Best International Student Loans

Earnest offers a wide variety of student loans, including some specialized graduate loans and refinance loans. International students can apply if they have an SSN or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), a physical address in the U.S., and a co-signer who's a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

The lender's interest rates are competitive, and you'll be able to borrow up to the cost of attendance. When it comes to repayment, there's a lot of flexibility, as Earnest allows you to adjust your term down to the month. You'll also get a nine-month grace period after you graduate rather than the standard six-month period.

If you struggle to keep up with your payments, you can get up to 12 months of forbearance or a modified plan that may involve a lower interest rate, interest-only payments, or an extended term.

Earnest doesn't charge any fees, aside from interest, and it offers a 0.25% discount on your interest rate if you set up automatic payments. For more information, see the full Earnest Student Loans Review.

Juno doesn't offer student loans on its own. Rather, it gathers large groups of prospective borrowers and gets private student loan companies to compete for their business. This approach can help you secure a lower interest rate than you could get on your own—Juno boasts a median lower rate of 1.6%. 

As a DACA recipient or an international student, you can sign up for free to get started. There's no cost or commitment, and you also don't need to undergo a credit check. Juno will pool you together with a group of other potential borrowers and ask its partner lenders to submit bids for your business. Then, it'll select the best bid and share the deal with you. If you agree, you'll submit an application directly with the lender and get the features it offers.

With this approach, Juno can potentially help you save money, but it only works with a handful of lenders, so you might miss out on a better deal elsewhere if you don't shop around. The actual terms for your loan will depend on the lender Juno chooses for you, so you may not get exactly what you want. 

If you're not certain about your eligibility, Credible makes it easy to get pre-qualified with multiple lenders at once. Then, you can compare rate quotes and terms to determine the right fit for you. 

You can generally find a loan that covers the total cost of attendance at your school, but because the interest rates, terms, and other features will vary by lender, you'll need to do some extra legwork to research your options to find the right fit. 

Credible doesn't charge a fee for its service, and its partner lenders don't charge origination fees or prepayment penalties. However, they may charge late fees. They may also offer various interest rate discounts, which can be worth exploring. For more information, see the full Credible Student Loans Review.

Ascent offers several student loan options for international students, particularly for graduate studies. The lender offers a wide range of repayment terms, which can vary based on your loan type, and borrowers can postpone payments after graduation for up to 9 or 36 months, depending on the loan program.

In addition to a 0.25% autopay discount on your interest rate, the lender offers a cash-back reward worth 1% of your loan balance when you graduate and meet certain requirements. And if you refer friends to Ascent, you can get up to $525 for each one when they're approved and receive their loan funds. They'll also get a $100 bonus.

Before you apply, you can get pre-qualified to assess your eligibility. Remember, though, that as an international student, you'll need a co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and Ascent does not offer co-signer release. For more information, see the full Ascent Student Loans Review.

Citizens Bank offers several different types of graduate student loans, making it easier to find one specialized to your needs. In addition to a 0.25% interest rate discount for automatic payments, the lender also offers a 0.25% rate discount if you or your co-signer has a qualifying Citizens Bank account at the time of the application.

Additionally, the lender offers multi-year approval, so you don't have to submit an official application every year. You'll need a creditworthy co-signer who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to get approved, but you can get them removed once you meet certain requirements. 

If you're attending an expensive school, you may run into some problems with the bank's aggregate limits, which vary based on the type of loan. Repayment terms aren't as flexible as some lenders, but you'll still get a few options. For more information, see the full Citizens Bank Student Loans Review.

Discover offers undergraduate loans and a wide array of graduate student loans, even to international students who have a creditworthy co-signer who's a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Unfortunately, you won't be able to release that co-signer later on unless you refinance the loan with a different lender.

In addition to a 0.25% interest rate discount for automatic payments, the lender offers a 0.35% interest rate discount if you choose to make interest-only payments while you're in school. You can also get a reward worth 1% of your loan balance if you achieve a 3.0 GPA or its equivalent. There are no fees whatsoever on Discover's student loans.

That said, Discover only offers one repayment term to its borrowers, which is 15 years for undergraduate loans and 20 years for graduate loans. You can borrow up to the total cost of attendance, but Discover may set limits on the total amount you can borrow—the lender doesn't disclose a cap publicly. Loans aren't available to part-time students.

If you're unsure about your eligibility, you won't be able to pre-qualify to assess your options; you’ll have to submit a full application. For more information, see the full Discover Student Loans Review.

PenFed Credit Union doesn't offer in-school student loans, but the institution does partner with Ascent, which offers co-signed undergraduate and graduate loans for international students. As a result, all the terms would be the same as if you were to apply directly with Ascent. 

Ascent offers various repayment terms, which vary based on loan type. Depending on which loan you choose, you can postpone payments for up to 9 or 36 months after graduation.

On top of a 0.25% autopay discount on your interest rate, Ascent offers graduates a 1% cash-back reward based on their loan balance with the lender. You can also earn up to $525 when you refer a friend, and they can get a bonus, too.

To gauge your eligibility, get pre-qualified before you submit an application. For more information, see the full Ascent Student Loans Review.

While many lenders offer student loans to international students, most of them require a co-signer who's a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. That can be tough if you don't have loved ones who meet either of those requirements. With MPOWER, you can get approved without a co-signer or even a credit check.

That said, MPOWER's interest rates are higher than most lenders, so if you do have a co-signer who meets other lenders' requirements, you're likely better off applying with them elsewhere. Fortunately, MPOWER offers up to 1.50% in interest rate discounts, which you can maximize if you set up automatic payments, make six on-time payments on autopay, and graduate and get a job.

It's also important to note that the lender charges a 5% origination fee and requires interest-only payments while you're in school. What's more, there's no flexibility with repayment terms—all borrowers get 10 years. If you're attending a relatively pricey school or pursuing multiple degrees, you may have trouble with the lender's $100,000 lifetime limit. 

A lot of MPOWER's features aren't ideal, but if you don't have an eligible co-signer, it can be better than having no options at all. For more information, see the full MPOWER Financing Student Loans Review.

If you're a graduate student who wants to study in the U.S. or another country, Prodigy Finance may be able to help. The lender offers loans for international students in 18 countries. However, only select schools are eligible. Also, Prodigy loans aren't available in 16 U.S. states.

The lender doesn't require a co-signer, which can be a huge plus for international students with no loved ones in the U.S. Loan terms are also relatively flexible. 

That said, you'll need to pay a 5% administrative fee, which is added to your loan when it's disbursed. Also, interest rates can be high, and they're variable only, which means they'll fluctuate over time with the market. There are no interest rate discounts. As a result, it may be better to consider other options if you have an established credit history or a co-signer with one. The high minimum loan amount can also be restrictive. 

For more information, see the full Prodigy Finance Student Loans Review.