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Ascent Student Loans 2022 Review

Hanneh Bareham specializes in everything related to student loans and helping you finance your next educational endeavor. She aims to help others reach their collegiate and financial goals through making student loans easier to understand. Updated on 1-1-2022 Advertiser Disclosure

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You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.

At a glance

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Ascent features

If you need to take out a private loan to pay for school, it can be difficult to qualify without a co-signer. But you may qualify with one of Co-signed credit-based student loan: If you have a creditworthy co-signer, then you may qualify for this type of loan. Ascent will pull your credit and your co-signer’s credit during the application process. Non-co-signed credit-based loan: Even without a co-signer, you may qualify for a loan if you have at least two years’ worth of credit history. Non-co-signed outcomes-based loan: Juniors and seniors may qualify for a loan based on factors other than credit. Ascent will consider your school, degree program and potential salary after graduation. Students seeking undergraduate, , , , and dental degrees can apply for loans, but the maximum you can borrow depends on your credit. If you have sufficient credit, then you may borrow up to $200,000 total. But juniors and seniors who take out an outcomes-based loan may borrow only up to $20,000 per year. Ascent’s variable and fixed rates start low, though rates on its upper bound are a bit higher than what other lenders offer. Loan terms range from five to 20 years, depending on the type of loan, and you can choose from three flexible repayment plans. Ascent also offers incentive programs — including a cash back graduation reward and a referral bonus — and a generous grace period for some graduate loans. And if you experience financial hardship while repaying the loan, you may be able to suspend payments for up to 24 months total.

Ascent in the details

Loan Amount $2,001 to $200,000 (aggregate) APR from Undergraduate: 3.39% to 13.65% variable APR, 4.12% to 15.75% fixed APR (with autopay) Graduate: 4.39% to 13.65% variable APR, 5.12% to 15.75% fixed APR (with autopay) Term lengths 5 to 20 years

Pros and cons of Ascent student loans

Before applying for an Ascent student loan, it’s best to be aware of both the benefits and drawbacks of this lender.

PROS

Flexible co-signer options. Unlike with many other lenders, undergraduate students may qualify for a loan without a co-signer and with no credit history. Depending on the loan, eligibility may be based on credit or future income. If you take out a loan with a co-signer, you can remove them from the loan after you make 24 consecutive on-time payments. Low loan amounts available: Ascent sets its minimum loan amount at $2,001. This is good if you only need a small amount of money to fill in the gaps of your education costs. Generous deferment and forbearance: You may be able to pause payments if you’re enrolled in school, you’re accepted into a residency program or you’re called up for military service. Temporary forbearance options are available, too. You may be able to suspend payments for up to 24 months total throughout the life of the loan. Cash back graduation reward: Borrowers who earn their degree within five years and authorize automatic payments are eligible for a one-time payment equal to 1 percent of the original loan balance.

CONS

Fewer repayment terms. Ascent offers fewer repayment terms than similar lenders. Limited outcomes-based eligibility. Juniors and seniors may qualify for a non-co-signed loan based on their future income. But freshmen and sophomores won’t qualify for this type of loan.

Ascent student loan requirements

To qualify for an Ascent student loan, you must be the age of majority in your state and a U.S. citizen. If you’re not a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, then you may qualify if you have a creditworthy co-signer who meets those requirements. Ascent’s other loan requirements depend on whether you have a co-signer. If you’re applying with a co-signer, Ascent will pull both your credit and the co-signer’s credit during the application process. According to an Ascent representative, Ascent typically requires a credit score of 540 for the borrower and 620 for the co-signer. Plus, your co-signer will need to show proof that they earn at least $24,000 per year. You’ll need to be enrolled in school at least half time. Independent borrowers applying for the non-co-signer credit-based loan will need at least two years’ worth of credit history and a credit score of at least 680, according to an Ascent representative. You’ll also need to be enrolled at least half time. But borrowers applying for loans based on their future income must be enrolled full time or graduating within the next six months.

Who is this loan good for

Ascent loans are a good option for borrowers with a creditworthy co-signer, independent borrowers who have at least two years’ worth of a credit history or upperclassmen who qualify for a loan based on their future income. However, if you’re a freshman or sophomore and you lack a co-signer and enough credit history, you might not qualify for one of Ascent’s loans. The lender also doesn’t offer refinancing loans or student loans for parents, which limits your options.

