If you've ever dealt with student loans, you know the stress they can bring. They’re a lifesaver for covering tuition and living costs, and some of them even come with perks like subsidized options and grace periods that make paying them back less daunting. In this video, I’m going to explore the world of student loans. I’ll go over which loans and lenders have the lowest rates; I’ll talk about College Ave and Sallie Mae and what they offer, including their pros and cons.
By the end of this video, I aim to give you a clear understanding of which loans might be best for your particular case. If you find this review interesting or helpful, please like this video and subscribe for more honest reviews. And just to be upfront, I’m an affiliate of the companies I discuss, but my recommendations are honest and based on my thorough research.
------------------------------------------------ College Ave - Features and Benefits ------------------------------------------------
First on my list is College Ave, an online student loan portal that arranges loans through different banks. What I like about College Ave is their easy prequalification process that doesn’t involve a “hard credit check,” so it won't affect your credit score. Their website is user-friendly and full of helpful information about scholarships and loan financing. They offer loans starting as low as $1,000 up to your full tuition and have refinancing options for existing student debt.
As a private lender, they offer both fixed and variable rate loans, with fixed rates starting at 4.29% and variable rates at 5.59%. To qualify, you need to be at least 16 years old, have a social security number, and be enrolled in an eligible school. Undergraduates and international students will need a cosigner. The benefits of College Ave include flexible terms and options to save on the lifetime cost of the loan by making minimum payments while still in school. However, their maximum rates can be quite high, up to 16.85% for variable and 16.69% for fixed rates for undergraduates.
------------------------------------------------ Sallie Mae - Features and Benefits ------------------------------------------------
Next, let’s talk about Sallie Mae, a well-known name in student loans. Unlike College Ave, Sallie Mae started as a federal student lender and now offers loans for undergraduates, graduates, trade schools, and part-time and international students. They don’t have a pre-qualification process, so applying will affect your credit score. Sallie Mae offers fewer options for repayment and loan terms compared to College Ave, but they don’t charge any loan application fees.
For undergraduates, their fixed rates start at 4.25% and go up to 15.49%, while variable rates start at 5.37% and can reach 15.70%. To apply, you need basic personal information, details about your school and its total cost of attendance, and possibly a cosigner to secure better rates. Sallie Mae provides loan terms of 10 or 15 years for undergrad and career training, 15 years for graduate programs, and 20 years for medical or dental school. They also offer repayment plans where you can pay interest or a set amount of $25 while still in school, or defer payments until after graduation.
Hope you enjoyed my Best Student Loans | How To Find The Best Student Loans And Rates In 2025 Video.
Hey guys, welcome back to the channel.
Going through college, I relied on student loans, so I know firsthand the stress that
can come with them.
So in this video, we're talking all about student loans.
We'll get into what the lenders College Ave and Sallie Mae have to offer, looking really
closely at their pros and cons.
And I hope by the end of this video, you'll have a better understanding of which loan
options might be best for you.
Now, if at any point you decide to try either College Ave or Sallie Mae, be sure to check
out the affiliate links I left below in the description.
They won't cost you a cent more, and you might even qualify for a bit of a discount you wouldn't
be able to get if you went directly to their website.
So without further ado, let's get into it.
The first one we're going to talk about is College Ave.
Now College Ave doesn't provide the lending themselves, but instead they work hand in
hand with a few different banks.
And then through their online student portal, they can then offer you the best loan option
for you.
Getting started is super easy, and their pre-qualification process is available right on their website.
And it doesn't use a hard credit check that would reflect on your credit history.
So you don't have to worry about it affecting your credit score.
Then once you get pre-qualified, all the options that you're approved for will pop up on the
website.
Once you go through all your options, only then will you go through the formal application.
Now the formal application does get deeper in terms of the information they'll ask and
likely will affect your credit score.
But if you just want to check out their options really quickly, you can do it without it negatively
affecting your credit, which not all lending services offer.
Okay, so when it comes to their website, College Ave is really easy to use and is full of helpful
information about scholarships and loan financing.
Their loan amounts start at $1,000 and go up to cover your full tuition.
They also have refinancing options if you already have student loan debt, which could
help you pay less on that debt or pay it off even faster.
Now College Ave is a private lender, which means they can offer both fixed and variable
rate loans.
If you don't know the difference, a fixed rate means just that.
The rate cannot change regardless of the market, and borrowers can expect an unchanging monthly
payment, making it easier to calculate the total cost of the loan.
At College Ave, their fixed rates start at 4.22%.
Now a variable rate isn't predictable.
Your payments can change based on market conditions, so your payments can go up or down depending
on the market rates.
At College Ave, their variable rates start at 5.59%.
Now to qualify for a loan from College Ave, you have to be at least 16 years old, have
to have a social security number, and be enrolled in an eligible school.
For undergraduates and international students, you'll also need to have a cosigner.
A cosigner can be a parent or guardian, or even a trusted family member or friend.
