7 17 Credit Union Welcomes Harrison Hochman to Board of Directors

WARREN, OHIO – 7 17 Credit Union is proud to announce the appointment of Harrison Hochman to its Board of Directors. A dynamic and accomplished entrepreneur, Hochman brings a wealth of experience in financial technology and a passion for innovation that aligns seamlessly with the credit union’s mission of empowering members through financial access, education, …

Sparrow and CUNA Strategic Services Unite to Empower Gen Z & Millennial Financial Futures

CUNA Strategic Services aligns with Sparrow to help credit unions soar into the future and develop loyal, multi-product relationships with the next generation of members MADISON, WI – January 30, 2025 – CUNA Strategic Services is pleased to announce its new alliance with Sparrow, a trailblazer in fintech disruption. This collaboration aims to help credit …

Central Maine Credit Union Partners with Sparrow to Empower Next Generation of Members

$135M Credit Union leverages Sparrow to build a bridge to the next generation of membership NEW YORK, NY – August 13, 2024 – Central Maine Credit Union, a steadfast advocate for financial well-being, today announced a strategic partnership with Sparrow, a pioneering fintech platform dedicated to empowering credit unions in the Gen Z market. By …

Financial Plus Credit Union Partners with Sparrow to Revolutionize Trade School and College Funding

Financial Plus Credit Union Embraces Innovation to Support Michigan’s Future Workforce and Education FLINT, MI – In an exciting leap forward for educational finance, Financial Plus Credit Union (FPCU) is thrilled to announce a dynamic partnership with Sparrow, a trailblazer in financial technology aimed at transforming the way credit unions serve the evolving needs of …

Earnest Private Student Loans: 2024 Review

Earnest Snapshot Earnest offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing.1 Earnest’s student loans are available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. It is best if you are seeking competitive interest rates, unique borrower perks, and flexible repayment options that allow you to find a loan that matches your budget. Fixed APR Range: 4.42% to …

Best Private Student Loans of 2025

The best student loan for you will always be the one that suits your individual needs best. However, it’s helpful to have a few strong options to start with so you can get a better idea of what your loan options will look like. Whether you’re pursuing an undergraduate degree, a law degree, or a …

SoFi Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

SoFi Snapshot SoFi began offering private student loans in 2019 and has quickly become a strong option for undergraduates, graduates, law and MBA students, and parents looking to fund the cost of their education. With competitive interest rates, a diverse set of repayment options, and exclusive member benefits, SoFi is a good fit for borrowers …

CULCT Joins Forces with Sparrow to Supercharge Gen Z and Millennial Credit Union Membership

Sparrow and CULCT unite to empower credit unions and drive explosive Gen Z and Millennial membership growth New York, NY June 22, 2023 – Sparrow, a leading financial technology startup that powers student loan marketplaces, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with the Credit Union League of Connecticut (CULCT) to drive membership growth among …

Sparrow Partners with GoWest To Supercharge Gen Z & Millennial Membership with Credit Unions

Collaboration provides credit unions with the ability to reap the benefits of student loans without becoming a student lender. New York, NY June 16, 2023 – Sparrow, an award-winning financial technology startup redefining how credit unions attract and engage the next generation, is thrilled to unveil a strategic partnership with GoWest Credit Union Association, a …

LendKey Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

LendKey Snapshot LendKey offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing. By connecting borrowers with a network of 100+ lesser-known credit unions and community banks, LendKey allows you to work with smaller lenders with low rates and good customer service, rather than traditional lending institutions. LendKey’s student loan refinance offering is available to graduates …

Brazos Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Brazos Snapshot Brazos is a non-profit lender that offers private student loans and student loan refinancing. Since it was launched in 1975, Brazos has focused on bringing transparency and low-cost loans to Texas residents. While Brazos private student loans are only available to borrowers who are residents of, or students in, Texas, the non-profit lender …

LendKey Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

LendKey Snapshot LendKey offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing. By connecting borrowers with a network of 100+ lesser-known credit unions and community banks, LendKey allows you to work with smaller lenders with low rates and good customer service, rather than traditional lending institutions. LendKey’s student loan offering is available to undergraduate and …

EdvestinU Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

EdvestinU Snapshot EdvestinU is a student loan program from the nonprofit New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corp. They offer private student loans and student loan refinancing to students across the country. In order to qualify for EdvestinU’s student loan refinancing, you do not need to be from New Hampshire or even have graduated school. EdvestinU’s …

Student Loan Refinancing: Compare 9 Best Lenders

Refinancing your student loans can save you thousands over the life of your loan. By refinancing, you can swap your current student loan(s) for a new loan with a better interest rate or terms. If you have excellent credit or stable income, or a cosigner who does, you may benefit from refinancing your student debt. …

$420 Million Credit Union Partners with Sparrow to Revolutionize Their Gen Z Acquisition Strategy

