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Best if:
- You got your degree
- You have excellent credit
- You’d prefer to do business with a community bank or credit union
LendKey isn’t a lender, but a technology platform that matches consumers with community banks and credit unions.
If you’re interested in student loan refinancing, LendKey can show you rates you prequalify for without affecting your credit score, based on your credit report and information that you provide on the company’s website. If you’re interested in a private student loan, LendKey will refer you to Sallie Mae.
In this post:
LendKey student loan refinancing
Loan limits, rates, and terms available when refinancing student debt through LendKey can depend on individual lenders. One lender might refinance up to $175,000 in debt for graduate students, while another might top out at $50,000. But all will require that you have completed a degree and that you or your cosigner be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
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| Best for | • You completed your degree • You have excellent credit • You want to do business with a community bank or credit union |
| Loan amounts | $7,500 to $175,000 (depending on lender and degree type) |
| Loan terms | 5, 7, 10, 15, or 20 years |
| Loan qualifications | Refinance federal loans and private loans |
| Interest rates | Fixed or variable |
| Fees | No application, origination, or disbursement fees and no prepayment penalty |
| Discounts | 0.25% autopay discount available from some LendKey lenders |
| Education | Must have completed an associates, undergraduate, graduate or doctorate degree from eligible school |
| Citizenship/Residency | U.S. citizen or permanent resident |
| Cosigner info | Some LendKey lenders will accept applications for cosigner release after you've made a set number of on-time payments. |
LendKey student loan refinancing review
LendKey’s website provides a handy way to request student loan refinancing rates from local banks and credit unions. Just keep in mind that many of these lenders might not serve your state or regions, so your options could be limited.
Also be aware that the lowest rates advertised by LendKey are for loans with 5-year repayment terms and are reserved for borrowers with FICO scores of at least 830.
How to qualify
To qualify for refinancing with LendKey, you provide some basic information about yourself including your income, the amount of debt you want to refinance, the college you attended, and the type of degree you earned.
You also authorize LendKey to perform a soft credit inquiry, which does not affect your credit score. This allows Lendkey to show you rates and terms you prequalify for with its partner lenders, based on your income and credit history.
If you see an option you like, you fill out an application with LendKey on its website authorizing a hard credit pull, which may affect your credit score.
Repayment
LendKey’s partner lenders offer loans with fixed and variable interest rates, with repayment terms ranging from 5 to 20 years. If you choose a variable-rate loan, keep in mind that your monthly payment and interest charges could go up or down with changing economic conditions.
How LendKey compares to other refinancing lenders
|  |  |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Loan repayment terms (Years) | 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 | 5, 7, 10, 15, 20 | 5, 8, 12, 15 |
| Loan amount | $7,500 to $175,000 | $10,000 to $350,000 (depending on level of education) | $7,500 to $300,000 |
| Cosigner release? | Check with lender | Yes, applications accepted after 36 months of consecutive payments | Yes, applications accepted after 12 consecutive payments |
| Transfer parent loan to child? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Loan servicer | LendKey Technologies Inc. | Firstmark Services | Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) |
| Best for | Graduates with excellent credit | Those who want to lower their monthly payment | Those applying with a cosigner |
How to refinance student loans with LendKey
Filling out a single form with LendKey lets you request student loan refinancing rates with community banks and credit unions serving your area.
But if you’d like to request rates from even more lenders not available through LendKey including national banks, online lenders, and state student loan authorities, Credible can help. It takes just minutes to fill out Credible’s form and request personalized rates from some of the best companies to refinance without affecting your credit score.
Compare Rates From Other Lenders
LendKey private student loans
If you’re a student who’s looking for the best private student loans to fill college funding gaps, LendKey can also help you with that. But the process for private student loans works a little differently than with student loan refinancing.
Instead of providing rates from local banks and credit unions, LendKey offers private student loans through Sallie Mae. For more information on Sallie Mae student loans, check out our Sallie Mae review.
Learn More: How to Apply for Student Loans
How LendKey can improve
LendKey could improve by:
- Providing refinancing rates from national banks, online lenders, and state student loan authorities
- Providing rates on student loans from more than one lender
- Offering refinancing to borrowers who haven’t earned a degree
