Ascent Student Loans Review 2025

Ascent offers private student loans to undergraduates, graduates and international students. Borrowers can choose from loan terms of five, seven, 10, 12 or 15 years.

Ascent student loans can be either co-signed or non-co-signed loans. Below is an overview of how both loan categories work.

Co-Signed Loans

Eligibility for co-signed loans is based on the borrower’s and co-signer’s credit history. Your co-signer can be a relative, like a parent, or someone else you trust. Co-signer release may be available after 12 months of consecutive, on-time payments.

Co-signed loans currently offer fixed rates starting at 2.89%* APR and variable rates starting at 4.24%* APR. Additionally, borrowers can get a 0.50% rate discount for using autopay.

Non-Co-Signed Student Loan

Non-co-signed student loans are either credit-based or outcomes-based. Below is an overview of how the two options work.

Credit-Based Student Loans

Students applying for a credit-based student loan without a co-signer must have at least two years of credit history. Fixed interest rates for credit-based loans without a co-signer currently start at 7.67%* APR, while variable rates start at 7.74%* APR. To lower costs, borrowers may qualify for a 0.50% rate discount for using autopay.

Outcomes-Based Student Loan

Outcomes-based student loans are available to junior and senior students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who are within nine months away from graduating with a degree.

Factors such as your school, degree program and major are considered when determining approval. Fixed interest rates on outcomes-based loans start at 12.79%* APR, and variable rates start at 12.81%* APR. Outcomes-based loans also offer a 1% autopay discount.

The minimum Ascent student loan is $2,001** up to the total cost of attendance. The aggregate maximum amount you can borrow per academic year from Ascent for an undergraduate and graduate degree is:

• $200,000 for undergraduate loans
• $400,000 for graduate loans

The maximum you can borrow for each academic year is:

• Up to the school’s cost of attendance, or
• $20,000 for undergraduate non-co-signed outcomes-based loans

Depending on the loan, Ascent considers factors such as your residency status, income, credit history, academic record and debt-to-income (DTI) ratio to determine eligibility.

Residency Requirements

Borrowers applying alone must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident or have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status. International borrowers may qualify as well, but only if they have an eligible co-signer. Co-signers must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Income and Credit Requirements

Ascent states that borrowers must meet minimum credit score requirements for credit-based loans, even when using a co-signer, and credit requirements are subject to change.

Income requirements vary. If you apply without a co-signer and have two years of credit history, you need to show yearly income of $30,000 for a credit-based loan.

Borrowers (and co-signers) may also need to meet minimum DTI requirements. Ascent doesn’t disclose the exact minimum DTI, but in general, borrowers with a DTI below 36% have the best shot at getting approved for loans.

Borrowers who don’t have income or established credit may be evaluated based on other factors, such as school performance.

Education Requirements

Students must be enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school to qualify for Ascent student loans. Outcomes-based loans have additional educational conditions since the lender determines eligibility by considering your academic accomplishments and career potential.

Ascent may consider your education program, graduation date, cost of attendance and more for approval.

Ascent offers five repayment options for student borrowers:

• Deferred repayment: Borrowers can defer repayment until after graduation. However, interest does accrue on the loan during in-school deferment.
• Interest-only repayment: Borrowers make interest-only payments while in school, which can stop interest from accruing and capitalizing. Capitalization is when interest is added to your balance.
• $25 minimum payment: Borrowers are required to make a minimum payment of $25 per month, which may not cover interest. Unpaid interest will capitalize.
• Progressive repayment: Payments start lower and gradually increase over time to make payments more affordable earlier in your career.
• Immediate repayment: Borrowers begin making full principal and interest payments immediately. This payment option typically results in the least interest paid.

Forbearance and Deferment Options

Ascent offers multiple ways for borrowers to pause payments. For financial hardship, Ascent may offer a maximum of 24 months of forbearance over the life of the loan term, which can be taken in increments of up to three months.

Administrative and emergency forbearance may be available if you need to dispute charges or you experience a natural disaster. Borrowers may also qualify to defer payments while in school, during active-duty military service or while pursuing residency, internships or fellowships.

Below are the steps to apply for an Ascent student loan:

1. Prequalify to explore options. Ascent has a prequalification process that allows you to check interest rates on loans without a hard credit inquiry. You have to share basic information about yourself, like your name, school and date of birth to receive quotes.

2. Select your loan. After filing out the preliminary form, Ascent provides loan options with monthly payment options to compare.

3. Provide documentation as requested. After choosing a loan, you may be asked to provide documents to verify your identity and financial information. Ascent will also confirm your eligibility by doing a hard credit check.

4. Wait for loan verification. Finally, Ascent contacts your school to confirm enrollment. Once the school provides verification, funds get sent directly to your school to pay tuition.

Applicants and current borrowers can contact Ascent by phone or email.

To get help with an application, support is available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST, and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. PST.

For borrowers with existing loans, support is available Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CST.

Ascent receives strong reviews from customers on Trustpilot, earning 4.4 out of five stars. Many borrowers rave about the customer service and quick application process. Some have left negative reviews about getting denied for loans, which is possible if you don’t meet criteria.

We reviewed Ascent based on its interest rates, fees, loan terms, hardship options, application process and eligibility. We rated Ascent based on the weighting assigned to each category:

• Hardship options: 30%
• Application process: 16%
• Loan terms: 14%
• Interest rates: 13%
• Eligibility: 14%
• Fees: 13%

Specific characteristics taken into consideration within each category included number of months of forbearance available, economic hardship repayment options available beyond traditional forbearance, perks like cash-back rewards upon graduation, discounts, time to default, disclosure of credit score and income requirements and other factors.

***Ascent’s undergraduate and graduate student loans are funded by Bank of Lake Mills or DR Bank, each Member FDIC. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions. Certain restrictions, limitations, terms and conditions may apply for Ascent’s Terms and Conditions please visit AscentFunding.com/Ts&Cs. Annual Percentage Rates (APRs) displayed above are effective as of 11/1/2025 and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount of 0.25% on credit-based college student loans submitted prior to 6/1/2025, a 0.5% discount for on credit-based college student loans submitted on or after 6/1/2025 and a 1.00% discount on outcomes-based loans when you enroll in automatic payments. Loans subject to individual approval, restrictions and conditions apply. Loan features and information advertised are intended for college student loans and are subject to change at any time. For more information, see repayment examples or review the Ascent Student Loans Terms and Conditions. The final amount approved depends on the borrower’s credit history, verifiable cost of attendance as certified by an eligible school and is subject to credit approval and verification of application information. Lowest interest rates require full principal and interest (Immediate) payments, the shortest loan term, a cosigner, and are only available for our most creditworthy applicants and cosigners with the highest average credit scores. Actual APR offered may be higher or lower than the examples above, based on the amount of time you spend in school and any grace period you have before repayment begins. Variable rates may increase after consummation.1% Cash Back Graduation Reward subject to terms and conditions. For details on Ascent borrower benefits, visit AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. Ascent applicants and borrowers that agree to the AscentUP Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, as well as students associated with an Ascent parent loan application, have access to the AscentUP platform. 

**The minimum amount is $2,001 except for the state of Massachusetts. Minimum loan amount for borrowers with a Massachusetts permanent address is $6,001.

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