Credible Review: The Easiest Way to Shop Student Loan and Refinance Offers Side by Side

Best for Comparison Shopping

4.6 _/5

View Rates

Private Student Loans

• Many positive customer reviews
• $200 best rate guarantee
• Open about its partner lenders

• Fewer lenders in network than several other marketplaces
• Doesn’t offer support once loan is made
• We found lower rates on other comparison sites

Rates (APR)	3.39% – 17.99%
Loan amounts	Vary by lender
Repayment terms	5 – 20 years (may vary by lender)

Refinance Student LoansView Rates

Rates (APR)	3.85% – 12.35%
Loan amounts	Vary by lender
Repayment terms	5 – 20 years (may vary by lender)

Credible is a top name in the world of loan comparison websites, and student loans and student loan refinances are its specialty. It lets you check your rates and loan options among approximately 10 of the best lenders in this field in just a few minutes. 

You can certainly do all that work by yourself, but it would take much longer. And for most people, 10 lenders are certainly enough to say you’ve covered your bases in shopping around. But Credible doesn’t partner with every lender on the market, so if you’re trying to find uber-low rates, it doesn’t hurt to check elsewhere, too.

Table of Contents

1. About Credible student loans
2. How does Credible student loan refinance work?
3. What do Credible customers say?
4. About Credible customer service
5. How we rated Credible

About Credible student loans

We’ll start with Credible’s private student loans available for current college students. Finding the lowest-interest loan option is important during this time because it limits the amount of interest that accrues while you’re in school, making it easier to pay back later. 

Credible lets you compare rates from up to 11 private student loan lenders, many of which are also LendEDU’s top-ranked lenders:

• College Ave
• Sallie Mae
• Citizens Bank
• MEFA
• Ascent
• Abe
• Nelnet Bank
• SoFi
• ELFI
• Custom Choice
• INvestEd

When you check your rates with Credible, you can select a loan offer if you’re interested. Credible will then help you complete the loan application process before handing you off to the lender when its work is done.

Credible student loan rates and terms

Credible certainly offers the potential to get low interest rates on your student loans. As I write this in mid-April 2025, its lowest rates are half of what federal student loans are currently charging. 

But remember—you (or your cosigner) will need excellent creditworthiness to qualify for those rates. And by opting for private student loans, you won’t have access to federal student loan benefits like loan forgiveness options and affordable payment plans. 

Term	Detail
Rates (APR)	3.39% – 17.99%
Loan amounts	Vary by lender, but generally up to 100% of your school-certified cost of attendance
Repayment period	5 – 20 years (may vary by lender)
Fees	No origination fees or prepayment penalty; Other fees may vary by lender

Eligibility requirements

The main benefit of using Credible is that it compares your qualifications among different lenders. And since it partners with several lenders, many different eligibility requirements apply. But Credible will weed through those details to present you with all the offers you might qualify for. 

In general, most lenders require the same basics, such as being a U.S. citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18 (or whatever the age of majority is in your state) with good credit and income. Most college students can’t meet those requirements on their own and end up applying with a cosigner. 

There is some leeway if you don’t meet these requirements, though. Some lenders allow applicants with bad credit or without U.S. citizenship to apply, for example. 

How do Credible student loans compare to alternatives?

Credible isn’t the only website where you can enter your details and get multiple preapproved offers from student loan companies. Here’s how it stacks up to two other popular student loan comparison sites:

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• Credible vs. Sparrow: Sparrow works with more lenders than Credible (17+ lenders, versus 11 for Credible). According to Sparrow, it’s the only student loan platform that partners with actual colleges to help students find affordable loans. 
• Credible vs. LendKey: While Sparrow and Credible focus on big-name lenders, LendKey takes a different approach by focusing more on smaller lenders like credit unions. That opens up more options for you. We also like that LendKey handles its loan servicing internally. On the other hand, Credible’s involvement with your loan ends once you apply with your selected lender.

How do you get a Credible student loan?

