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Should You Refinance Federal Student Loans?
Consider refinancing federal student loans only if you don't need federal benefits and can qualify for lower rates.
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Cecilia Clark Assistant Assigning Editor | Education financing products, Veteran's benefits, Student and graduate finances
Cecilia Clark is an editor on the loans team. She specializes in student loans and manages product reviews and roundups. Previously, she worked as a freelance writer and developed communications strategies for cybersecurity firms. Cecilia has also worked in post-secondary education, elevator operations management and sales and military nuclear command control, maintenance management and public affairs.
Des Toups Lead Assigning Editor | Student loans, repaying college debt, paying for college
Des Toups was a lead assigning editor who supported the student loans and auto loans teams. He had decades of experience in personal finance journalism, exploring everything from car insurance to bankruptcy to couponing to side hustles.
Student loan refinancing can help you save money if you qualify for lower interest rates. But even if offered the lowest rates, don't be so quick to refinance your federal student loans.
Refinancing federal loans with a private lender costs you access to government programs — like the student loan relief offered throughout the pandemic.
Even though the student loan payment pause is expected to end by summer 2023, make sure you're OK parting ways with other repayment and relief programs, like income-drive repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
If you have private student loans, refinancing remains a good option if you can lower your interest rate.
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The federal government offered unprecedented help to borrowers during the pandemic. Because of the government's ability to provide these and other borrower protections, think about more than the interest rate when deciding whether to refinance. Consider the following:
Will your job be at risk in the coming months?
Would you struggle to afford all your financial obligations if your employment changes?
Do you qualify for other federal loan forgiveness programs?
If the answer is "yes" to any of these questions, think twice about refinancing.
Consider refinancing government loans if you're comfortable with the risks involved. If you don't need the federal loan benefits, refinancing student loans could offer long-term savings on high-interest federal loans.
For example, say you owed $30,000 with a 7% interest rate and 10 years on your repayment term. Refinancing at a 5% interest rate — roughly the best you could expect — would save you around $3,600.
To qualify, you’ll typically need good credit (a FICO score in at least the high 600s) and a debt-to-income ratio less than 50%. If you wait to refinance, work to exceed those benchmarks to get the best deal possible when you do apply.
Can you refinance federal student loans?
You can refinance student loans, but only with a private lender. You can’t refinance student loans through the federal government. To keep federal benefits, you can consolidate federal student loans. But federal consolidation won’t lower your interest rate or save you money.
When you refinance loans, a private lender pays off your existing loans and issues you a new private loan with new terms. Once you refinance government loans, you can’t return them to the federal student loan program. By making this trade, you give up certain benefits.
The risks of refinancing federal loans include losing the following benefits:
Cancellation
President Biden's one-time proposal to cancel up to $20,000 in student loans currently hangs in the balance of the Supreme Court.
The current interest and payment waiver
The government automatically suspended payments and waived interest on federal student loans in March 2020. Payments are expected to resume in late summer 2023.
Access to potential loan forgiveness
If you teach or work in public service or for a nonprofit, you would lose access to the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Teacher Loan Forgiveness programs, which forgive your loans, tax-free.
Flexible repayment plans
These include income-driven repayment plans, which can make your monthly payments more manageable if you don’t earn a lot of money. These plans base payments on your income and family size and forgive your remaining debt after 20 or 25 years of repayment. Some refinance lenders offer plans that decrease your payments temporarily. Those that offer income-driven programs are incredibly rare.
Interest-free payment postponements
If you lose your job or run into financial issues, you may be able to temporarily pause repayment via deferment and forbearance. During deferment, interest does not accrue on subsidized federal student loans. Interest usually accrues on unsubsidized loans, as well as on all loans during forbearance; the government is currently waiving this interest, though.
Some refinance lenders offer postponement options, but you are always responsible for the interest.
Loan discharge options
Remaining federal debt may be eliminated in instances such as school fraud or if you, or the borrower benefiting from the loan, die or become totally and permanently disabled. Discharge options vary by refinance lender.
In some instances, it may make sense to refinance only some of your federal loans. For example, you could refinance your higher-interest PLUS loans from graduate school, but not your undergraduate direct loans. This would keep part of your federal protections in place, should the unexpected happen in the future. You can never transfer private loans to the federal government.
If you've decided to refinance your federal loans, review offers from multiple lenders to find the best deal. Most private lenders will prequalify you via a soft credit check so you can see your new interest rate.
