Yes, there are no credit check student loans but they are offered only by the federal government and very few private lenders.
Generally, the federal government does not conduct credit checks to assess student loan applicants. All students enrolled in accredited educational institutions across America are eligible for federal student loans.
Private student loan applications are assessed differently. Private lenders are more discerning when approving prospective borrowers. Most will first check your credit score. If you don’t meet the lender’s minimum score requirement, the only option is to get approved with a qualifying cosigner. This can pose a major hurdle if you don’t meet the credit score requirements and don’t have a cosigner either. If you’re wondering, can you get a student loan with no credit, you’re in luck.
Fortunately, there are a few lenders who do offer no credit check student loans. Of course, these lenders have other approval requirements in place to safeguard their money.
How To Get A Student Loan With No Credit Check
The majority of students start off in college with zero or limited credit history. This is because they haven’t had the opportunity to build credit yet. This can make it challenging for first-year college students to get the student loans they need to cover their tuition. If you find yourself in this situation, here’s what you can do to get student loans with no credit check.
1. Fill out the FAFSA to qualify for federal student loans
Federal student loans don’t factor in your credit score when assessing your eligibility. You’re automatically eligible for federal student loans when you enroll as a student in any accredited university across America. The federal government grants loans and other financial aid based on your enrollment, not your financial credentials.
To qualify for any type of federal financial aid you must fill the FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This is a mandatory first step to receiving federal financial aid in the form of grants, institutional aid, work-study, and federal student loans.
Federal student loans come with several benefits in addition to being a type of no credit check student loan. They have lower interest rates, more flexible terms and conditions, and access to generous forgiveness programs.
The only drawback to these loans is that the federal government determines how much you’re eligible for during each academic year. This is calculated from the details you submit through the FAFSA. If you need additional funds to cover your college tuition for that year, you’ll have to apply for private student loans.
2. Compare no credit check private student loans
Unlike federal student loans, you will need a good credit score to qualify for student loans from most private lenders. If you don’t have the minimum score requirements specified by private lenders, you have two options:
- Apply with a cosigner – This could be a parent, sibling or relative who meets the lender’s qualifying criteria. When you apply for a student loan with a cosigner, the lender grants approval based on the cosigner’s financial credentials. Make sure to understand the pros and cons of borrowing with a cosigner (link to article) before you choose this option.
- Look for lenders that offer no credit check student loans – There aren’t many lenders that offer this facility. Some lenders that do offer this type of loan charge higher interest rates to make up for the higher risk they are taking.
Which Are The Best No Credit Check Student Loans?
We did the research for you and have shortlisted the three best no credit check student loans offered by reputed lenders.
1. Ascent
Ascent is one of the few lenders that makes it easy for students to get the funding they need for college tuition with no credit check student loans. Instead of credit checks, Ascent assesses applicants based on their GPA, major, program, cost of attendance, and graduation date. There is no minimum income or credit score requirement. Their innovative Outcomes-Based Loan is specifically designed for college juniors and seniors who have achieved a GPA of 2.9 or higher. Getting a student loan without a cosigner allows you to build credit in your own name.
With Ascent’s Outcome-Based Loan, you can borrow up to 100% of your attendance costs even without a cosigner. As an added bonus, you get 1% cash back in addition to a rate discount if you set up automatic payments. Ascent offers fixed and variable rate loans at affordable rates.
Another benefit of borrowing from Ascent is the flexibility to customize your repayment terms and pay off your debt without any payments. You can choose between a 10-year or 15-year loan term. After graduating or leaving school, you get a 9 month grace period before your monthly repayments become due. This gives you a generous amount of time to start earning a steady income before you transition into the repayment phase.
By offering such unique terms and flexibility, Ascent aims to support students on their academic journey by providing a valuable and easy-to-access lending option.
2. Funding U
Funding U believes that students are more than their credit score. Their no credit check student loan facility stems from this belief. Funding U bases its lending decisions primarily on students’ academic achievements and future career paths.
Although Funding U doesn’t base its lending decision on your credit score, it will review your credit history to assess your overall creditworthiness. Negative credit issues such as missed payments, charge-offs, or collection items recorded on your report may negatively impact your chances of getting approved for a loan.
Funding U only offers loans to undergrad students. To be eligible for no-cosigner, no credit check student loans you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, over 18 years of age, and a full-time undergrad student at one of Funding U’s eligible partner colleges in the United States. Your GPA, future projected earnings, and a few other factors will also determine your approval.
Funding U doesn’t charge any application, origination, or cancellation fees, and neither do they charge any pre-payment penalties. All of this helps to lower your cost of borrowing.
3. Edly
Edly is another reputed lender on our list that offers no credit check student loans. Instead of approving prospective borrowers based on their credit history, Edly focuses on the applicant’s school and program. You should know though that they will do a soft credit check but only to ensure that you don’t have any documented negative credit issues.
What’s interesting about Edly’s loan program is that they do not announce an interest rate when you take the loan. Your loan repayment will be based on your salary and calculated as a percentage of your salary. Loan repayments start 4 months after you graduate, and that too, only if you have an annual gross salary of over $30,000.
You can borrow from $5,000 to $20,000 a year through Edly. To qualify you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident enrolled full-time at a qualifying college.
Are you looking for student loans? Use College Raptor’s new Student Loan Finder to discover personalized loans. Compare lenders and interest rates to find the ideal student loan for you!
| Lender | Rates (APR) | Eligibility | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
6.97%-15.03%* Variable
5.99%-14.00%* Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CITIZENS |
 |
6.37% - 16.70% Variable
4.50% - 15.49% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT SALLIE MAE |
 |
4.98% - 16.70% Variable
4.07% - 15.66% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT CREDIBLE |
 |
6.07% - 11.31% Variable
4.39% - 10.39% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT LENDKEY |
 |
6.22% - 16.08% Variable
4.09% - 15.66% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ASCENT |
 |
6.54% - 11.08% Variable
3.95% - 8.01% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ISL |
 |
5.62% - 18.26% Variable
4.11% - 15.90% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT EARNEST |
|
|
4.98% - 12.79% Variable
8.42% - 13.01% Fixed
|
Undergraduate and Graduate
|
VISIT ELFI |
