How Can I Get Private Student Loans For Bad Credit in 2024? Full Guide

Private student loans for bad credit students are generally difficult to find. It still may be possible, however, to get a student loan if you apply with a co-signer who has excellent credit, because their good credit may help compensate for your bad credit.

Student loans are a form of financial aid designed to help students afford a college education. As these loans are tailored for students, they have low-interest rates and flexible repayment terms that enable students to repay the borrowed amount with ease.

The federal government and private lenders are the two main sources of student loans, though some state governments distribute them as well.

However, there are also certain private student loans for bad credit available for borrowers but those have strict criteria. Read on to know how you can get private student loans for students with bad credit, how to apply for it, and also the best private student loans for bad credit.

Here is an overview of what to expect:

What is a student loan?

A student loan is a type of loan designed to help students pay for post-secondary education and the associated fees, such as tuition, books and supplies, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in the fact that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in school.

 Student loans can come from the federal government, from private sources such as a bank or financial institution, or from other organizations. Loans made by the federal government, called federal student loans, usually have more benefits than loans from banks or other private sources.

What is a private student loan?

Private student loans are loans offered by private lenders, such as a local bank, a national bank, an online lender or a credit union to students. Private student loans can be used to cover your higher education costs, whether you’re in an undergraduate or graduate program or the parent of a student.

How do I qualify for private student loans?

In order to qualify for a private student loan, you must be either a citizen of that country or a permanent resident alien. You must also be enrolled full-time, or at least “half time”, in a degree-granting program at an eligible college or university.

Private student loan lenders will also require that you credit qualify for the loan. That means that you either have to qualify based on your own credit and income, or you can qualify based on the financial strength of a co-signer. You will also need a co-signer if you have not attained the legal age in your state. Having bad credit won’t disqualify you from getting a student loan.

How to apply for private student loans with bad credit

Private loans for students with bad credit are harder to find and require persistent effort. It is therefore much more fruitful to go the federal route. Even the best private student loans for bad credit are likely to have very strict terms, including a higher rate of interest.

Before applying for private student loans with bad credit, make sure to gather as much information about the provider as you can. Such a loan should always be kept as a last resort, that is, after you have exhausted every other opportunity available to you. This way you can make sure you are dealing with a genuine student loan provider that offers Private student loans for bad credit. In order to apply for private student loans bad for credit, you may be required to fill out an application provided by a private lender.

A much more fruitful exercise would be to look for federal loans, which are a much better bet and are likely to have a lower interest rate when compared to a bad credit private student loan. It is therefore recommended that you design your search to rule out all the alternatives available before you even begin to look for a private student loan for bad credit.

What are the best private student loans for bad credit?

1. Ascent

Fixed Rates: 4.00% – 14.92%

Variable Rates: 3.18%-13.92%

Loan Amounts: $1,000 -$20,000

LendEDU Rating: 5/5

Ascent is a student lender offering two products. The first, a student loan with a co-signer, is available to everyone, while the second, a student loan without a co-signer, is available to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. Here is some more information about Ascent’s student loans:

  • Fixed APR: 4.00% – 14.92% for the Ascent Cosigned loan and 4.13% – 14.92% for the Ascent Non-Cosigned loan
  • Variable APR: 5.20% – 13.92% for the Ascent Cosigned loan and 3.41% – 14.18% for the Ascent Non-Cosigned
  • Loan Amounts: $1,000 – $200,000 for the Ascent Cosigned loan and $1,000 – $20,000 for the Ascent Non-Cosigned loan
  • Soft Credit Check: You can qualify and see your rate with a soft credit check.
  • Repayment Terms: 5, 10, or 15 years
  • In-school Repayment Options: Your options include monthly interest payments or monthly payments of $25.
  • Grace Period: 6 months
  • Cosigner Release: After 24 consecutive on-time payments for the Ascent Cosigned loan.
  • Unique Benefits: The company offers borrowers 1% cash back upon graduation.

