EdvestinU Student Loans Review: Benefits in New Hampshire, Better Rates Elsewhere for Others

2.9 _/5

Private Student Loans

• Nonprofit lender
• Helpful customer service
• New Hampshire students get much cheaper rates and easier approvals

• $225,000 total loan cap
• High minimum income required
• High credit score needed, even with a cosigner
• No variable rate option

Fixed Rates (APR)	6.00% – 9.514% w/ autopay
Loan amounts	$2,001 – 100% of school-certified costs
Repayment terms	7 – 15 years

Refinance Student Loans

• Don’t need a completed degree
• Wider range of term length options

• Steep income requirements
• High minimum loan amounts required
• Can’t refinance education debt with family
• No variable rate option

Fixed rates (APR)	5.400% – 9.741% w/ autopay
Refinance amounts	$7,500 – $200,000
Repayment terms	5 – 20 years

EdvestinU is the student loan wing of the New Hampshire-based education nonprofit Granite Edvance. The lender has undergone several changes in recent years, including a rebrand.

It’s still available in 50 states, but New Hampshire students and those attending New Hampshire schools get better rates. In fact, for non-residents studying in other states, EdvestinU’s student loan rates may be higher than some competitors. (Rates for refinance loans, in contrast, are the same for everyone.)

We’ll cover what you need to know to make an informed decision in this EdvestinU student loans review.

How EdvestinU’s student loans work

Term	Details
Loan amounts	$2,001 – 100% of school-certified costs
Terms	7 – 15 years
Fees	No upfront fees or prepayment penalties
Min. credit score	750 (or 675, if applying with a cosigner who has a 750+ credit score)
Min. income	$30,000 per year
Availability	All 50 states
Grace period	6 months
Cosigners accepted?	Yes
Cosigner release	Yes, after 24 months of on-time payments

EdvestinU offers fixed-rate student loans to pay for an undergraduate or graduate college education. It doesn’t offer separate loans for these two groups of students, like some lenders. Instead, it offers two different student loans based on your connection to New Hampshire:

• Granite Edvance: New Hampshire residents studying at any in-state or out-of-state school, plus non-residents attending New Hampshire schools.
• EdvestinU: Students who live and attend school outside of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire students in the first camp get a couple of extra benefits, including a the potential for lower interest rates.

Eligibility

Qualifying for an EdvestinU student loan isn’t as easy as with other lenders. Sure, you can apply with a cosigner if you don’t meet the credit and income requirements.

But even with a cosigner, students will need a relatively high credit score of 675, which is considered a “good” credit score. That’s a tall order for many students, especially those coming out of high school who may not even have a credit score yet.

(It bears repeating that New Hampshire students can benefit from “more accessible underwriting criteria,” so they may not need such a high credit score.) 

Repayment

EdvestinU offers three repayment plan options when you’re approved for a student loan:

1. Deferred: Interest accrues while you’re in school, but you won’t need to make any payments while studying. 
2. Interest-only: You or your cosigner can opt to pay just the interest while you’re in school, which keeps your overall loan costs down. 
3. Full payment: If you or your cosigner has the income, you can choose to start making full payments right away, thereby saving the most money in the long run.

With deferred and interest-only payments, you’ll get a six-month grace period before full monthly payments are due. 

Alternatives to EdvestinU’s student loans

EdvestinU is an excellent option for New Hampshire residents and those attending New Hampshire colleges, but its appeal wanes a bit once you get beyond the state’s borders. Even if you are within state lines, it’s still smart to check your rates elsewhere. Here’s how ElFi compares to two of our team’s highest-rated student loan lenders:

EdvestinU vs. CollegeAve

College Ave has a distinct advantage over EdvestinU: a more competitive interest rate (which, it’s worth mentioning, is reserved for only the most creditworthy borrowers). Qualifying could be easier, too. Cosigners need a minimum credit score in the mid-600s, with no minimum required for students with a cosigner. 

College Ave is also one of LendEDU’s top-rated lenders, in part because students are fast-tracked for additional College Ave student loans in the future, if they need them. It also offers more term lengths and repayment options than EdvestinU, giving you more control over costs.

EdvestinU vs. ELFI

ELFI also offers potentially competitive rates and more options than EdvestinU’s student loans. It’s a better option if you’re looking for more handholding during the sometimes confusing student loan application process: It offers one-on-one access to a student loan advisor.

That said, EdvestinU offers top-notch customer support, too. When I called the company to ask about specific loan details, a live person picked up immediately, gave me a helpful, friendly answer with no hassle, and we both went on our way. But you won’t get a dedicated point of contact, like with ELFI.

How EdvestinU’s student loan refinancing works

Term	Details
Refinance amounts	$7,500 –$200,000
Terms	5 – 20 years
Fees	No upfront fees or prepayment penalties
Min. credit score	700
Min. income	< $100,000 loan balance: $30,000 per year; > $100,000 loan balance: $50,000 per year
Graduation status	Any
Cosigners accepted?	Yes
Cosigner release	Yes, after 24 months of on-time payments

EdvestinU promotes its fixed-rate education loans to New Hampshire residents seeking an education. But curiously, once you have that education, it doesn’t offer any extra benefits for residents of the Granite State. Everyone can apply for basically the same refinance loans, with the same terms and costs as everyone else. 

Eligibility

EdvestinU relaxes its credit score requirement a bit when you apply for a student loan refinance. Rather than either of you needing a 750 credit score, you both can still qualify with a lower 700 credit score. 

It doesn’t lower the bar for every requirement, though. You (or your cosigner) might need a much higher income than many other lenders, especially if you’re refinancing a six-figure student loan debt. 

Repayment

EdvestinU offers a broader range of term length options for refinance loans than regular student loans. Instead of a seven- to 15-year range, you can choose from four options ranging from five to 20 years, staggered at five-year intervals. 

That’s still a long time to make payments, any way you slice it. If you run into financial hiccups while working to repay the loans, EdvestinU offers up to 24 months of hardship forbearance, along with up to 12 months of switching to an interest-only repayment plan while you get back on your feet.

Alternatives to EdvestinU’s refinance student loans

Comparing student loan refinance lenders can sometimes be easier because you have a better idea of what you want, as opposed to before you started school as a doe-eyed freshman.

Sometimes the hard part is finding a student loan company that works for you, though. Here’s how EdvestinU compares to two companies from our best student loan refinancing list:

EdvestinU vs. Credible

Credible is a loan marketplace, not a lender. But if you’re looking for the best loan comparison options, it’s the place to check your rates with many different lenders at once. That lets you zero in on the best option so that you can manage your payments more easily going forward. 

EdvestinU vs. Earnest

Having more term length options for EdvestinU refinance loans is helpful, but sometimes you need even more. Earnest is a unique lender that lets you adjust sliders to fine-tune your monthly payment (and hence your loan costs) down to the exact number of months, creating a custom repayment plan.