Qualifying takes less than 4 minutes, and they'll show you what loan rates or APR you're
able to get depending if you go for the fixed or variable option.
Then you'll be given a choice of loans, whether you're undergraduate, graduate, career, parent,
or refinancing your existing student loan.
Then you choose your loan term, or the length of the loan.
Once your loan is approved by College Ave, then they check in with your school to confirm
that you're enrolled or that you've been accepted.
They also want to make sure the amount of the loan you're asking for isn't more than
the cost of attendance, and to make sure you meet the school's academic guidelines if you're
already a student.
As long as everything checks out, College Ave will send the money directly to your school.
Now, one of the benefits of being financed through College Ave is that they'll offer
you a number of ways to save on the lifetime total of the loan, starting off with making
minimum payments while you're still studying.
If you're able to make minimum payments while you study, in return, you'll save on interest,
or you can pay a flat rate of $25 a month.
On the other hand, you can go for a deferred payment plan where you don't make any payments
until after you finish school, but by going this route, you'll end up paying more interest
over the life of your loan.
Now, all in all, I recommend College Ave because they're all about working with students and
getting you the best deal possible.
They also have lower than average starting rates compared to other lenders in the industry,
but their maximum rates can be higher than average for student loans, going up to 17.99%
on undergraduate loans.
But still, their loans are structured to help you pay off your student debt as fast as possible.
So paying on your debt while you're still studying and these low starting rates are
also there to help you get out of debt faster.
And just as a quick reminder, if you decide that you want to try out College Ave, check
out the affiliate link I left in the description below.
It won't cost you anything, and you may even get a bit of a discount, which you wouldn't
if you went directly to their website.
Now, the next company you've probably heard of, it's Sallie Mae.
They're a private student loan provider that started out as a federal student lender in
the 1970s.
Now they offer both undergrad and graduate loans and loans for trade schools, part-time
and international students too.
Now compared to College Ave, Sallie Mae has fewer options when it comes to repayment and
even fewer options for loan terms.
And although they don't charge you any loan application fees, they don't have a pre-qualification
process like College Ave does.
So when you fill out their online application, it will actually reflect on your credit history.
So my advice is that you do your best to check and see if you qualify before you go through
the process.
So to apply, you'll need to give them some basic personal information and details about
your school and the semesters you're looking to get funded.
You'll also need to know what your school's total cost of attendance is, which isn't limited
to tuition, but also stuff like meals, equipment, and books.
And just like College Ave, your loan can't be more than whatever your school has calculated
as the cost of attendance.
Now if you have a scholarship, you'll need to supply that information as well.
Now you don't necessarily need to have a cosigner, but if you don't, you will need previous credit
history to get a loan.
But in any case, even if you can get approved without a cosigner, having one has the chance
to help you get a lower interest rate.
So it's worth checking if a parent or other adult with good credit history would be willing
to cosign for you.
Once your I's are dotted and T's are crossed, Sallie Mae will give you a document called
with a pretty detailed breakdown of the rates, terms, and repayment plans that apply to you.
If it works for you and you decide to go ahead, then Sallie Mae works directly with your school
to disperse the funds.
Now when it comes to the length of the loan, Sallie Mae has fewer options than College
Ave.
They offer either 10 or 15-year loan terms for undergrad and career training loans, 15
years for MBA, law, and graduate school loans, and 20 years for medical or dental school
loans.
Their minimum loan amount is $1,000, and the maximum is the total amount of your school
certified expenses.
Now when it comes to repayment plans, you have three choices.
You can pay interest or a set amount of $25 a month while you're still in school and during
the six-month grace period after you finish.
Or you can start paying after the grace period is up.
Now I recommend paying as much as you can while you're studying if you're able.
That being said, the most important thing is the rate.
So for fixed undergraduate rates, Sallie Mae starts at 3.99%, which is lower than College
Ave.
And it goes all the way up to 15.49%, which is also a bit lower than College Ave's highest
rate of 17.99%.
And when it comes to variable rates, Sallie Mae starts at 5.37%.
And their maximum rate is 15.7%.
So at the end of the day, which lender is right for you depends on you, how you plan
to pay off your student loan, your loan term, and what your personal needs are.
Now in my opinion, if you want more loan options and better interest rates, I would definitely
recommend Sallie Mae.
But if you want more repayment options and more choices for loan terms, you should go
with College Ave.
But whichever one you choose, both are solid, reliable options that offer some of the best
rates in the business.
Alright, and that's all for today's video.
If you found this review helpful or interesting, give it a thumbs up and subscribe to see more
videos like this.
And as I mentioned earlier, if you do decide that you want to give either of these lenders
a try, check out the affiliate links down in the description.
They don't cost you anything and you may get a bit of a discount which you won't find directly
on either of their websites.
And as always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts and I'll try to get back to any questions
or comments you leave down below as fast as I can.
And finally guys, thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next video.
