Summary (TL;DR)
There’s no one size fits all for student loan refinance – that’s why it’s important to shop
around and see your options. Most of our picks allow you to see rates with a soft credit check,
so you can shop around without affecting your credit score.
For those in select cities who meet the requirements, we think First Republic’s Personal Line
of Credit may be the best option, and feature the lowest fixed rates we offer starting at
2.25%. For medical professionals, Laurel Road is
currently offering a .25% rate discount that may
make a substantial difference. For everyone else, Earnest and Splash are worth comparing to
see who can get you the best rates.
Why you should trust us
Our founders Nikhil and Chris started Juno a few years ago when they were shopping around
for loans for Harvard Business School. Since then, they’ve been immersed in the student loan
industry, regularly speaking with key players nationwide.
This year, we ran an auction, making all the lenders offer the best rates to our community.
In the process, we pored over dozens of rate tables, and stayed up all night crunching
spreadsheets to map out which lenders offered the most people the best rates.
Since members of the community never pay us, we charge all lenders a set fee that is
agreed before the negotiations begin. That way, we can’t be swayed by a larger financial
incentive. The only way to win the auction is to offer our community the best rate.
By the numbers
-
$502,121+
in cash back earned by our community in 2020
-
40,000+
members
-
250M+
in loans
How we save you money
Lenders spend so much money on marketing. This year, SoFi spent 400 million dollars on the
naming rights to a stadium. All those costs get passed along to borrowers in the form of
higher interest rates.
Instead, we pitch lenders an alternative: give our members better rates and avoid spending
thousands of dollars per customer on marketing. It saves them time and money, and we end up
getting our community better rates for free.
Who is refinancing for?
Refinancing is great for people with high interest student loans, especially private. Right
now, federally held student loans aren’t incurring any interest until at least October 1, 2021. As a result, borrowers with federally held loans are largely waiting until then before
considering refinancing.
For private loan borrowers, there’s little downside associated with refinance, and a large
potential upside in terms of savings, and reducing your monthly payment. If you have both federal and private, know that you may consider only refinancing private loans at this time, which is an option that many Juno members opt for. You're free to refinance whichever assortment of loans you choose without being forced to refinance all at once.
Note that you may lose benefits associated with your underlying federal and/or private loans if you refinance such as federal Income-driven Repayment Plans, Economic Hardship Deferment, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or other determent and forbearance options common with federal loans. If you file for bankruptcy, you may still be required to pay back this loan.
That said, you should always consult a financial advisor before taking any action. This
article is not intended to be financial advice, and we urge you to do your own research
independently.
Best For Most - Earnest
Earnest is owned by Navient, one of the largest student loan servicers in America. While
they operate as a separate unit, they have the backing and security of an established servicer.
Out of all our options, they also offer loans to the most people (along with Splash).
You may want to compare Earnest and Splash to see who offers you the best rates and cash back combination, especially since both let you view custom rates without a hard credit check.
We like Earnest because it’s possible to get the most cash back by refinancing with them – up
to $1,000 total. They also have low rates, and a product that analyzes your risk based off a
variety of factors (called merit-based lending).
Rates: Fixed starting at 2.98%
APR, Variable starting at 1.99% APR including autopay discount
Cashback: Up to $1,000 via Juno and Earnest
Alternative Best for Most - Splash
Splash is not a lender, but a marketplace for lenders. By trying their service, you’ll be
able to get quotes from a few different lenders, further helping you identify the best rates
available.
In comparison to Earnest, their starting variable rates are a bit lower, but the potential cash back
is also lower. If you’re shopping around these are both factors to consider depending on loan
amount and your preferences.
Rates: Fixed starting at 2.63%
APR, Variable starting at 1.89% APR. May include autopay discount.
Cashback: Up to $600 via Juno and Splash with loans above
$50,000
Best for Medical Professionals - Laurel Road
Laurel Road has some perks for medical professionals that make it our choice for physicians,
dentists, nurses, optometrists, and physician assistants.
As a Juno member, Laurel Road will offer you a rate reduction of
0.25%. In addition, you may be able to pay back your
medical school loans at only $100 per month while in residency or
fellowship.
Rates: Fixed starting at 2.75%
APR, Variable starting at 1.74% APR
Benefit: Rate reduction of .25%
Best Fixed Rates for those in Select Areas - First Republic
First Republic is interesting – they don’t do student loan refinancing specifically, but their
offering does allow you to pay off your student debt with a personal line of credit. Beginning
at 2.25%, they have the most conditions for
getting the best rate.
In order to get the best rates, you’ll need to maintain a minimum of
20% of your approved loan amount in a First Republic ATM
Rebate Checking account. You’re still free to hold less, and get good rates, and our site
will walk you through the various options.
Also note that a personal line of credit is not a student loan and you may be permanently
giving up the benefits of a student loan such as certain deferment, forbearance, and
forgiveness options.
That said, a Personal Line of Credit also allows you the flexibility to refinance additional
debt – such as auto loans – and can provide access to credit for future expenses.
Rates: Fixed rates starting at 2.25%
Cashback: Up to $400
What happens when you refinance?
Usually after people refinance a loan, we hear “why was that so easy?” The truth is that the
process is fairly straightforward.
On a basic level, you’re taking out a new loan to pay off your old loan.
Since you’re employed and are perceived as ‘less risky’, your new loan ideally has a lower
interest rate, saving you money in the long run.
What are the typical questions?
If you can answer these ten questions, you can probably go get customized
rates within 5 minutes:
- Name
- Email Address
- Citizenship status
- Degree
- Graduation date
- School name
- Student loan balance
- Income
- Rent/mortgage payment
- Address
Then you can use a calculator to decide if the amount you'd save is worth proceeding.
Is now a good time to refinance private student loans?
What about Parent PLUS loans?
All of our partners allow you to refinance Parent PLUS loans. Depending on the partner, it
may be possible to refinance the loan into your child’s name.
× With Earnest, you can only refinance loans already in your name as the primary borrower. If your parent is the primary borrower, the original lender may
be able to transfer the loan from the parent to you, and then Earnest can refinance in your
name.
✓ With Splash, you can apply to refinance a Parent PLUS loan into the student’s name, as
long as they have a credit score of 700+, a debt to income ratio below 40%, a bachelor's
degree, and a job making at least 25k a year (co-signer) and 42k a year (solo).
✓ Laurel Road does allow you to refinance a Parent PLUS directly into your name.
✓ First Republic can accomplish this goal through their Personal Line of Credit option as well.
Hear from a member!
“I was with Sallie Mae and my interest rate was 10.75%, but i refinanced with Earnest
through [Juno] and not only got my rate down to almost 4%, but I also got $1000 cash.
I got paid. To save money.
So make sure as soon as you graduate and get your first paystub to refi. It's super easy and
literally takes under 10 minutes, the hardest part is typing in how much you have saved in
all our accounts to prove assets as well as entering your social.
Their system literally automates all the hard parts out of it. Not everyone will save as
much as me because I'm kind of an extreme case.
I refinanced 170k at 10.75%V to 4.04%F, cutting my monthly payment from $2800 to $1250.
This is totally free and you can still write off payments on your taxes. Hope this helps
someone...
Of course, make sure you do plenty of research and ask tons of questions to the lender
before you refinance any debt.
I applied for refi literally everywhere and this was the best deal by like 1.2% and was
much easier to fill out the app than at other places.”
- Josh C.
