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College Loans

Private cosigned student loans designed to help you pay for college

Every student’s situation is different, so if you can’t qualify for a loan in your own name, our private student loans with a cosigner can help.

See Eligibility Requirements Check your rate without impacting your credit score.

We’re proud to provide award-winning loans for lifelong learners.

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Ascent puts you and your family first.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Learn more about Ascent’s Discounts & Cash Rewards

How to get your student loan with a cosigner

You’ve already put a lot of work into preparing for college.

  • Satelite
    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.

  • Astronaut
    Step 2

    Select your repayment plan

    Once your completed loan application is approved, you’ll be able to view your repayment options and select the loan terms that work best for you.

  • Clipboard
    Step 3

    Complete your Ascent portal task

    After you choose your loan terms, your Ascent portal will be populated with tasks to complete. These tasks include a financial wellness quiz and providing us with any additional information we need to prepare your loan.

  • Moneybag
    Step 4

    We pay your school

    When your portal tasks are complete, we send your loan for school certification. Once certified, we’ll disburse your loan directly to your school.

Ready to start your loan application?

See your rates today without impacting your credit score.

Apply Now

FAQs about cosigned student loans

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

4.09% - 15.71%*

fixed rate preview
  • Make the same payment every month
  • Your interest rate is set the day you apply and doesn’t change

Variable APR

6.16% - 16.09%*

variable rate preview
  • Your payment may change each month
  • Your interest rate may vary with the market conditions

*Rates displayed above are effective as of 03/18/2024and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount of 0.25% on credit-based loans when you enroll in automatic payments. 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 rates require interest-only 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 above, 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)

Deferred Repayment

$25 Minimum Repayment

Interest-Only Repayment

See repayment examples

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.

An image of a select repayment terms paper with terms of 5, 7, 10, 12 and 15 years.

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.

Financial Wellness Tips

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.
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