The main reason to refinance government loans is to save money. You may see refinance lenders advertise big savings, but your situation will determine what you save.
Other potential benefits of refinancing federal loans include the following:
Make a single loan payment each month. If you also have private student loans, you can refinance them together with federal loans.
Switch student loan servicers. You'll get a new servicer through your refinancing lender, which you may want if you've been unhappy with your federal loan servicer.
But a single monthly payment or a different loan servicer likely isn’t worth giving up the peace of mind that comes with government loans. Keep your eye on the savings instead.
How much can refinancing save you?
Note: This calculator assumes that after you refinance, you’ll make minimum monthly payments.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula for student loan products takes into account more than 50 data points across multiple categories, including repayment options, customer service, lender transparency, loan eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 4.20% APR to 9.99% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 6.14% APR to 9.99% APR (excludes 0.25% 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 per month. The maximum rate for your loan is 8.95% if your loan term is 10 years or less. For loan terms of more than 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95%. 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 contain our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account.
650
5.89-
9.74%
Actual rate and available repayment terms will vary based on your income. Fixed rates range from 4.20% APR to 9.99% APR (excludes 0.25% Auto Pay discount). Variable rates range from 6.14% APR to 9.99% APR (excludes 0.25% 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 per month. The maximum rate for your loan is 8.95% if your loan term is 10 years or less. For loan terms of more than 10 years to 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 9.95%. For loan terms over 15 years, the interest rate will never exceed 11.95%. 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 contain our .25% auto pay discount from a checking or savings account.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula for student loan products takes into account more than 50 data points across multiple categories, including repayment options, customer service, lender transparency, loan eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Interest Rates: Eligibility and Important Details. Fixed rates range from 3.54% APR to 15.99% APR with 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates range from
5.54% APR to 15.99% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates are capped at 17.95%. SoFi
rate ranges are current as of 11/20/24 and are subject to change at any time. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term
and type of repayment option you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer (if applicable) and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates
reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Check out our eligibility criteria at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/. For the SoFi variable-rate product, the
variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month,
rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. The
SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or
checking account. This benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit
lowers your interest rate but does not change the amount of your monthly payment. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. SoFi Private Student loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) UNDERGRAD LOANS: This repayment example is based on typical loan terms for a freshman borrower who selects the Partial Payment option with a 10-year repayment
term, a $10,000 loan that is disbursed in a single disbursement, a 0.25% autopay discount, and a fixed rate between 8.26% – 13.23% Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”)
(with autopay). It also assumes the borrower remains in school for 4 years and has a 6-month grace period (together, the deferment period) before the loan term begins. It works out to 54 monthly payments of $25 during the deferment period, followed by 120 monthly payments ranging from $158.13 – $244.80 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments ranging from $20,325.32 – $30,726.15. This repayment example assumes that the borrower is signed up for autopay and that all payments are made on time, with no pre-payments. Terms and conditions apply. Offer good for new and repeat borrowers that apply for and are approved for a SoFi Private Student Loan. To receive the offer, you must: (1) complete a loan application with SoFi between 11/11/24 12:01AM PT to 01/30/25 11:59PM PT; and (2) meet SoFi’s underwriting criteria. Once conditions are met and the loan has been disbursed, the interest rate shown in the Final Disclosure Statement will include an additional 0.25% rate discount. Offer cannot be combined with any other rate discounts, with the exception of the 0.25% AutoPay rate discount. SoFi reserves the right to change or terminate the Rate Discount Program to unenrolled participants at any time with or without notice. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. This benefit is suspended during periods of non-payment through ACH, deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi.
