We’re proud to provide award-winning loans for lifelong learners.
Ascent puts you and your family first.
Cosigner release option
Build credit in your own name and apply to release your cosigner after making 12 consecutive, full principal and interest payments on-time or an equivalent prepayment amount and meeting other eligibility criteria.
Flexible payment options
Choose from affordable fixed or variable rates, customize your repayment terms, and pay off your student loan with a cosigner early and without penalties.
Benefits that put you first
Cover up to 100% of your attendance costs. Plus, you can get 1% cash back and a discount if you set up automatic payments.
You’ve already put a lot of work into preparing for college.
Step 1
Submit your pre-qualification
We ask you to provide important information such as your name, address, date of birth, the school you’re applying to, and employment information. If you’re applying with a cosigner, they’ll also enter their information.
Step 2
Customize your loan details
Once your completed loan application is approved, you’ll be able to view your loan details and select the loan terms that work best for you.
Step 3
Complete any open loan tasks in your Ascent portal
After you choose your loan terms, complete any loan application tasks in your Ascent portal.
Step 4
We pay the school
When your portal tasks are complete, we send your loan for school certification. Once certified, we’ll disburse your loan directly to the school.
Ready to start your loan application?
See your rates today without impacting your credit score.
Applying for a private student loan typically requires that you meet certain credit score and income requirements. But, as a student, you may not qualify for a loan on your own. You may consider applying for a student loan with a cosigner.
You can apply to release your cosigner after making twelve (12) consecutive, full principal and interest payments on-time or an equivalent prepayment amount while also meeting the other eligibility criteria to qualify including, but not limited to meeting certain minimum credit and income requirements and completing a cosigner release application. See full eligibility criteria requirements at AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. With Ascent loans, you can request to release your cosigner directly with Launch Servicing or the loan holder.
Note: The option to apply to release the cosigner is only available to student borrowers who are a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or have a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status and is not available to students who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents.
Choosing a private student loan with a cosigner may offer benefits when payments are made on time, including:
Building credit for your future after you graduate.
Establishing good credit for your cosigner.
Qualifying for competitive interest rates on other loans.
Even if you have a cosigner, you can apply to release your cosigner after making twelve (12) consecutive full principal and interest payments on-time or an equivalent prepayment amount while also meeting the other eligibility criteria.
A cosigner agrees to become legally responsible to make your student loan payments if, for whatever reason, you are unable to in the future, so it’s important to choose someone who is reliable and meets the eligibility requirements.
Here are a few common types of cosigners:
A parent or legal guardian
Aunt, uncle, or other relatives
Friend (or spouse if you are married)
Mentor
A cosigned student loan is a student loan that you take out with the help of a creditworthy person. If you have no credit or bad credit, a cosigner with good credit may lower the interest rate of your student loan and allow you to choose better terms.
A cosigner agrees to take equal responsibility for the college loan. This means that if the student borrower is not able to make the payments, the cosigner is still legally obligated to pay the loan. Either party can make the required monthly payments.
A cosigner must meet the following requirements:
Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident
Have a minimum credit score. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your borrower
Must meet a minimum gross annual income of $24,000 for the current and previous year
Be able to submit a satisfactory proof-of-income
Yes. You can apply to release your cosigner after making twelve (12) consecutive, full principal and interest payments on-time or an equivalent prepayment amount while also meeting the other eligibility criteria to qualify including, but not limited to meeting certain minimum credit and income requirements and completing a cosigner release application. See full eligibility criteria requirements at AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. The student borrower must make the request to release a cosigner directly through Ascent’s loan servicer, Launch Servicing, or the loan holder.
Note: The option to apply to release the cosigner is only available to student borrowers who are a U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent resident, or have a Deferred Action Childhood Arrival (DACA) status and is not available to students who are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
Ascent considers several factors which may include creditworthiness, school, program, cost of attendance, GPA, and other factors.
Ascent loans are for college students (both undergraduate and graduate) who are at least half-time enrolled in a degree program at an eligible institution.
Cosigner must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
Students may apply without a cosigner if they are a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or have a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status.
Ascent’s credit decisioning criteria is proprietary and subject to change, but you can check what rates you pre-qualify for without impacting your credit score. We consider credit history and several other factors including, but not limited to, credit score:
Cosigned Credit-Based Loan
Student borrowers must have a minimum credit score. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your cosigner.