SUMA Federal Credit Union selects Sparrow to power its newly launched private student loan marketplace. NEW YORK – May 25, 2023 – Sparrow, an award-winning financial technology startup redefining how credit unions attract and engage the next generation, unveils a strategic partnership with SUMA Federal Credit Union, a $420 million credit union serving over 7,000 …

6 Tips for Students to be Successful this School Year

Your academic life is so important. The key to being successful this school year is staying on top of yourstudies and taking care of yourself. Below, we collected six simple, accessible tips that can positivelyimpact your studies. Step 1: Set the Scene A great first step toward academic success is ensuring you have a place …

Former CEO of $3B Credit Union Joins Sparrow`s Advisory Board

NEW YORK – April 6, 2023 – Sparrow, a two-year-old financial technology startup that simplifies and streamlines the student loan process, announced today that Gene Pelham will join its Credit Union Advisory Board. Having been the CEO of two credit unions, Pelham brings over 40 years of industry experience to one of the fastest growing …

The College of Wooster partners with Sparrow to assist growing student population with financing needs

The College of Wooster selects Sparrow to help their students find the most affordable financing for school. Approximately 9% of graduating students from The College of Wooster borrow private student loans. This may seem relatively small, but with an average loan size of $16,000 – the demand for private student loans is significant. As a …

Best Private Lenders for Student Loans

Navigating the student loan process can be overwhelming. With so many student lenders to choose from, deciding which one you’d like to work with can be quite the challenge. Ultimately, the best student lender for you will be the one that suits you best. That said, it’s helpful to know a bit about each of …

Earnest Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Earnest Snapshot Earnest offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing.1 Earnest’s student loans are available to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. It is best if you are seeking competitive interest rates, unique borrower perks, and flexible repayment options that allow you to find a loan that matches your budget. Fixed APR Range: 4.42% to …

Earnest Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

Earnest Snapshot Earnest offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing.1 With competitive interest rates, customizable repayment plans, and a forward-looking eligibility criteria, Earnest is a good fit for borrowers who don’t have a cosigner but have a strong credit score.1  Fixed APR Range: 4.96% to 9.79%* (includes 0.25% auto pay discount) Variable APR …

What is a Soft Credit Check?

Soft credit checks (also called “soft pulls” or “soft inquiries”) occur when you or someone you authorize, such as an individual or company, checks your credit report. There are a few common reasons a soft credit check would occur — to prequalify for a loan, for employment background checks, and to check your credit score. …

ISL Education Lending Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

ISL Education Lending Snapshot ISL Education Lending is a nonprofit student loan lender offering both private student loans and student loan refinancing. ISL Education Lending refinance loans are best for borrowers who want to work with a nonprofit lender, want competitive interest rates, on-site loan servicing, or want to refinance without having a degree.  Fixed …

INvestED Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

INvestED Snapshot INvestED offers private student loans, parent loans, and student loan refinancing. INvestED’s student loan refinance offering is best if you are a resident of Indiana or student who attended school in Indiana seeking competitive interest rates and a variety of repayment options. Fixed APR Range: 5.85% to 9.48% Variable APR Range: 8.63% to …

INvestED Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

INvestED Snapshot INvestED offers private student loans, parent loans, and student loan refinancing. INvestED’s student loan offering is best if you are a resident of or student in Indiana seeking competitive interest rates, a variety of repayment options, and a flexible repayment option. Fixed APR Range: 4.61% to 8.67% Variable APR Range: 7.88% to 12.34% …

Sallie Mae Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Sallie Mae Snapshot Sallie Mae is one of the largest online private student lenders, offering borrowers competitive interest rates, a variety of repayment options, and a strong customer experience. Sallie Mae’s loan offering is available for a variety of programs such as undergraduate, graduate, MBA, law, medical, dental, and career training programs. Sallie Mae is …

SoFi Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

SoFi Snapshot SoFi is one of the largest student loan refinance companies in the industry. With competitive interest rates, a diverse set of repayment options, and exclusive member benefits, SoFi is a good fit for borrowers with an associate’s degree or higher or borrowers with a high income and strong credit score. Fixed APR Range: …

MPOWER Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

MPOWER Snapshot MPOWER is an online lender that offers non-cosigned undergraduate and graduate student loans to international, domestic, and DACA students, as well as student loan refinancing. It is best for international students and DACA students who don’t have a credit history and can’t access a qualified cosigner.  Fixed APR Range: up to 11.74% (12.69% …

EdvestinU Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

EdvestinU Snapshot EdvestinU is a student loan program from the nonprofit New Hampshire Higher Education Loan Corp that offers private student loans and student loan refinancing to students across the country. EdvestinU private student loans are available nationwide to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as international students with an eligible cosigner. It is best …