650
5.54-
15.99%
Interest Rates: Eligibility and Important Details. Fixed rates range from 3.54% APR to 15.99% APR with 0.25% autopay discount. Variable rates range from
5.54% APR to 15.99% APR with a 0.25% autopay discount. Unless required to be lower to comply with applicable law, Variable Interest rates are capped at 17.95%. SoFi
rate ranges are current as of 11/20/24 and are subject to change at any time. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed above and will depend on the term
and type of repayment option you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, presence of a co-signer (if applicable) and a variety of other factors. Lowest rates
reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Check out our eligibility criteria at https://www.sofi.com/eligibility-criteria/. For the SoFi variable-rate product, the
variable interest rate for a given month is derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month,
rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). APRs for variable-rate loans may increase after origination if the SOFR index increases. The
SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or
checking account. This benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit
lowers your interest rate but does not change the amount of your monthly payment. This benefit is suspended during periods of deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. SoFi Private Student loans are originated by SoFi Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. NMLS #696891 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org) UNDERGRAD LOANS: This repayment example is based on typical loan terms for a freshman borrower who selects the Partial Payment option with a 10-year repayment
term, a $10,000 loan that is disbursed in a single disbursement, a 0.25% autopay discount, and a fixed rate between 8.26% – 13.23% Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”)
(with autopay). It also assumes the borrower remains in school for 4 years and has a 6-month grace period (together, the deferment period) before the loan term begins. It works out to 54 monthly payments of $25 during the deferment period, followed by 120 monthly payments ranging from $158.13 – $244.80 while in the repayment period, for a total amount of payments ranging from $20,325.32 – $30,726.15. This repayment example assumes that the borrower is signed up for autopay and that all payments are made on time, with no pre-payments. Terms and conditions apply. Offer good for new and repeat borrowers that apply for and are approved for a SoFi Private Student Loan. To receive the offer, you must: (1) complete a loan application with SoFi between 11/11/24 12:01AM PT to 01/30/25 11:59PM PT; and (2) meet SoFi’s underwriting criteria. Once conditions are met and the loan has been disbursed, the interest rate shown in the Final Disclosure Statement will include an additional 0.25% rate discount. Offer cannot be combined with any other rate discounts, with the exception of the 0.25% AutoPay rate discount. SoFi reserves the right to change or terminate the Rate Discount Program to unenrolled participants at any time with or without notice. The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. This benefit is suspended during periods of non-payment through ACH, deferment and forbearance. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula for student loan products takes into account more than 50 data points across multiple categories, including repayment options, customer service, lender transparency, loan eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Credible lets you check with multiple student loan lenders to get rates with no impact to your credit score. Visit their website to take the next steps.
4.89-
9.04%
See LendKey's full terms and conditions at https://www.lendkey.com/disclaimers
680
5.54-
9.12%
See LendKey's full terms and conditions at https://www.lendkey.com/disclaimers
Credible lets you check with multiple student loan lenders to get rates with no impact to your credit score. Visit their website to take the next steps.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula for student loan products takes into account more than 50 data points across multiple categories, including repayment options, customer service, lender transparency, loan eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Credible lets you check with multiple student loan lenders to get rates with no impact to your credit score. Visit their website to take the next steps.
4.88-
8.44%
Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. https://www.elfi.com/terms/
680
4.86-
8.49%
Subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. https://www.elfi.com/terms/
Credible lets you check with multiple student loan lenders to get rates with no impact to your credit score. Visit their website to take the next steps.
NerdWallet's ratings are determined by our editorial team. The scoring formula for student loan products takes into account more than 50 data points across multiple categories, including repayment options, customer service, lender transparency, loan eligibility and underwriting criteria.
Splash Financial, Inc. (NMLS # 1630038) reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. The information you provide is an inquiry to determine whether Splash’s lending partners can make you a loan offer, but does not guarantee you will receive any loan offers. Terms and conditions apply. Products may not be available in all states. These rates are subject to change at any time. If you do not use the specific link included on this website, offers on the Splash website may include other offers from lending partners that may have a higher rate. Fixed Rate options range from 5.94% APR - 8.95% APR (without autopay). Variable rate options range from 7.60% APR (with autopay) to 7.85% APR (without autopay). Variable APRs and amounts subject to increase or decrease. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers and may require an autopay discount of 0.25%. Some of the rates are based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) index and some are derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). Fixed loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 7.50% for a 10-year term would be $118.70. Variable loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 7.85% for a 5-year term would be $202.05.
650
7.60-
7.85%
Splash Financial, Inc. (NMLS # 1630038) reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. The information you provide is an inquiry to determine whether Splash’s lending partners can make you a loan offer, but does not guarantee you will receive any loan offers. Terms and conditions apply. Products may not be available in all states. These rates are subject to change at any time. If you do not use the specific link included on this website, offers on the Splash website may include other offers from lending partners that may have a higher rate. Fixed Rate options range from 5.94% APR - 8.95% APR (without autopay). Variable rate options range from 7.60% APR (with autopay) to 7.85% APR (without autopay). Variable APRs and amounts subject to increase or decrease. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers and may require an autopay discount of 0.25%. Some of the rates are based on the one-month London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) index and some are derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001). Fixed loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 7.50% for a 10-year term would be $118.70. Variable loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 7.85% for a 5-year term would be $202.05.
