Ascent is a private student loan lender that allows you to take out a student loan with either a cosigner or independently if you meet certain criteria. So you can finance your college or graduate education and start building credit in your own name. And with some unique perks, including a 1% cash back reward for graduating, Ascent is a strong contender to consider for your student loan needs.
Ascent Student Loans Application Requirements
Ascent analyzes a wide variety of information when considering your student loan application. In addition to your credit score, they also factor in things that are a little less objective. For instance, they’ll weigh information like your school, program, graduation date, major, cost of attendance, and more.
When taking out an Ascent student loan, you could qualify to borrow anything from $1,000 up to $200,000 for undergraduate loans and $400,000 for graduate loans. You must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at least half-time to be eligible to apply.
Ascent student loans also have some mild credit restrictions for borrowers and/or cosigners. When applying for a cosigned loan, the student must have at least a 540 credit score in cases where the cosigner has a credit score of 740 or higher. Solo students and cosigners must have a minimum credit score of 660. If you’re a solo student applicant, you’ll also need at least two years of credit history with trade lines other than a student loan. This can be anything from a car loan to a credit card.
Both cosigners and solo students must earn at least $24,000 annually with continuous employment over the last two years. In addition, these applicants must also meet an undisclosed monthly debt-to-income ratio.
Ascent’s Diverse Student Loan Offerings
Ascent offers borrowers two student loan types for undergraduate and graduate students: cosigned loans and non-cosigned loans. Here are the details of each one to see what you could potentially qualify for.
Cosigned Student Loans
A cosigned student loan from Ascent covers both tuition and eligible living expenses. Non-U.S. citizens may apply if your cosigner is a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident with strong credit; otherwise, you’ll need to be a U.S. citizen to apply.
Cosigner release is available after you’ve made on-time payments in full for 12 consecutive months. You must also qualify for all the provisions of an independent student loan through Ascent and sign up for automatic payments.
Non-Cosigned Student Loans
Ascent’s Non-Cosigned student loans are designed specifically for full-time juniors, seniors, and graduate students. You must be a U.S. citizen for this type of loan; if you’re not, consider applying for the cosigner loan along with an eligible citizen. Finally, all non-cosigned student loan borrowers must maintain a GPA of at least 2.9 throughout the course of their enrollment. The maximum loan amount per academic year is $20,000 for this non-cosigned, non-credit tested loan option.
You may qualify for a lower amount compared to those applying with a cosigner. Apply early to get the funds you need on time and to plan for any additional tuition gaps you may have.
Building a positive credit history early on can set you up for financial success after you graduate. You could potentially propel yourself to qualifying for better rates when you’re ready to take out a car loan, refinance your student loans, or apply for credit cards. Consider it a head start on grown-up stuff after you graduate.
Fee Structure and Interest Rates of Ascent Student Loans
Regardless of which loan type you choose, Ascent never charges application fees, origination fees, disbursement fees, or prepayment penalties. You can elect to receive a fixed rate or variable rate. You get a slightly better rate if you take out a cosigned loan rather than a non-cosigned loan.
With a variable rate loan, your rate can change every month. Carefully check your loan terms and conditions to find out what your variable APR is based on and whether there’s a maximum. This can help you plan better for your monthly payments, so a sudden jump does not catch you off guard.
You can check to see what your monthly payments look like based on your APR and chosen loan term. While lower rates with an adjustable loan may be tempting, there’s definitely risk involved if interest rates continue to rise. On the other hand, a fixed rate gives you the stability of the same payment every month.
How to Apply for an Ascent Student Loan
You can see if you’re eligible to apply for an Ascent student loan in under a minute. Start by answering a few questions to determine if you’re eligible to apply. Once you do, you’ll receive a loan offer to compare with other financing options you may have.
Ascent Student Loans also offers several options for repayment:
- In-school interest only: if you’re enrolled at least half-time, you can qualify to make interest-only payments
- Deferred Payment: Wait until up to six months after you leave school to start making student loan payments
- $25 Minimum Payment: While enrolled at least half-time, you can pick your own monthly payment amount if it’s at least $25
Note that interest starts to accrue as soon as loan funds are disbursed, regardless of which repayment option you choose. So, even if you defer payments, your loan balance will grow while you’re attending school.
If possible, it could be a good choice to pay as much as you can while in school to keep your loan balance as low as possible. That will result in lower monthly payments when you graduate. However, if you don’t make any interest payments, you may be unpleasantly surprised by higher monthly payments after your grace period.
Exclusive Benefits of Choosing Ascent Student Loans
Automatic Payment Discount – If you elect to sign up for autopay with your Ascent student loan, you’ll receive a 0.25% – 2.00% discount on your interest rate. This helps lower your monthly payments and also reduces the overall cost of your student loan.
1% Cash Back Graduation Reward – When you graduate from your degree program, you may be eligible to receive a cashback reward amounting to 1% of your original principal balance. For example, if your original loan amount were $10,000, then you would receive $100 from Ascent.
NEW Graduated Repayment Options Makes Lower Initial Payments More Affordable
Upon graduation, borrowers may be eligible for the Graduated Repayment option, in which borrowers can pay less initially with an increasing monthly amount until the final payment.
Upon graduation, borrowers may be eligible for the Graduated Repayment option. The Graduated Repayment option requires monthly payment amounts that start with an amount that is less than a fully-amortizing payment amount that step-up over time, so the loan would be fully paid within the original loan term.
Ascent Refer A Friend Program – If you want to earn extra money, you can get up to $525 for each friend you refer to Ascent. For every friend you refer who applies for a loan and is approved, you’ll get $25. When the loan is disbursed, you’ll get an additional $500, plus your friend will earn money too! You can use that money to pay for gas, groceries, other living expenses, or even save it to pay for books next semester.
Ascent Monthly Scholarship Giveaway – Ascent is giving away $1,000 every month. No essay is required; just enter on Ascent’s social media. Students 18+ can enter multiple times.
You must meet some requirements, such as graduating within five years from the time you took out the loan. Just remember that you must be the one to initiate the cash-back request.
Financial Education – Ascent partners with iGrad to offer students a basic guide to financial literacy. After submitting your student loan application, you gain access to the course to better understand how your loan can impact your credit history and overall finances.
U.S. Based Customer Service – Ascent is committed to helping you every step of the way through your student loan process. You can call or email to speak with the customer service team who is exclusively based in the U.S.
Deferment Options – In addition to in-school deferment, borrowers can also defer loan payments due to active military duty (up to 36 months) or a qualifying residency or internship (up to 48 months). Note that deferment does lengthen your repayment period. Interest also continues to accrue while you’re in a period of deferment.
Forbearance Options – Ascent also allows for two types of forbearance. The first is temporary financial hardship forbearance, which you can use for up to 48 months throughout the life of the loan. However, the minimum period is one month, and you must reapply every three months.
The second type is administrative forbearance, which occurs during borrower disputes or while awaiting bankruptcy or death documents. Unpaid interest continues to accumulate during either type of forbearance.
Bottom Line
If you’re looking for a private student lender to help cover gaps in your financial aid package, Ascent Student Loans is a strong contender. With private student loans for solo student borrowers and cosigners, there are plenty of opportunities to start building your credit history early on in your college career.
Plus, the generous 1% cash back reward gives you added incentive to graduate as soon as possible. Ascent also offers better-than-average deferment and forbearance options for a private student lender.