By Joseph Reinke, CFA, Founder of FitBUX
In our College Ave student loan review, we provide an overview of the company, student loan refinancing pros and cons, in-school private loans, and a comparison between College Ave and Sallie Mae.
Also, to help you, we developed a step-by-step student loan refinance checklist. Complete the info below and we’ll send you the checklist via email!
Table of Contents
College Ave Company Overview
College Ave Student Loan Review: Refinance
College Ave Student Loan Review: In-School
Is College Ave Better Than Sallie Mae?
College Ave Company Overview
College Ave was founded in 2014. They are known to have very competitive rates for in-school private loans as well as having numerous repayment options.
Their student loan refinance product is hit and miss. Sometimes they have really good rates and other times not so good. They are worth looking into if you are refinancing.
However, one red flag is that they’ve had 3 loans servicers in the past 6 years. The current servicer is UAS Accounting Services and they do not have a good track record in the industry. With that said, we haven’t received any complaints lately and if the rate is good enough then it may be worth it to still refinance with College Ave.
As a side note, if we do receive complaints from FitBUX Members about UAS, we will remove College Ave. from our list of partners.
College Ave Student Loan Review: Refinance
College Ave offers both in-school loans and refinance opportunities post-graduation. This section provides details on their refinance product plus its pros and cons relative to other companies list on our 10 best student loan refinance company list.
Term: Loan terms range between 5 and 20 years. They are unique because you can select any term within the time period, i.e. if you want a 9 year loan you can do so (Earnest does the same thing). We at FitBUX don’t consider this a major benefit because you can always use a regular loan and make prepayments.
Current Fixed Rates: 3.24% – 7.99%
Current Variable Rates: 2.62% – 6.12%
Pros
You can pay interest only option for first two years of loan (Lendkey has an interest only option as well).
Minimum credit score to qualify is 660. This is one of the lowest in the industry. However, individuals with this score often times get better rates at Earnest and Lendkey.
The minimum dollar amount to refinance is $5,000 and you have to make at least $38,000 a year to qualify.
One of the biggest benefits of College Ave is their qualification standards. They are one of the lowest in the industry, i.e. they are one of the easiest companies to refinance your loans with. However, Earnest is as well and they often times have much lower rates.
Cons
College Ave does not have a forbearance policy. This means, once you are in the loan you are making payments regardless of financial hardship
The maximum you can refinance with them is $150,000. Therefore, if you have an advanced degree, you may not be able to refinance all your loans.
Also, if you have Parent Plus loans, you can not refinance them into your name through College Ave.
One last negative, if you live in Maine, you can not refinance with College Ave.
College Ave Student Loan Review: In-School
In addition to student loan refinancing, College Ave offers private student loans for those still in school.
The minimum loan size for in school loans through College Ave is $1,000.
Current Fixed Rates: 4.39% – 11.98%
Current Variable Rates: 2.69% – 10.97%
These loans are best for people that want to make payments while in school. College Ave has a unique feature that allows you to choose a payment while in school. Also, they will give you a six month grace period after graduation before you have to start making payments.
One of the main drawbacks is they only have four loan terms, 5, 8, 10, and 15 years.
Is College Ave Better Than Sallie Mae?
If you have a 700 – 780 FICO score, then a majority of the time College Ave beats Sallie Mae. Typically, they have better rates, more repayment options, and offer refinancing.
If you are below 700 or have a really high FICO Score, then Sallie Mae typically wins out in regards to having a lower rate.
Sallie Mae also doesn’t offer an immediate payment option while you are in school. College Ave does and it doesn’t have to be a full payment either.
More Student Loan Refinancing Resources
FitBUX’s Free Student Loan Refinance Service
Earnest Student Loan Refinance Review
Splash Financial Student Loan Refinance Review
Sofi Student Loan Refinance Review
Laurel Road Student Loan Refinance Review
Lendkey Student Loan Refinance Review
Refinancing Student Loans The Ultimate Guide
8 Myths Of Student Loan Refinancing
Finding A Student Loan Planner
FitBUX’s Free Student Loan Planners
Also, if you are pursuing student loan forgiveness via an Income-Based repayment plan, do not refinance!