2. MPower

Fixed Rates: 7.53% – 14.98%

Variable Rates: N/A

Loan Amounts: $2,001 – $50,000

LendEDU Rating: 4.6

MPower is an online lender offering student loans to international students looking to study in the U.S. and Canada. The company does not allow co-signers on loans. For more information on MPower’s student loans, see below

  • Fixed APR: 7.53% – 14.98%
  • Loan Amounts: $2,001 – $50,000
  • Soft Credit Check: The application requires a hard credit check.
  • Repayment Terms: Up to 10 years
  • In-school Repayment Options: Students are encouraged to make interest-only payments in school, but there are no prepayment penalties. Full deferment during school is not available.
  • Grace Period: 6 months
  • Unique Benefits: 1.50% total rate reduction

3. Funding U

Fixed Rates: 7.99% – 13.49%

Variable Rates: N/A

Loan Amounts: $3,000 – $10,000

LendEDU Rating: 4/5

Funding U is an online lender offering student loans to undergraduates. The company’s loans are designed for students of all credit and income levels, and are only available without a co-signer. Here is some more important information about Funding U’s student loans:

  • Fixed APR: 7.99% – 13.49%
  • Loan Amounts: $3,000 – $10,000
  • Soft Credit Check: Borrowers can get pre-approved with a soft credit check.
  • Repayment Terms: Up to 10 years
  • In-school Repayment Options: Options include interest-only payments or $20-minimum monthly payments. Full deferment is not available.
  • Grace Period: 6 months
  • Unique Benefits: 0.50% autopay rate reduction

Private student loans for bad credit and no co-signer

Private student loans for bad credit and no cosigner is possible to get. After studying furiously for your SAT/ACT exams, now you’ve finally achieved your wish and have gained admission to a quality college. However, you’ve still one major hurdle to cross; how to pay for your college education. Perhaps you have a trust fund or a college fund thanks to your family but sometimes these savings are just not sufficient to see you through college.

The foremost step on your list of to-dos should be to apply for federal financial aid. Explore all your possibilities such as institutional scholarships, state grants, and all forms of federal aid, and if you still need money, then opt for private student loans. However, if you’ve no or bad credit history and no cosigner, then you may have difficulty in finding private student loans with bad credit no cosigner.

How to find private student loans without co-signer and Bad Credit?

Here is the bad news: Almost all private financial organizations with student loan programs require students to have a good credit history and a co-signer with a clean credit history. However, there are great chances that you may have no credit history and no relatives with a good credit history to co-sign the loan. What you can do is to search all the private loan programs and choose one willing to offer a private student loan with bad credit no cosigner. Unfortunately, private student loans for bad credit and no co-signer are just not readily available and even at the off chance you do stumble across one, these come at a high price.

Remember your chances of loan approval go down when you don’t have a co-signer, and you’re also encumbered with a no/bad credit history. You are also likely to end up with a higher interest rate as compared to the situation in which you had a co-signer and good credit. Hence, the rule of the thumb is to come to private student loans only as a last resort after having exhausted every other avenue available to you. Federal loans are the perfect example of loans requiring no credit history checks and no co-signer so you should stick to these, as it is very, very difficult to find private student loans for bad credit and no co-signer.

Check out this Discover Student Loans Scholarship

Private student loans for graduate students with bad credit

When you give it some thought, it makes perfect sense for many graduates to have trouble getting a loan. The culprit isn’t necessarily irresponsible use of credit, but rather a huge student loan debt that will take years or decades to repay.

Under those circumstances, it may seem logical that loans for graduates with bad credit would be rarer than a 4.0 GPA. Well, we’re here to educate you otherwise.

Check out the following 3 personal loan sources for graduates with poor credit. We think they are intelligent choices you’d be smart to consider.

1. MoneyMutual

Loan Amount: Up to $2,500

Interest rate: varies

Loan term: varies

MoneyMutual is a loan-matching service that issues personal loans of up to $2,500. Simply fill out the online loan request form and MoneyMutual will shop your request to its lender network.

The recommended lender will have you complete its application form and usually provide you a quick decision. Once approved, you’ll receive your loan proceeds as soon as the next business day. Here is some more important information about money mutual student loans:

  • Short-term loans up to $2,500
  • Online marketplace of lenders
  • Funds available in as few as 24 hours
  • The simple online form takes less than 5 minutes
  • Trusted by more than 2,000,000 customers
  • Not available in NY or CT

2. CashUSA.com

Loan Amount: $500 to $10,000

Interest rate: 5.99% – 35.99%

Loan term: 3 to 72 Months

CashUSA.com can process your loan request form and find you a source for loans of between $500 and $10,000. Normally, loans will have a repayment term of three to 72 months.