Cosigners must have a minimum credit score. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your borrower.
Choose from affordable fixed or variable rates
Ascent offers credit-based private student loans with a cosigner at competitive rates.
Fixed APR
3.59% - 14.16%*
Make the same payment every month
Your interest rate is set the day you apply and doesn’t change
Variable APR
6.00% - 15.21%*
Your payment may change each month
Your interest rate may vary with the market conditions
*Rates displayed above are effective as of 10/01/2024 and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount of 0.25% on credit-based loans when you enroll in automatic payments. The Full P&I (Immediate) Repayment option is only available for college loans (except for outcomes-based loans) originated on or after June 3, 2024. For more information, see repayment examples or review the Automatic Payment Discount Terms and Conditions. The final amount approved depends on the borrower's credit history, verifiable cost of attendance as certified by an eligible school and is subject to credit approval and verification of application information. Lowest interest rates require full principal and interest payments, the shortest loan term, a cosigner, and are only available for our most creditworthy applicants and cosigners with the highest average credit scores. Actual APR offered may be higher or lower than the repayment examples below, based on the amount of time you spend in school and any grace period you have before repayment begins.
More ways to customize
your private student loan with a cosigner
Flexible 5, 7, 10, 12, or 15-year repayment terms.
There’s no penalty for early repayment.
Postpone full principal and interest payments up to 9-months after graduation or leaving the program, or otherwise dropping to less than half-time enrollment status.
(available while enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school and during Grace Period)
*The Full P&I (Immediate) Repayment option is only available for college loans (except for outcomes-based loans) originated on or after June 3, 2024. (See Terms & Conditions.)
0.25% Automatic Payment Discount applied when eligible borrowers are making automatic payments on Ascent’s Cosigned Credit-Based student loan via auto-debit from their personal checking account.
1% Cash Back Graduation Reward upon satisfaction of certain terms and conditions.
Minimum: $2,001*
Maximum: $200,000 ($200,000 aggregate total)
*The minimum loan amount is $2,001 except for the state of Massachusetts. Minimum loan amount for borrowers with a Massachusetts permanent address is $6,001.
Tips & tools for financial success
Don't lose your financial freedom before you have the chance to earn it! To help you borrow responsibly, we incorporate financial wellness into our application process and give you exclusive access to tools and content to help you get set for greater financial success.
Have questions about our cosigned credit-based private student loans?
We’ve got answers.
From your first application for a private student loan with a cosigner to your final payment, we’re committed to helping you every step of the way. Our 100% U.S.-based Customer Service Team is here for you.
Yes. You can apply to release your cosigner after making twelve (12) consecutive full principal and interest payments on-time or an equivalent prepayment amount while also meeting the other eligibility criteria to qualify including, but not limited to meeting certain minimum credit and income requirements and completing a Cosigner Release application. See full eligibility criteria requirements at AscentFunding.com/BorrowerBenefits. The student borrower must make the request to release a cosigner directly through Ascent’s loan servicer, Launch Servicing, or the loan holder.
Note: The option to apply to release the cosigner is only available to student borrowers who are U.S. citizens or have U.S. permanent resident status or DACA students and is not available to students who are not a U.S. citizen or U.S. permanent resident.
Ascent considers several factors which may include: creditworthiness, school, program, cost of attendance, GPA, and other factors.
Ascent loans are for college students (both undergraduate and graduate) who are at least half-time enrolled in a degree program at an eligible institution.
Cosigner must be a U.S. citizen or have a U.S. permanent resident status.
Students may apply without a cosigner if they are a U.S. citizen or have U.S. permanent resident or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status.
Ascent’s credit decisioning criteria is proprietary and subject to change, but you can check what rates you pre-qualify for in just four (4) steps without impacting your credit score. We consider credit history and several other factors including, but not limited to, credit score:
Cosigned Credit-Based Loan
Student borrowers must have a minimum credit score. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your cosigner.
Cosigners must have a minimum credit score. The minimum score required is subject to change and may depend on the credit score of your borrower.
Ascent was great because they were able to answer all of my questions. They made getting to college a lot easier for me.
Grace G.Simmons College
The best thing about Ascent is the fact that they make the process easy . I was able to do everything online and the money was sent directly to my school.
Anjellica C.Northern Arizona University
They talked to me and helped me out in the most possible way. They made sure I got the most that I possibly could.
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