Edly Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Edly IBR Student Loan, funded by FinWise Bank, Member FDIC Snapshot Edly Income-Based Repayment (IBR) Student Loans, originated by Edly’s lending bank FinWise Bank, Member FDIC, provide an alternative loan option for students. Degree-seeking students at an Edly-supported school currently have two loan options: the Edly IBR No Cosigner Student Loan (for university students without …

Ascent Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Ascent Snapshot Ascent is an online lender that offers three types of student loans: a traditional cosigned loan, a non-cosigned credit-based loan, and a non-cosigned outcomes-based loan. The traditional cosigned loan is best for students who have a qualified cosigner and want to pay off their debt fast. The non-cosigned loan is best for borrowers …

Arkansas Student Loan Authority Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

Arkansas Student Loan Authority Snapshot The Arkansas Student Loan Authority (ASLA) is an Arkansas state entity that provides educational funding for all Arkansas students who wish to attend higher education institutions. ASLA offers three types of student loans: undergraduate and graduate loans, family loans, and student loan refinancing. While ASLA’s student loan refinancing is only …

Arkansas Student Loan Authority Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Arkansas Student Loan Snapshot The Arkansas Student Loan Authority (ASLA) is an Arkansas state entity that provides educational funding for all Arkansas students who wish to attend higher education institutions. ASLA offers three types of student loans: undergraduate and graduate loans, family loans, and student loan refinancing. The traditional undergraduate and graduate student loans are …

Custom Choice Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Custom Choice Student Loan Snapshot The Custom Choice Loan® is funded by Citizens. The Custom Choice Loan offers borrowers competitive rates, flexible repayment terms, and strong customer service. The loan is available for undergraduate and graduate students. It’s best if you want competitive interest rates, are seeking a flexible repayment term, and want strong borrower …

Nelnet Bank Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Nelnet Bank Snapshot Nelnet Bank offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing. Nelnet Bank’s student loan offering is available to undergraduate, graduate, MBA, law, and health professional students. It’s best if you are seeking competitive rates, a variety of repayment terms, and a flexible forbearance policy.  Fixed APR Range: 4.49% to 15.47%* Variable …

MPOWER Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

MPOWER Snapshot MPOWER is an online lender that offers non-cosigned undergraduate and graduate student loans to international, domestic, and DACA students. It is best for international students and DACA students who don’t have a credit history and can’t access a qualified cosigner.  Fixed APR Range: up to 13.74% (14.75% APR)* Variable APR Range: N/A Loan …

Prodigy Finance Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Prodigy Finance Snapshot Prodigy Finance is an online lender that offers non-cosigned graduate student loans to international students. It is best for international students who don’t have a credit history and can’t access a qualified cosigner.  Fixed APR Range: N/A Variable APR Range: 6.7%+ Loan Amounts: $10,000 ($35,000 in specific U.S. states) to $220,000 Minimum …

College Ave Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

College Ave Student Loan Refinancing Snapshot College Ave offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing with competitive rates, flexible repayment terms, and strong customer service. College Ave’s student loan refinance offering is best if you are seeking a more flexible repayment term that allows you to find a loan that matches your budget.  …

College Ave Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

College Ave Snapshot College Ave offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing with competitive rates, flexible repayment terms, and strong customer service. College Ave’s student loan offering is available for undergraduates, graduate students, professional school students, career school students, and parents of students. It’s best if you are seeking a more flexible repayment …

Nelnet Bank Student Loan Refinancing: 2024 Review

Nelnet Bank Snapshot Nelnet Bank offers both private student loans and student loan refinancing. Nelnet Bank’s student loan refinance offering is best if you are seeking competitive rates, a flexible forbearance policy, and the ability to refinance both private and/or federal student loans, including parent PLUS Loans.  Fixed APR Range: 7.12% to 11.19%* Variable APR …

Funding U Private Student Loans: 2025 Review

Funding U Snapshot Funding U is an online lender that focuses exclusively on undergraduate students with no cosigner. Rather than looking at your credit score or income, Funding U looks at non-traditional metrics such as your GPA and estimated future earnings to assess your creditworthiness. Funding U’s student loan is best if you are a …

Brazos Student Loan Refinancing: 2025 Review

Brazos Snapshot Brazos is a non-profit lender that offers private student loans and student loan refinancing. Since it was launched in 1975, Brazos has focused on bringing transparency and low-cost loans to Texas residents. While Brazos student loan refinancing is only available to Texas residents, the non-profit lender offers competitive rates and flexible terms to …

How We Select the Lenders We Partner With

Sparrow partners with financial institutions to provide students and their families with a streamlined search and comparison process that helps borrowers find the best private student loan offers in minutes.  We believe transparency is key to earning and maintaining borrowers’ trust. That’s why we take who we partner with seriously. The lenders that borrowers choose …

Student Loan Glossary | Complete List of Loan Vocabulary

An Annual Percentage Rate, or APR, is the interest rate applied on a student loan for the whole year. This number may differ from your interest rate because it takes into account any fees associated with your loan.