position within several months that will provide you with adequate income, the personal loan might come at the right time for your financial situation.
- Head start to financial responsibility: If you get approved with a co-signer, it could improve your credit history and score and be a first step toward learning to pay for your expenses as you get the income to pay for them.
Drawbacks
- Immediate payments: Unlike student loans, which let you defer your payments until after you graduate, payments for personal loans start within a month of loan approval.
- Higher interest rates: If you’re used to the low interest rates on student loans – especially federal loans – the rates for personal loans will likely be a shock. If your creditworthiness is not strong, you could end up paying rates that are similar to ones for credit cards.
- Losing assets: If you obtain a secured personal loan and can’t pay back the loan, you could lose the item – such as a vehicle – you used to secure the loan.
- Building debt: Student loans are already a huge debt burden for many people. If you add a personal loan, it will make starting out on your own even harder. “You literally start your adult life in a hole,” Aliche says. “The closer you can start your adult life at the start line, the better.” Instead, try to find other ways to address your debt, such as grants or scholarships through your school. “Go to the financial aid office regularly and make yourself known,” Aliche says. You could also decide to take fewer classes and find a job that offers more hours to pay down your debts.
You’ll want to consider a number of factors when comparing the best lenders for personal loans for students.
- What loan amounts does the lender offer? Many lenders offer minimum and maximum loan amounts, so it’s worth noting before applying. After all, if a lender’s minimum amount is $5,000 and you only need $4,000, you don’t want to waste your time.
- What terms can you expect? Not only will you need to secure the best interest rate, but you’ll also want to make sure to get the loan repayment length you need. Make sure you can afford the loan by using these and other factors to calculate your monthly payment.
- What fees does the lender charge? Many lenders charge an origination fee that can vary from 1% to 10% of the loan amount. Because this can greatly affect the payout you actually receive, be sure to note this and any other fees the lender may charge.
- How is the lender’s customer service? Check online reviews, such as the Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If the lender is a financial institution, you might reach out to family and friends about their experience.
- Federal student loans: The best loan options for most students are federal student loans, which have fixed interest rates that are usually lower than private student loans. They also might be subsidized, which means the student does not pay interest while in school, and offer forbearance and deferment options.
- Private student loans: Although terms for these loans aren’t usually as advantageous as federal loans and you’ll likely need a co-signer, private student loans are a good second-choice option. The opportunity for payment deferment during school is an advantage over personal loans.
- Family loans: If you can reach an arrangement that works for both you and your relative, a family loan might save money in interest rates and provide a safety net if you run into trouble making payments.
U.S. News selects the Best Loan Companies by evaluating affordability, borrower eligibility criteria and customer service. Those with the highest overall scores are considered the best lenders.
To calculate each score, we use data about the lender and its loan offerings, giving greater weight to factors that matter most to borrowers. Personal loan companies are evaluated based on customer service ratings, interest rates, maximum loan term, minimum and maximum loan amounts, minimum FICO score, online features, and origination fees.
The weight each scoring factor receives is based on a nationwide survey on what borrowers look for in a lender.
To receive a rating, lenders must offer qualifying loans nationwide and have a good reputation within the industry. Read more about our methodology.
To recap, here are the picks:
Best Personal Loans for Students of March 2023
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who are advertising clients of U.S. News. Advertising considerations may impact
where offers appear on the site but do not affect any editorial decisions,
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