Checking your options is a quick and easy process with Credible. All you need to do is complete a form that only takes a few minutes, starting with this page:

Once complete, you should see your loan options instantly. If you’re interested in applying for a student loan on the list, you can select it, and Credible will help you complete the full application.

How does Credible student loan refinance work?

If you already have a federal, private, or Parent PLUS student loan, you can check your loan options and apply for any winning offers through Credible. 

Choosing a loan with a lower interest rate or a different loan term can help you save money on interest or get a lower monthly payment.

Term	Details
Rates (APR)	3.85% – 12.35%
Loan amounts	Vary by lender
Repayment terms	5 – 20 years (may vary by lender)
Cosigner release?	Varies by lender, but some offer cosigner release

Credible partners with 10 lenders to offer student loan refinancing. Some of these lenders are also among LendEDU’s top-rated student loan refinancing options:

• Brazos
• RISLA
• Earnest
• SoFi
• ELFI
• LendKey
• EdvestinU
• INvestEd
• Citizens Bank
• MEFA

Read More

10 Must-Know Pros and Cons of Refinancing Student Loans

Who is eligible to refinance student loans with Credible?

Credible’s partner lenders each determine their loan eligibility standards, which they can change at any time. 

In general, though, you stand a better chance of getting a good loan refinance offer if you have a credit score of 700 or higher and a strong income. Some of its partner lenders offer refinance loans for those who didn’t complete their college degree, but your options are often better if you did finish.

If you don’t qualify for a student loan refinance offer you’re happy with (or if you don’t qualify for anything at all), you can always apply with a cosigner. About a third of Credible refinance applicants did this in 2024. 

How does Credible student loan refinance compare to alternatives?

Aside from the student loan marketplaces mentioned above, here’s how Credible compares to two other loan marketplaces that offer refinancing:

• Purefy: Purefy offers a much smaller network of six student loan refinance lenders, none of which offer rates as low as some of Credible’s partners. But it does partner with two lenders that Credible doesn’t: ISL and College Ave, which may broaden your options a bit.
• Splash Financial: Splash Financial partners with an undisclosed number of lenders, primarily credit unions. In mid-April 2025, its lowest rate is a touch higher than Credible’s, but since it offers different lenders than Credible, it may be worth checking out. 

How to refinance your student loans with Credible

You’ll kick off the student loan refinance process by checking your loan options. Credible offers a brief form on its website where you can enter your financial details and student loan information, and if you prequalify with any of its partner lenders, you’ll see your loan offers immediately. 

If you’re interested in an offer, you can select it from your loan dashboard and complete the application through Credible. You’ll need to submit additional documents like your proof of income and a loan payoff statement from your current lender. 

Once approved, your new lender will generally pay off your old account directly. 

What do Credible customers say?

It’s hard to pin down specific reviews of Credible student loans, given its generic name and the fact that it offers other loan types, too, not just student loans. But in general, most customers seem to be happy with its service:

Platform	Rating	Number of reviews
Trustpilot	4.8/5	8,298
Better Business Bureau	1.0/5	5

About Credible customer service

What customers really like about Credible is how easy it is to get ahold of someone when you need it:

• Online chat
• Email: [email protected] 
• Phone: 866-540-6005, Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern 
• Mailing address: 6945 Northpark Boulevard, Suite L, Charlotte, NC 28216-0079

The chat support feature is especially handy, but it has its quirks. When I tested it out, for example, a support rep couldn’t answer any questions because they couldn’t locate an account I supposedly had—even though I was only asking general student loan questions unrelated to my account. 

How we rated Credible

We designed LendEDU’s editorial rating system to help readers find companies that offer the best student loans. Our system awards higher ratings to companies with affordable solutions, positive customer reviews, and online transparency of benefits and terms.

We compared Credible to several student loan lenders, using hundreds of data points from company websites, public disclosures, customer reviews, and direct communication with company representatives. We weighted, scored, and combined each factor to produce a final editorial rating. This rating is expressed on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest possible score. Our take is represented in our rating and best-for designation, recapped below.

Product	Best for	Our rating
Credible student loans	Best for comparison shopping	4.6/5
Credible student loan refinancing	Best for comparison shopping	5/5