How to refinance nursing school loans

By Anna Baluch | Published on October 21, 2025

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As a nursing school graduate, you may be on the lookout for ways to save money on your student loans. Refinancing is one strategy that involves taking out a new loan with a private lender to hopefully land a better interest rate and lower your monthly payments. Fortunately, it’s fairly simple and straightforward to refinance nursing school loans.

Six steps to nursing student loan refinancing

If you’re considering refinancing¹ your nursing school loans, follow these six steps.

1. Decide if refinancing makes sense

First, ask yourself “is student loan refinancing worth it?” If your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and/or job situation have improved since you initially took out your nursing school loans, refinancing is likely worthwhile. Note that if you have federal student loans, you’ll need to determine if you’re willing to give up some federal protections, like income-driven repayment IDR² plans or student loan forgiveness for nurses in order to save some money. Don’t forget to explore student loan forgiveness.

2. Check your credit score

Next, understand where you stand credit wise. In general, the higher your credit score is, the greater your chances of getting approved for a refinance offer with a good interest rate and favorable terms. You can use an online tool or personal finance app to check your credit. Your credit card company may also offer free credit score monitoring. If your credit score is lower than you thought it would be, you might want to focus on improving it or apply with a co-signer.

3. Shop around

Once you do some research, you’ll find that many lenders offer student loan refinancing for nursing graduates. To zero in on the best offer for your personal situation, explore at least three different lenders.

Compare interest rates, terms, fees, eligibility requirements, and perks. Don’t forget to read reviews from current and former borrowers to get an idea of each lender’s reputation. Some lenders, including Earnest will let you check your rate online without any impact to your credit score.

4. Gather the required documents

While each lender has their own criteria, most lenders will ask you for the following documents and information when you apply for a student loan refinance:

• Your Social Security number
• A government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport
• Proof of employment and income in the form of pay stubs or tax forms
• Recent student loan statements and current student loan balance

5. Apply

After you decide on a lender and have everything you need on hand, you can go ahead and apply to refinance your nursing student loans. Fortunately, most lenders will let you apply online, directly on their website. Be prepared to share basic personal and financial information about yourself, such as your date of birth, monthly income, and employment details. You’ll also need to state your current student loan lender and balance.

6. Finalize your nursing school loan refinance

Upon approval, read your refinance agreement carefully. Make sure you’re aware of the lender’s terms and fees. Then, complete the paperwork your lender sends you and continue to make payments on your current loan until your lender informs you they’ve paid it off. At that point, you’ll need to make payments to your new lender.

Can I get my nursing school loans forgiven?

Fortunately, you may be able to qualify for student loan forgiveness as a nurse. If you do, you won’t have to pay back some or all of the remaining principal and interest you owe on your nursing school loans. Some of the most popular programs that offer student loan forgiveness for nurses include:

• Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program: This program is for nurses who work full-time in a critical shortage area. If you qualify, you may get up to 85% of your unpaid nursing school debt forgiven.

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness(PSLF): PSLF is for nurses with federal student loans that work in a public service setting for a non-profit organization or government employer. It can forgive your full remaining balance on federal Direct Loans after you make 120 on-time payments.

• National Health Service Corps(NHSC) Loan Repayment Program: The NHSC loan repayment program is for nurse practitioners and certified nursing midwives who have worked in a health professional shortage area. It offers up to $55,000 in student loan forgiveness for those who have been employed full time and $30,000 for part-time nurses.

Refinance nursing student loans calculator

With our handy student loan refinance calculator, you can get a better idea of whether refinancing your student loans is a good option. Simply plug in your personal details, such as how much you currently owe, your interest rate, and your monthly payment. Then, the calculator will let you explore your refinancing options and calculate your potential savings.

Refinance nursing school loans with Earnest

Earnest provides student loan refinancing for a variety of medical professionals, including nurses. You can check your rate in 2 minutes with no impact to your credit score and customize your refinance to meet your unique budget and goals. Plus, if your existing student loan balance is greater than $100,000, you may qualify for an additional discount.

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About the Author

Anna Baluch

Anna Baluch is a freelance finance writer from Cleveland, OH. She enjoys writing content that helps people from all walks of life make good financial decisions. Her areas of expertise include student loans, refinancing, mortgages, personal loans, budgeting, and debt management.