Student loan for international students

Studying abroad can be a life-changing experience, but it is not without its challenges. Higher education in the United States is pricey when compared to the cost of education in India. When opposed to private loans, federal student loans provide a number of advantages, but they are only available to U.S. residents and eligible non-citizens. As a result, for many overseas students, a private student loan is the greatest option for financing their education.

Can’t find funding for your studies in the U.S. or Canada? We’re here to help. We created the only fixed-rate student loan for international students that is secured by your future earnings potential, not by cosigners or collateral.

Best International Student Loans in 2022

Best for Undergraduate Students Without a Co-signer: MPOWER Financing

Best for Graduate Students Without a Co-signer: Prodigy Finance

Best for Graduate Students With a Co-signer: Citizens One

Best Interest Rates: Ascent Student Loans

Best for DACA Recipients: Discover

Mpower Loan

MPOWER Financing is a public benefit corporation whose declared aim is to lower the cost of overseas education. It has offices in New York and Bangalore, India, and is headquartered in Washington, DC. It was formed in 2014 by Manu Smadja and Michael Davis, who met while studying at INSEAD Paris. It has received a number of honors, including “Growth Company of the Year.”

How MPower financing offers student loans? 

MPOWER Financing provides student loans to students who would otherwise be unable to obtain a loan from other banks or lenders without a cosigner or collateral. MPOWER Financing provides loans to students who are less than two years away from graduating. International students and domestic students whose parents lack the credit history to cosign, as well as DACA recipients, frequently benefit from these services. The company lends to people from over 190 different countries, including Americans. As of March 2018, MPOWER Financing’s services were offered in 350 university and college programs. Approximately 90% of its borrowers are enrolled in graduate school.

Eligible for an MPOWER Loan?

  • An undergraduate or graduate student who is about to graduate in the next two years or who is about to begin a one- or two-year program.
  • An international student, a DACA recipient, a U.S. citizen, a refugee, or a seeker of asylum in the United States.
  • Accepted into or enrolled in one of our 350 accredited colleges in the United States or Canada.
  • To refinance, you must be a graduate and have worked in the United States or Canada for at least three months.

MPOWER international student loan rates 

For the first six months of education and for six months following graduation, students make interest-only payments. Borrowers make full repayments (interest and principal) until the loan is paid off after this time period. While there are no application or prepayment fees, each loan comes with a 5% origination cost.

MPOWER international student loan rates Before discounts:

  • Undergraduate fixed APR: 14.98%
  • Graduate fixed APR: 12.94%
  • Repayment terms: 10 years
  • Loan amounts: $2,001–$100,000 

MPOWER international student loan Review

Prodigy Finance

Prodigy Finance is a fintech platform that helps overseas postgraduate students who are enrolled in a partnering business school or postgraduate institution get funding.

Prodigy Finance’s loans are funded by a network of alumni, institutional investors, and qualified individual investors who earn a financial and social return, while the borrower gains access to higher education that they might not be able to afford otherwise.

Eligible for Prodigy Finance loan

Students must be studying outside of their native country or country of residence to be eligible for a loan. The United Kingdom is an exception, as Prodigy Finance can lend to UK students. To be eligible, applicants must have already been accepted to a participating institution.

  • You must choose a school and a course that it supports. Prodigy Finance presently serves over 750 schools across the world, but its programs are limited to those in the fields of business, public policy, law, health, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
  • You must make preparations to study abroad. You must make arrangements to attend school in a country other than your own. You may still be qualified if you’ve lived in the nation you wish to study in for less than a year when you apply.
  • You’re from one of the 120 countries supported by Prodigy Finance. The company is unable to lend in various countries, regions, and states in the United States and Canada.

Details on a Prodigy Finance foreign student loan:

  • Variable APR: Starting at 6.7%
  • Repayment terms: 7, 10, 15, or 20 years
  • Loan amounts: $15,000 and up at most U.S. schools

Advantages of Prodigy Finance Student Loans 

Prodigy Finance provides loans to students seeking graduate-level education in another country with no collateral, cosigners, or guarantors required. Prodigy meets an essential need for many overseas student borrowers, even if it isn’t the best option for the bulk of college students.

  • Students must be seeking a master’s degree at one of Prodigy’s over 800 partner schools in business, engineering, law, public policy, or medicine.
  • Students must be enrolled in a school outside of their home country.
  • Prodigy lends in more than 120 countries, but only in a few states and territories in the United States and Canada.
  • To qualify for a Prodigy student loan, borrowers do not need a cosigner or to put down collateral.
  • Prodigy only offers variable rate student loans, not fixed rate loans.

 Prodigy Finance Student Loans Review

Citizens One

International students who have a creditworthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident can apply for Citizens One loans. Borrowers can choose from four in-school repayment choices and three periods, and there are no application, origination, or prepayment costs.

