Earnest Student Loan Review

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Suitable For?

Earnest student loan refinancing is suitable for borrowers who have higher interest rates on their student loans and want to take advantage of current low rates. Some borrowers with federally held loans may choose not to refinance in order to remain eligible for benefits applicable to federally held loans.

Loan Features

Earnest offers student loan refinancing with the following features:

• Fixed-rates from 4.45% APR with AutoPay
• Variable-rates from 5.88% APR with AutoPay
• Loans with minimum size of $5,000 and up ($10,000 and up in California)

The Application Process

Click the “Get Started” button and answer a few questions about your student loan needs. You’ll get an interest rate estimate in minutes, without impacting your credit score.

If you like the rate you see, you can complete the application, upload documentation, and finalize your loan. You’ll be able to choose between making your payments monthly or bi-weekly.

Loan Eligibility Requirements

The main eligibility requirements for obtaining a loan from Earnest are:

• Age 18 or older
• Resident of one of 48 states or the District of Columbia (all but Nevada)
• Adequate income to cover expenses
• Minimum credit score and a good financial history
• Enrolled less than half-time and your loans are in repayment, or you will complete your degree at the end of the coming semester OR meet all of the following criteria:
  • The degree is incomplete
  • The last attending date was over 6 years ago
  • The school you attended was not a for-profit school
• Be a U.S. citizen or have a 10-year Permanent Resident Card

If you don’t meet the income, credit score, or U.S. citizen or residency status requirements, you may still qualify if you have a cosigner who meets these requirements.

Repayment Terms

Unlike most lenders who offer fixed loan terms, Earnest lets you choose the length of your loan. You decide how quickly you want to pay off your loan, and choose a loan length to the month. For example, you may decide you can afford to pay off your loan in 9 years and 8 months, or that may be the amount of time you had left on your previous loan. You can generally get a loan for that length of time.

The APR you pay depends on factors including your credit score. Fixed rate loans start 4.45% APR, and variable rate loans start from 5.88% APR.

Loan cost example:

Earnest Loan Cost Example: These examples provide estimates based on payments beginning immediately upon loan disbursement. Variable annual percentage rate ("APR"): A $10,000 loan with a 20-year term (240 monthly payments of $101.46) and a 10.74% APR would result in a total estimated payment amount of $24,350.40. For a variable loan, after your starting rate is set, your rate will then vary with the market. Fixed APR: A $10,000 loan with a 20-year term (240 monthly payments of $101.46) and a 10.74% APR would result in a total estimated payment amount of $24,350.40. Your actual repayment terms may vary.

How Safe Is It?

The data you enter on the Earnest site is encrypted using industry-standard SSL technology. It is sent to servers in an off-site data center, where data is protected by firewalls, private subnets, and multi-factor authentication.

Help & Support

You can get help in three ways:

• Submit a request using the online form
• Use online chat
• Call 1-(888)-601-2801 Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PT, excluding holidays

Summary

Earnest works with you to meet your goals for refinancing your student loans. Whether it’s consolidating multiple loans, getting a better interest rate, removing a co-signer, or choosing a custom loan term to pay off your loan sooner, Earnest is there to help. They even have a Client Happiness team to help with your loan experience.

Physical Address

300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 340

Oakland, CA 94612

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Disclaimers

Interest Rate Disclosure:

Actual rate will vary based on your financial profile. Fixed annual percentage rates (APR) range from 4.70% APR to 10.24% APR (4.45% - 9.99% with .25% auto pay discount). Variable annual percentage rates (APR) range from 6.13% APR to 10.24% APR (5.88% - 9.99% with .25% auto pay discount). Earnest variable interest rate student loan refinance loans are based on a publicly available index, the 30-day Average Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The variable rate is based on the rate published on the 25th day, or the next business day, of the preceding calendar month, rounded to the nearest hundredth of a percent. The rate will not increase more than once a month, but there is no limit on the amount that the rate could increase at one time. Please note, we are not able to offer variable rate loans in AK, IL, MN, NH, OH, TN, and TX. Our lowest rates are only available for our most credit qualified borrowers and require selection of our shortest term offered (5 years) and enrollment in our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account. Enrolling in autopay is not required as a condition for approval.

AutoPay Discount Disclosure:

You can take advantage of the AutoPay interest rate reduction by setting up and maintaining active and automatic ACH withdrawal of your loan payment. The interest rate reduction for Auto Pay will be available only while your loan is enrolled in AutoPay. Interest rate incentives for utilizing Auto Pay may not be combined with certain private student loan repayment programs that also offer an interest rate reduction. For multi-party loans, only one party may enroll in AutoPay.

Lender Identification Footnote:

Earnest Loans are made by Earnest Operations LLC. Earnest Operations LLC, NMLS #1204917. 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 340, Oakland 94612. California Financing Law License 6054788. Visit www.earnest.com/licenses for a full list of licensed states. For California residents: Loans will be arranged or made pursuant to a California Financing Law License.

Earnest loans are serviced by Earnest Operations LLC with support from Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri (MOHELA) (NMLS# 1442770). Earnest LLC and its subsidiaries, including Earnest Operations LLC, are not sponsored by agencies of the United States of America.

http://nmlsconsumeraccess.org/

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