You must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, and have a checking account and an income of at least $1,000 per month. The matched lender will finish qualifying you for a loan, and, if approved, deposit the money into your checking account as soon as the next business day. Here is some more important information about CashUSA.com student loans:

  • Loans from $500 to $10,000
  • All credit types accepted
  • Receive a loan decision in minutes
  • Get funds directly to your bank account
  • Use the loan for any purpose

3. CreditLoan.com

Loan Amount: $250 to $5,000

Interest rate: varies

Loan term: varies

CreditLoan has assisted more than 750,000 borrowers since its founding in 1998. It can arrange personal loans from $250 to $5,000 for consumers with poor or thin credit.

To qualify, you must have a bank account and a recommended credit utilization ratio below 40%. The actual lender will set the loan interest rate and term. The CreditLoan website helps you estimate monthly payments by using its personal loan calculator.

We want to give an honorable mention to Upstart, a personal loan provider that uses proprietary algorithms to underwrite applicants. Those algorithms consider an applicant’s potential as reflected by their education, employment, and other factors. Personal loans are available in amounts from $1,000 to $50,000. Here is some more important information about credit loan student loans:s

  • Loans from $250 to $5,000
  • Cash deposited directly into your account
  • Get money as soon as tomorrow
  • Bad credit OK
  • More than 750,000 customers since 1998

See also these 10 Best Student Loans For Trade Schools

What If You Can’t Pay Your Private Student Loan?

Despite the fact that private student loans don’t offer IBR and PSLF plans, many do provide assistance in the event that you are having trouble paying your debt.

Most lenders will offer a refinance option, that will enable you to put your various student loans into a single loan with both a lower interest rate and monthly payment than you had with the combination of the loans refinanced. For example, one way to lower the monthly payment is to refinance into a new loan with a longer term.

Some will even offer specific assistance in the event that you are unemployed, returning to school, or facing some other economic hardship. They may provide you with a time of forbearance, perhaps up to one year, in which your monthly payment will either be reduced or suspended entirely.

You should make sure that any lender with whom you are applying for a private student loan has provisions for certain hardships.

Conclusion

A private student loan for bad credit is harder to find and requires persistent effort. Although it is possible to find one. Before applying for private student loans with bad credit, make sure to gather as much information about the provider as you can.

A student loan is a type of loan designed to help students pay for post-secondary education and the associated fees, such as tuition, books and supplies, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in the fact that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in school.

Private student loans are loans offered by private lenders, such as a local bank, a national bank, an online lender, or a credit union to students. Private student loans can be used to cover your higher education costs, whether you’re in an undergraduate or graduate program or the parent of a student.

In order to qualify for a private student loan, you must be either a citizen of that country or a permanent resident alien. You must also be enrolled full-time, or at least “half time”, in a degree-granting program at an eligible college or university.


No. There is no requirement that states that the cosigner of a private student loan with bad credit needs to be a family member. In fact, it can be any eligible U.S. citizens, with a healthy credit report. It is mandatory for the cosigner to have a good and strong FICO credit rating. Cosigners can provide lower interest rates and much more flexible terms and conditions.

Yes, you can apply for student loans online. Students with bad credit scores can apply for these loans with ease. The application procedure for student loans with bad credit scores comprises of a submission of a FAFSA form. This form is available for free at fafsa.ed.gov. this form is used to determine eligibility for need based loans


If you have no credit or a bad credit score you can definitely fix this problem but it takes both time and commitment. If you are using credit cards it is imperative that you make your monthly payments on time as this will contribute positively to your score. In addition to this keeping, your accounts open will also help.

Editors Recommendation

Sourceshttps://lendedu.com/blog/student-loan-options-for-borrowers-with-bad-credit/
https://creditpilgrim.com/private-student-loans-guide/
http://www.excite.com/education/financial-aid/private-student-loans-bad-credit
https://www.badcredit.org/how-to/loans-for-graduates-with-bad-credit/

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