Best student loan refinance companies

Have you thought about re-evaluating your student loans? Doing so is never a bad idea, and it's particularly a wise idea when you're working out your finances before the beginning of a new semester. With tuition bills that can quickly come due, it's a good idea to have your financing in place sooner rather than later. 

But what if you're not happy with your current student loans? Maybe you have high interest rates or you'd like to consolidate multiple federal and private loans with one lender to simplify the payment process. In either case, private student loan refinancing may be worth consideration. 

But, student loan refinance lenders are their own entities - entities that are free to set their own interest rates, fees and terms for loans. So, if you want the best student loan refinancing option for your unique situation, you may need to do some shopping around. We've put together a list of some of the best student loan refinance companies to consider below. 

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Best student loan refinancing companies

According to our comprehensive analysis, here are our picks for the best student loan refinancing companies:

Best for low rates: Earnest

If you're looking for low rates when refinancing your student loans, Earnest is a great place to start.

Earnest offers fixed-rate student loan refinancing with annual percentage rates (APRs) starting at 4.69% or variable-rate student loan refinancing with rates starting at 5.89% 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 on their own, 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 4.97% 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 built 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 earnings 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- and 15-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.