Eligible for Citizens One loan

  • You must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States.
  • International students who do not have a Social Security number in the United States must have a co-signer who is a creditworthy United States citizen or permanent resident.
  • You must be enrolled at least half-time in a qualifying school’s degree program.
  • You must have strong credit or a co-signer who is qualified.
  • You must be of legal age in the state where you live, or have a cosigner.
  • You must have never defaulted on a student loan before.

Details on Citizen One’s international student loan:

  • Graduate Fixed APR: 4.18% – 10.95%
  • Repayment terms: 5, 10, or 15 years
  • Graduate loan amounts: $1,000 up to the total cost of attendance or $350,000 total aggregate, depending on the degree

Advantages of Citizens One Student Loans 

Citizens Bank offers low interest rates and multi-year approvals, and has one of the lowest loan minimums so you can borrow only the amount you need for school. You can borrow up to $150,000 for your undergraduate education and have up to 15 years to repay your loan.

  • Citizens Bank offers student loans for undergraduates, graduates, and parents.
  • You have the option of making immediate payments, interest-only payments, or deferred payments.
  • There are lifetime aggregate limits that apply to both federal and private student loan debt.
  • For select borrowers, Citizens Bank grants multi-year approval.
  • After 36 months of on-time payments, cosigners may be eligible for release.
  • Refinancing of student loans is also available through Citizens Bank.

Citizens One Student Loans Review

Ascent Student Loans

International students can apply for Ascent student loans if they have a co-signer who is a US citizen or permanent resident. There are no application, origination, or prepayment costs, and you have three in-school repayment options and six payback terms to choose from, with fixed-rate loans lasting up to 15 years and variable-rate loans lasting up to 20 years.

To qualify for an Ascent loan, you must meet the following conditions in general:

  • You must be of legal age in your home state.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or have DACA status; if you are not, you may be eligible to get a loan provided you have a creditworthy cosigner who is.
  • You must be enrolled full-time or part-time at a qualifying institution.

Rates for a cosigned loan with all available discounts:

  • Variable APR: 1.47% – 9.05%
  • Fixed APR: 3.28% – 11.26%
  • Repayment terms: 5, 7, 10, 12, or 15 years
  • Loan amounts: $1,000 up to the total cost of attendance or $200,000 total aggregate, whichever is lower

Is an Ascent Student Loan Right for You?

There are fewer possibilities than private loans, and the amount you can borrow is limited. Due to the high expense of education, you may require more funds than are available through federal loans. If that’s the case, a loan from a company like Ascent can assist you in paying for education.

Private lenders frequently demand you to have a cosigner. It can be tough to qualify for a loan if you don’t have a relative or acquaintance with good credit. However, with Ascent, you can get authorized without a cosigner totally on your own. Ascent has a substantial advantage over other lenders in this regard.

Despite this, Ascent has some drawbacks. Its interest rates are likely to be higher than those offered by other lenders, particularly for loans without a cosigner. Freshmen and sophomore students are also ineligible for outcome-based loans without a cosigner.

Ascent Student Loans Review

Discover

Discover Financial Services owns and runs Discover Bank, which provides checking and savings accounts, personal loans, home equity loans, student loans, and credit cards. It also owns Diners Club International and administers the Discover and Pulse networks. With approximately 50 million cardholders, Discover Card is the third largest credit card brand in the United States in terms of cards in use. Discover is currently based in Riverwoods, Illinois, a Chicago suburb.

International students who are enrolled in an approved U.S. college or university and have a creditworthy cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident can apply for private student loans through Discover. There are no fees associated with the loans, and students can choose from four in-school repayment alternatives, but only for one term.

Eligible for Discover student loans

  • You must be enrolled at least half-time in an eligible school’s bachelor’s or associate’s degree program (or other qualified program if you’re seeking a graduate, MBA, law, or health professions degree).
  • You must be pursuing a college diploma.
  • Your college will require you to make adequate academic progress.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or an eligible international student with a cosigner who meets the requirements.
  • At the time of application, you must be at least 16 years old.
  • A credit check is required.

Discover international student loan details:

  • Undergraduate Variable APR: 1.29% – 10.59%
  • Undergraduate Fixed APR: 3.99% – 11.59%
  • Repayment terms: 15 years
  • Loan amounts: $1,000 up to the total cost of attendance

Advantages of Discover international student loan

  • Medical school graduates can take out residency loans, and law school graduates can take out bar test loans, in addition to standard student debts.
  • Prequalification is not available through Discover.
  • Discover does not collect any fees, including late fees.
  • For undergraduate borrowers, Discover offers three in-school repayment choices but only a 15-year loan duration.
  • You’ll get a 0.35 percent rate discount if you agree to make interest-only payments while in school, in addition to the regular 0.25 percent rate discount for enrolling in autopay.

 Discover international student loan Review