Company Profile
Discover Bank has been in business for over 100 years and has provided personal Discover student loans to students at more than 2,400 colleges and universities since 2010. Loans up to 100% of the cost of education with fixed or variable interest rates.
BBB rating
- a+
Year established
- 1985
Customer Service Rating
- 4.3 / 5
Best feature
- Loans starting from $1,000 are possible. This can help families bridge the gap between financial aid and out-of-pocket college costs.
- Accept co-signers. Often, a parent or grandparent chooses to co-sign a loan for their student, which can help them qualify for a lower interest rate.
- Discover has no initiation, application or late fees.
Disadvantages
Discover does not disclose eligibility criteria and does not offer pre-qualification. This means that if you want to apply, Discover pulls your credit history and does a rigorous scan of your credit report.
It only offers 15 years for undergraduates, 20 years for graduate students, and a single loan term of 10 or 20 years for student loan consolidation.
What types of student loans does Discover offer?
Student loan options from Discover are:
- Graduate
- Undergraduate
- MBA
- Medical school
- Law school
- Residency
- Student loan refinancing for students and parents
- Bar exam prep classes and living expenses.
What are the college loan terms, fees and discounts for Discover Student Loans?
Discover offers fixed and variable rate student loans. You can apply for a loan of $1,000 up to the total cost of attendance minus any other financial support.
There are no application, initiation or late fees.
How Does Discover Student Loan Work?
Discover does not disclose minimum FICO credit, minimum credit history or maximum debt-to-income ratio requirements for loan approval and does not offer pre-approval. You must submit an application before understanding the licensing and credit terms.
Accept co-signers. Discover first evaluates individual student borrowers and then recommends co-signer options when needed.
Who is eligible for student loans?
To qualify for a student loan, you must complete an application and undergo a rigorous credit check in order to receive your offer. Discover does not disclose its minimum required credit rating. If you do not have sufficient credit history, you may need to apply for a loan with a co-signer with a reasonable credit history. For most student loans, you can borrow from $1,000 up to the amount the school certifies for the school year. Discover provides the ability to prequalify loans for future academic years to simplify the application process.
What credit score do you need?
Discover does not publish minimum credit scores for student loans. You may need good credit to qualify, and if you don’t have credit, you’ll need a co-signer to get credit. The company also evaluates applications based on majors, other funding sources, grades and other information in the application.
How long does it take to get a Discover Student Loan?
While your application can be completed in as little as 15 minutes, the time frame for school accreditation varies by school, but typically takes three to five weeks to process. Once your school certifies your loan, the school will arrange payment.
What are the deferral and repayment options for Discover Student Loans?
Discover that student loan borrowers have the option to make payments while in school. Repayment options include:
- Interest only paid during the school year
- Pay a flat fee of $25 per month during the semester
- Deferred payment, no school payment required.
What are Discover’s forbearance and disclaimer options?
Discover has not disclosed any specific requirements or policies regarding deferrals or deferrals due to financial hardship. However, lenders offer options for borrowers facing financial hardship.
If the primary borrower dies or becomes permanently disabled, the loan will be made available to the borrower and co-signer. However, Discover will not release co-signers if, for example, the primary borrower makes timely payments of a certain amount or establishes its own loan.
What are the additional features of Discover Student Loans?
Undergraduate and graduate students can receive a one-time 1% bonus on each new Discover student loan after achieving a minimum GPA of 3.0 or equivalent.
Customers can also reduce their student loan interest rates by 0.25 percentage points when they sign up for automatic payments. Borrowers who choose the interest-only repayment option and pay interest-only during the grace period and grace period can enjoy an additional 0.35 interest deduction.
Is it good to find student loans?
Discovery received a composite score of 4.3 out of 5 for student loan news received from the United States. The median student credit institution was 4.3.
Discover has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and is a BBB Certified Company.
In 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau received 66 student loan complaints through Discover Bank. Most common questions:
- Dealing with lenders or service providers
- Difficulty repaying the loan
Discover responded to the CFPB promptly with all questions, completing 55 explanations and 11 non-monetary remedies.
Discover’s U.S. representatives are available 24/7 to assist you.
Discover the best student loans for:
- Students who want to be rewarded for good grades.
- Students who want multiple loan options.
- Students who do not want to pay credit fees.