Interest rates and terms

Borrowers with credit-based loans can get a 0.25 percent interest rate discount after setting up automatic payments. That discount rises to 1 percent if you take out a loan based on your future income and set up autopay. Below are Ascent's interest rates by loan type. All rates include an automatic payment discount. Loan product Variable rate Fixed rate Undergraduate non-co-signed credit-based 7.73% to 13.65% APR 9.93% to 15.75% APR Undergraduate non-co-signed outcomes-based 10.99% to 12.97% APR 13.21% to 14.01% APR Undergraduate co-signed 3.39% to 12.40% APR 4.12% to 15.31% APR General graduate school 4.39% to 13.65% APR 5.12% to 15.75% APR Law school 4.39% to 13.65% APR 5.12% to 15.75% APR Dental school 4.39% to 13.65% APR 5.12% to 15.75% APR Medical school 4.39% to 13.65% APR 5.04% to 15.75% APR MBA 4.39% to 13.65% APR 5.12% to 15.75% APR

Fees and penalties

Ascent doesn’t charge any origination, application or disbursement fees for its . However, borrowers may be charged fees for late payments and returned payments.

Repayment terms and grace period

Ascent’s repayment terms vary by loan type, but all student loans come with a grace period of at least nine months. Undergraduate borrowers can choose repayment terms of five, seven, 10, 12 or 15 years, though undergraduate borrowers who choose the outcomes-based loan are limited to a 10- or 15-year repayment period. After graduation, borrowers can defer payments for up to nine months. All graduate loans offer repayment periods of seven, 10, 12 or 15 years. Medical and dental students have an additional 20-year repayment option for variable-rate loans. MBA, law and general graduate students have a nine-month grace period, while dental students and medical students can defer payments for up to 12 or 36 months, respectively. Repayment options include: Deferred: Borrowers don’t have to make principal or interest payments while they’re enrolled at least half time in school and during the grace period. Interest-only: Borrowers can choose to make interest payments while enrolled at least half time in school. $25 minimum repayment: Borrowers can pay at least $25 a month while enrolled at least half time. This helps reduce the balance you have to pay down after graduation.

Customer service

Ascent’s student loans are funded by Richland State Bank, which received an A+ rating by the , and they’re serviced by Launch Servicing. You can contact Ascent’s customer service department at 877-216-0876 Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST and Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. PST. The company’s email address is [email protected]. For questions about an existing loan, such as payment, deferment or forbearance information, contact Launch Servicing. You can reach the customer service department at 877-354-2629 every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. The company’s email address is [email protected].

How to apply for a loan with Ascent

Borrowers can apply for an Ascent student loan entirely online. The application process takes about five minutes if you have all of your information handy. Here’s what the process looks like when applying for a loan through Ascent: You’ll need to answer questions about the school you plan to attend, the degree you’re seeking, any financial aid received, your citizenship status, the amount you want to borrow and your expected enrollment status and graduation date. Be prepared to provide your Social Security number. Receive your preliminary decision. Based on whether you plan to add a co-signer and the type of interest rate you prefer, Ascent will give you an interest rate estimate. Accept your offer. If you feel that the loan terms are affordable, accept the loan and choose a repayment plan. Upload your required documents. You and your co-signer (if applicable) will need to sign loan documents and upload them to the portal. Wait for Ascent to review your documents. It may take Ascent one to two business days to review the information. Then the lender will contact your school to certify the loan. The certification process varies by school, so Ascent recommends asking your school how long its certification process takes.

How Bankrate rates Ascent

Overall Score 4.5 Repayment Options 4.6 Ascent’s loan amounts are more limited than those of other lenders, though it has many different types of loans to choose from. Affordability 4.8 The fact that a co-signer is not required for undergraduates gives Ascent a boost, even if some of its APRs for those loans are higher than those of competitors. Customer Experience 4.0 While Ascent has a good online experience, its customer service department is limited to weekdays. Editorial disclosure: All reviews are prepared by Bankrate.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the lender’s website for the most current information.

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