Save on your student loans through our partnership.
Juno came into existence from their desire to make student loans less expensive through the power of community negotiation. Today, your employer or association has joined Juno to help you and your colleagues reduce student loan costs.
- Free for you - How?
- It takes <1 minute to join
- No hard credit check
As featured in
Summary
Student loan refinancing is common, especially for people with private student loans, with an estimated 50,000 professionals doing so each month. It involves taking out a new student loan to payoff the existing debt you have, lowering your rate and overall cost.
Compare your options
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 in less than 10 minutes with a soft credit check, so you can get customized quotes without affecting your credit score.
For medical professionals
For medical professionals, Laurel Road is currently offering a 0.25%* rate discount in addition to already low rates when you become a Juno member (free!).
For everyone else
Our deals with Earnest and Splash are worth comparing to see who can get you the best rates. Earnest is offering a 0.25% rate discount1 to Juno members and Splash is offering up to a $1,000 cash back signing bonus based on the loan amount when you go through our free 2 minute registration.
How it works
Fill out our quick simple form (2 mins)
Visit our partner with your link (10 mins)
Complete the refinance (45 mins)
How we save you money
Lenders spend so much money on marketing
We pitch lenders an alternative
Our Journey
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 and researching the market.
Every year, we make all the lenders compete to offer the best deals to our community.
In the process, we pore over dozens of rate tables, and stay up all night crunching
spreadsheets to map out which lenders offered the most people the best rates. Through this data analysis, we're confident that our choices are the best for the community.
Since Juno members 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 be featured on our site is to offer our community the best deal.
By the numbers
-
$502,121+
in cash back earned by our community
-
199,000+
members
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$965M+
in loans
Hear from a member!
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.”
Who is refinancing for?
For people with high interest student loans
Right now, federally held student loans aren’t incurring any interest until at least August 31, 2023. As a result, many borrowers with federally held loans are 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 could 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.
Can I refinance?
While we don't determine eligibility (our lending partners do) there are some basics that are usually needed.
Note that while most lenders require a completed degree, one of our partners Earnest now has an option if you did not graduate. The last attending date needs to be longer than 6 years ago, and your credit needs to be above 700.
Got Federal Loans?
Sign up for the latest updates on federal student loans.
Best For Most - Earnest
Earnest is owned by 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 provider.
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 your rates without a hard credit check.
As a Juno member, you will receive a rate that's 0.25% lower than what you'd receive if you
were to go directly to Earnest. Combined with their already low rates, this can make a
significant difference in the amount you repay.1
Rates: Fixed starting at 2.99%2,3
APR, Variable starting at 1.64%2,3 APR including the .25% autopay discount and the .25% Juno discount.
Juno Benefit: Rate reduction of 0.25%1
Check: Soft Credit Check to get rates; Hard Credit Check to refinance
Cosigner: You cannot refinance with a cosigner with Earnest at the moment
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.
Juno is offering up to $1,000 cash back based on the loan amount for those who refinance a loan with
Splash. Depending on your preferences, consider taking a look at both Earnest and Splash to make
the best decision for you.
Rates: Fixed starting at 2.59%4
APR, Variable starting at 1.74%4 APR. May include autopay discount.
Juno Benefit: New Splash customers receive $500 cash back when refinancing
a loan above $50K and $1000 for a loan above $150k when you go through Juno.
Check: Soft Credit Check to get rates; Hard Credit Check to refinance
Cosigner: You cannot refinance with a cosigner with Splash
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 visiting via the below link, Laurel Road will offer you a rate reduction of
0.25%5. In addition, you may be able to pay back your
medical school loans at only $100 per month while in residency or
fellowship.5
Rates: Fixed starting at 3.99%5
APR, Variable starting at 2.50%5 APR
Juno Benefit: Rate reduction of .25%5
Check: Soft Credit Check to get rates; Hard Credit Check to refinance
Cosigner: You may be able to refinance with a cosigner with Laurel Road
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.
How to find out customized rates?
If you can answer these ten questions, you can probably go get customized rates within 5 minutes:
Then you can use a calculator to decide if the amount you'd save is worth proceeding.
Why does the term refinance still give me the willies?
The likely culprit: home mortgage refinance – between closing costs, cash-out refinancing that involves moving other debt around, and potential loss of protections, this cousin of student loan refinance gives all refinance a bad rep.
In contrast, student loan refi through Juno doesn’t have any fees involved, and is basically a straight 1:1 refinance – that means you can only get a new loan covering the cost of your existing student debt.
So no room to borrow too much or end up in a pickle about losing your house (since student loan refi typically doesn’t involve collateral, unlike home mortgage refi where your house can be foreclosed if you don't pay your mortgage loan bills).
As always, please consult a financial advisor for additional context.
Remember, refinancing private student loan debt typically doesn't result in the loss of protections; refinancing federal student loan debt can result in the loss of certain protections (income-driven repayment, forbearance options, etc).
You can always pick and choose what you'd like to refinance without affecting all your loans.
Is now a good time to
refinance private student loans?
Rates hit historic lows back in November 2021, and started inching back up since then. Given the likely upcoming rate hikes (as of February 2022), we think now is a great time to get in before they go up even more. Plus, don't forget that you have the option to refinance multiple times. Some of our members refinance their loans once a year if they can get a better rate.
What about Parent PLUS loans?
Yes! All of our partners allow you to refinance Parent PLUS loans. Sometimes people want to change the name of the loan holder. Depending on the partner, it may be possible to refinance the loan into your child’s name. Individual results may vary.
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.
Got questions?
Drop us a line at hello@joinjuno.com.
We are on a mission to reduce the financial burden of higher education.
