Fifth Third Bank Student Loans

Fifth Third Bank is an Ohio-based bank with over 1,100 branches across the Midwestern and Southern United States. It offers its customers a variety of deposit accounts and lending services, but it doesn’t offer student loans.

If you’re in the market for a student loan, we’ve included a list of alternatives worth considering below.

Fifth Third Bank student loan alternatives

While Fifth Third Bank doesn’t offer student loans, if you’re still looking for the right student lender, there are plenty of options available.

It generally makes sense to take out as much as you need (or as much as you can) in federal student loans first. They offer low interest rates and a lot of borrower protections, such as the option for income-based repayment and loan forgiveness.

However, you might need to borrow more than the federal government is willing to lend. That’s where private student loans come into play.

You can check out our guide to find the best private student loans, with a full breakdown of your options, or review some of the companies below.

College Ave

College Ave is our top-rated private lending lender. It offers flexible term options, letting you extend your payments for as long as 15 years, and gives you a choice between fixed and variable interest rates.

College Ave offers loans as small as $1,000 or as high as 100% of the school-certified cost of attendance. The lender offers a cosigner release option after making it halfway through the original loan term and meeting credit requirements.

One drawback of College Ave is that the company offers limited forbearance options.

	In-school loans	Refinance loans
Variable rates (APR)	1.29% – 12.99%	3.44% – 7.99%
Fixed rates (APR)	3.22% – 13.95%	3.49% – 7.99%
Rate reduction	0.25% AutoPay discount	0.25% AutoPay discount
Loan amount	$1,000 – 100% of costs	$5,000 – $150,000
Repayment terms	5, 8, 10, or 15 years	5 – 15 years
Benefits	Flexible repayment terms Cosigner release option	Flexible repayment terms No application fee No origination fee
	View rates	View rates

Earnest

Earnest offers private student loans with low interest rates. You can knock the rates even lower with a 0.25% discount when you sign up for AutoPay.

One perk of working with Earnest is that the company offers a nine-month grace period after you leave school. That gives you more time to find your financial feet after college before you have to make payments. You also have the freedom to skip one payment per year, penalty-free.

One drawback of Earnest is that its eligibility requirements tend to be stricter than those of other lenders.

	In-school loans	Refinance loans
Variable rates (APR)	1.34% – 11.44%	1.89% – 7.99%
Fixed rates (APR)	3.22% – 12.78%	3.24% – 7.99%
Rate reduction	0.25% AutoPay discount	0.25% AutoPay discount
Loan amount	$1,000 – 100% of costs	$5,000 – $500,000
Repayment terms	5, 7, 10, 12, or 15 years	5 – 20 years
Benefits	Nine-month grace period Ability to skip a payment once a year	Customize your loan Remove a cosigner
	View rates	View rates

Ascent

Ascent offers students options for loans both with and without cosigners, which can be helpful for borrowers who don’t have someone willing to cosign a loan. However, loans without cosigners are capped at $20,000. If you get a cosigner, you can borrow up to $200,000.

One nice perk of borrowing from Ascent is that you get a reward for graduating. Ascent will give you a graduation bonus of 1% of your loan’s balance if you meet the requirements.

	In-school loans
Variable rates (APR)	1.75% – 12.30%1
Fixed rates (APR)	3.22% – 14.75%1
Rate reduction	0.25% AutoPay discount 1.00% AutoPay discount for undergraduate Outcome-Based loans
Loan amount	$2,001 – $200,000
Repayment terms	5, 7, 10, 12, or 15 years
Benefits	Start payments nine months after graduation Progressive repayment option
	View rates

Sallie Mae

Sallie Mae is a major student loan lender. You’ll find funding opportunities for undergraduate degrees, graduate programs, professional training, or certificate courses.  Even students with less than half-time status can tap into this funding option.

One benefit is the flexible repayment. You can start making payments right away or defer all payments until six months post graduation. If making full payments at the six-month mark is too much, you can request interest-only payments for an additional twelve months.

	In-school loans
Variable rates (APR)	2.62% – 12.97%
Fixed rates (APR)	3.75% – 13.72%
Rate reduction	0.25% AutoPay discount
Loan amount	$1,000 – 100% of costs
Repayment terms	5 – 15 years
Benefits	Graduated Repayment Period Apply for multiple years
	View rates

Does Fifth Third Bank partner with any student loan lenders?

Fifth Third Bank has previously partnered with CommonBond to provide student loans to eligible customers. But CommonBond has recently decided to stop offering private student loans for the 2022-23 academic year.