Best student loan refinance companies 2023

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If you want to get the best student loan refinancing, the choice can vary based on your situation. Getty Images/iStockphoto
The summer can be a great time of year to review your finances, particularly if you’re trying to sort out student loans before the fall 2023 semester begins. That’s around the time when federal student loan repayments are tentatively expected to resume.
If you’re not comfortable with your current student loan situation — for example, because of high interest rates or because you want to consolidate a mix of federal and private loans — you could benefit from private student loan refinancing.
But not all student loan refinance lenders offer the same terms. If you want to get the best student loan refinancing, the choice can vary based on your situation.
See your student loan refinance options online now.
Best student loan refinancing companies 2023
According to our comprehensive analysis, our picks for the best student loan refinancing companies are:
Best for low rates: Earnest
If you’re looking for low rates when refinancing your student loans, Earnest is a great place to start.
As of early July 2023, Earnest offers a fixed-rate student loan refi of 4.96% annual percentage rate (APR) or 5.32% APR with autopay discounts.
That said, student loan interest rates can vary based on your situation, and they can change over time. So, it’s good to compare providers and see what the lowest rates are based on your circumstances.
Best for parents: PenFed Credit Union
Helping your kids pay for their education can be a great gift, but sometimes parents need to refinance too.
While you should still compare rates for different providers, one advantage of refinancing with PenFed Credit Union is that parents with Parent PLUS Loans can transfer this debt to their children. That can be helpful in certain situations.
For example, if you agreed to help your children pay for college for a few years, but now they’re more established in their careers and have the money to make student loan payments, transferring the debt might be best for your family.
Best for those with good credit: Laurel Road
If you have a good credit score and a solid personal finance track record, one of the best student loan refinance lenders for your situation could be Laurel Road.
This student loan refinance lender offers competitive rates, especially if you refinance while opening a Laurel Road Linked Checking account and setting up direct deposits. Doing so can get you an APR starting at 4.47% as of early July 2023 when factoring in auto-pay discounts.
In addition to good credit helping you qualify for a low refi rate, a high score also might indicate experience managing multiple financial accounts. For example, you may have gotten a good credit score by effectively managing multiple credit cards and car loans, along with your student loans. If that’s the case, you might also be comfortable adding this checking account to get a better student loan refinance rate.
How much can you save with refinancing? Learn more here.
Best for those with bad credit: MPOWER Financing
If you have bad credit, it can be harder to qualify for student loan refinancing, especially at a competitive interest rate. One possible solution is to refinance with MPOWER Financing.
This lender is often used by international students, but you don’t have to be from outside the U.S. to use it. MPOWER does not require a credit score or credit history to qualify for refinancing.
While your credit can still play a role in this company’s refinancing decision, the company also considers your future potential, which could help you qualify.
Best for flexible repayment options: SoFi
If you want flexibility in your student loan payments, SoFi could be a good choice. When refinancing student loans with this lender, you can choose from a variety of payment options. These include five-, seven-, 10-, 15- and 20-year loan terms, offered as either fixed- or variable-rate loans.
SoFi has no prepayment fees, and there are potential options for loan deferment or forbearance if you experience financial hardship.
The bottom line
These are some of the best student loan refinance companies to consider, but take your time researching and comparing providers before going forward with one.
In some cases — such as if you have federal student loans with competitive interest rates — refinancing your student loans may not be the best financial decision. Also, if you refinance from federal to private student loans, you could lose some of the potential benefits of federal loans, such as the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.
That said, if you’re paying high interest rates now or have some other challenges with your student loans, refinancing with one of these or other private lenders could save you money in the long run. Shop around and consider speaking with a trusted advisor to help you weigh your options.