4 lenders that refinance student loans for non-graduates
Refinancing your student loans is possible even if you didn’t earn your degree, as long as you meet certain requirements
Didn’t graduate but still have student loans? Here are the best lenders to refinance without a degree. (Shutterstock)
While some private student loan lenders only refinance loans for people who earned a degree, others will allow you to refinance your student loans even if you didn’t graduate. But in order to qualify for a refinance as a non-graduate, you’ll still need to meet other requirements, like having good credit and a steady income.
These four Credible partner lenders allow you to refinance student loans without a degree.
By visiting Credible, you can learn more about student loan refinancing and compare rates from multiple private student loan lenders.
1. Citizens
Citizens offers fixed and variable rates for refinancing, as well as interest rate discounts and an automatic cosigner release. Loan repayment terms range from five to 20 years.
Minimum credit score: 600 to 700
Loan amount: $10,000 to $750,000
Eligibility:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- An annual income of at least $24,000
- Can’t currently be enrolled in school
- Applicants with an associate’s degree or no degree must make at least 12 qualifying payments after leaving school
2. INvestED
INvestED is based in Indiana but services student loans for borrowers across the country with repayment terms ranging from five to 20 years. INvestED offers multiple deferment options and a simple cosigner release process after 48 months.
Minimum credit score: 670
Loan amount: $5,000 to $250,000
Eligibility:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Annual income of at least $36,000
- 12 consecutive months of continuous employment
- No bankruptcies within the past 5 years
- Other monthly payments for approved credit (mortgage, car loans, etc.) must not exceed 40% to 50% of gross monthly income
3. MEFA
The Massachusetts Education Financing Authority welcomes residents from any state to apply for a student loan or refinancing, even if they haven’t earned a degree yet. You can refinance up to the total amount of your student loan balance and receive flexible repayment terms from seven to 15 years.
Minimum credit score: 670
Loan amount: $10,000 up to total loan amount
Eligibility:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Must currently be making payments on your student loans
- No bankruptcy or foreclosure in the last 60 months
- Must have attended a MEFA eligible (not-for-profit) college
4. RISLA
The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority provides student loan refinance services nationwide and can refinance your loans even if you didn’t graduate. The lender doesn’t charge any upfront fees and offers a rate discount when you set up automatic payments. RISLA has immediate and deferred loan refinancing options, along with repayment terms of five to 15 years.
Minimum credit score: 680
Loan amount: $,500 to $250,000
Eligibility:
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- An annual income of at least $40,000
- Meet debt-to-income and liquidity requirements
You can easily compare prequalified rates from multiple lenders using Credible.
Can you consolidate student loans without a degree?
Consolidating your loans can make your debt easier to manage since you can combine all your monthly payments into one. If you have federal student loans, you can consolidate them through a Direct Consolidation Loan, which won’t cost you anything. You can’t combine federal and private student loans into a Direct Consolidation Loan, but you can combine them by refinancing them with a single private student loan.
Refinancing will give you a new lender and reset the terms of your loans. This may or may not lower your monthly payment, but it’ll leave you with just one payment to manage, and you may be able to lock in a lower interest rate.
Some lenders allow you to refinance your student loans without a degree. But you’ll need to meet certain credit, income, and debt-to-income ratio requirements. Other lenders may require that you’ve been out of school for at least six months and have started making payments on your loans.
The good news is that you may be able to use a cosigner to help you qualify for student loan refinancing. Some of the best refinancing lenders allow for a cosigner to be released after around 12 to 24 months of on-time payments.
To get started on refinancing your student loans, visit Credible and compare prequalified rates from multiple lenders.