Best student loans without a cosigner in September 2024

College Ave offers a simple three-minute application, and has loans for nearly every borrower, from undergraduates to law school students. It's a great option for graduate students, who can take advantage of extended grace periods. The lender offers multiple repayment plans, as well as a discount of 0.25 percentage points for autopay.

With College Ave's multiyear approval program, 95% of undergraduate students who apply with a cosigner are approved for additional student loans. On the downside, borrowers must complete at least half of their repayment term before they can release a cosigner. Parent borrowers also can't fully defer loans - they must pay at least the interest during school.

Sallie Mae offers a wide range of loans tailored to different needs, including those for undergraduates, graduates, MBA programs, law school, medical school, and health profession programs. It's also one of the few private lenders that provides loans for career training and trade schools.

If you apply with a cosigner, you might qualify for a lower interest rate. Sallie Mae has one of the shortest cosigner release periods—just 12 months—compared to other lenders. However, there's no option to prequalify and check your rates without affecting your credit. You'll need to complete a full application, which includes a hard credit inquiry that could temporarily lower your credit score.

ELFI is a private student loan lender offering private student loans and refinancing for undergraduates, graduates, and parents. The lender, a division of Tennessee-based SouthEast Bank, offers loans starting at $1,000, with options to cover as much as the full cost of attendance.

ELFI student loans are available to students nationwide who are enrolled in a bachelor's degree program or higher. The lender offers multiple repayment terms and interest rates that are competitive in the industry. ELFI also provides support to borrowers through a Student Loan Advisor. You can borrow with a cosigner, but ELFI doesn't have a cosigner release option, nor does it offer any rate discounts.

Ascent offers several unique borrowing options that you don’t typically see with private lenders. In addition to traditional student loans for undergraduate, graduate, and medical programs, college juniors and seniors may qualify for its Outcomes-Based Loan — which doesn’t require established credit or a cosigner. Instead, Ascent reviews alternate factors such as your school, major, and GPA to determine your eligibility. 
 

Ascent also offers a wide range of loan terms and repayment plans to choose from. You may even qualify for its Progressive Repayment plan, which allows you to start with small payments that gradually increase over time. Borrowers who use a cosigner can release them after as few as 12 payments, though international students don’t qualify for this option.

Citizens provides loans to undergraduates, graduate students, and parents. The lender also accepts international students, as long as they have a cosigner who's a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The lender's multiyear approval program makes it easy to reapply for loan funds each year.

Borrowers can take advantage of an autopay discount of 0.25 percentage points, in addition to a loyalty discount if they have an existing account with Citizens. While student borrowers can defer their loan payments until six months after graduation, parents are not eligible to defer their payments.

Citizens provides loans to undergraduates, graduate students, and parents. The lender also accepts international students, as long as they have a cosigner who's a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The lender's multiyear approval program makes it easy to reapply for loan funds each year.

Borrowers can take advantage of an autopay discount of 0.25 percentage points, in addition to a loyalty discount if they have an existing account with Citizens. While student borrowers can defer their loan payments until six months after graduation, parents are not eligible to defer their payments.

INvestEd is a student loan provider that offers loans exclusively to Indiana state residents. Students in the state and their parents who can meet INvestEd's income and credit requirements, or who have an eligible cosigner, are eligible. Loans of as little as $1,001 or as much as the school's cost of attendance minus other aid are available.

Potential borrowers can find detailed information on eligibility on INvestEd's website so they can determine whether or not to apply. But there's no option to prequalify with a soft credit check that doesn't affect your credit score. Cosigners can be released after just 12 on-time payments, which is considerably less time than many other lenders.

Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA) student loans fixed-rate options for undergraduate and graduate students across the country. MEFA's not-for-profit status helps it keep interest rates competitive, offering potentially lower borrowing costs than many other private lenders.

On the downside, flexibility is limited compared with some other lenders. Undergraduates can only choose between 10- or 15-year repayment terms, while graduate students must opt for a 15-year term. This might be restrictive if you're looking for more options. Cosigner release may also be a challenge. You'll need to make on-time payments for four consecutive years and meet specific credit and income criteria to release your cosigner.