Before taking out private student loans, you should explore and compare all financial aid alternatives, including grants, scholarships, and federal student loans and consider your future monthly payments and income. Applying with a cosigner may improve your chance of getting approved and could help you qualify for a lower interest rate. Ascent loans are funded by Bank of Lake Mills. Certain restrictions and limitations may apply. Ascent Student Loan products are subject to credit qualification, completion of a loan application, verification of application information and certification of loan amount by a participating school. Loan products may not be available in certain jurisdictions and certain restrictions, limitations; and terms and conditions may apply. Ascent is a federally registered trademark of Ascent Funding, LLC, the loan processor, and may be used by RSB under limited license.
- Competitive variable rates calculated monthly at the time of loan approval based on a margin plus the 1-Month London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) rounded to the nearest 1/100th of a percent. The current LIBOR is 0.106%, which may adjust monthly. Your interest rate may increase or decrease, based on LIBOR monthly changes. Rates are effective as of 04/01/2021 and reflect an Automatic Payment Discount. Automatic Payment Discount is available if the borrower is enrolled in automatic payments from their personal checking account and the amount is successfully withdrawn from the authorized bank account each month. (See Automatic Payment Discount Terms & Conditions.)
- Undergraduate Loans: Variable rate loans have an Annual Percentage (APR) range between 2.14% – 12.94%. Fixed rate loans have an APR range between 3.43% and 14.50% based on your credit worthiness and your selected program. Rates reflect an Automatic Payment Discount of 0.25% (for Credit-Based Loans) on the lowest offered rate and a 2.00% (for Undergraduate Future Income-Based Loans ) discount on the highest offered rate. (See Undergraduate Loan repayment examples.)
- Graduate Loans: Variable rate loans have an APR range between 2.11% and 11.87%. Fixed rate loans have an APR range between 3.35% and 13.50% based on your credit worthiness and your selected program. Rates reflect an Automatic Payment Discount of 0.25%. (See Graduate Loan repayment examples.)
2. Payments may be deferred. Subject to lender discretion, forbearance and/or deferment options may be available for borrowers who are encountering financial distress.
3. Making interest only or partial interest payments while in school will not reduce the principal balance of the loan. There are three (3) flexible in-school repayment options[1] that include fully deferred, interest only and $25 minimum repayment. Click here for a repayment example.
4. Flexible repayment plans may be offered with up to a twenty (20) year repayment term (for variable rate Graduate Medical and Dental School Loans), fifteen (15) year repayment term for other variable rate loans and a twelve (12) year repayment term for fixed rate loans. Students must be enrolled at least half-time at an eligible school[2]. Minimum loan amount is $1,000. Click here for a repayment example.
5. Interest rate reduction of either 0.25% (for Credit-Based Loans) or 2.00% (for Undergraduate Future Income-Based Loans) applies only when the borrower and/or cosigner sign up for automatic payments and the payment amount is successfully deducted from the designated bank account each month. The amount of the discount is dependent upon the loan product and credit history of the borrower at the time of application. Interest rate reduction(s) will not apply during periods when no payment is due, including periods of in-school, deferment, grace or forbearance, unless a regular payment amount has been arranged with the servicer. If you have two (2) consecutive returned payments for Nonsufficient Funds, we may cancel your automatic debit enrollment and you will lose the interest rate reduction. You will then need to re-qualify and re-enroll in automatic debit payments to receive the interest rate reduction. (See Automatic Payment Discount Terms & Conditions.)
| Ascent Loan Type | Discount |
|---|---|
| Non-Cosigned Future Income-Based Loan | 2.00% |
| Non-Cosigned Credit-Based Loan | 0.25% |
| Cosigned Credit-Based Loan | 0.25% |
6. All student applicants are required to complete a brief online financial literacy course as part of the application process to be eligible for funding.
7. Eligibility, loan amount and other loan terms are dependent on several factors which may include: loan product, other financial aid, creditworthiness, school, program, graduation date, major, cost of attendance and other factors. Aggregate loan limits may apply. The cost of attendance is determined and certified by the educational institution.
8. The legal age for entering into contracts is eighteen (18) years of age in every state except Alabama where it is nineteen (19) years old, Nebraska where it is nineteen (19) years old (only for wards of the state), and Mississippi and Puerto Rico where it is twenty-one (21) years old.
9. Undergraduate student borrowers with no credit score, as well as student borrowers that pass the minimum credit requirements, but fail income or repayment capacity requirements for the loan product may qualify for the Non-Cosigned Future Income-Based Loan on the basis of a payment-to-future-income calculation based on several alternative factors which may include: school, program, graduation date, major, cost of attendance, and other factors that could allow for students to obtain a loan in their own name without a cosigner. Such borrowers are limited to selecting a deferred repayment plan, may not select a 5-year repayment term, and a fixed rate is only available upon selecting 10-year repayment term. Additionally, students must:
• Be a college junior or senior enrolled full-time (or with an expected graduation date within 9-months of the date the loan application is submitted) in a degree program at an eligible institution.
• Be a U.S. citizen or have U.S. permanent resident status.
• Have satisfactory academic performance of 2.9 GPA or greater.
