Why Earnest is different from other student lenders

By Sasha Bulatskaya | Published on March 9, 2026

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A few things make Earnest not only legitimate but unique in the private student loan space. Earnest is a FinTech on a mission to help college students and their families make better financial decisions. If you’re wondering, “Are Earnest student loans legit?” watch the video below for a quick rundown and keep reading for a more in-depth look.

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What makes Earnest different? | Earnest Earnest LLC

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With over 10 years in the business, Earnest has become one of the most highly rated and awarded private student loan companies. Our customers give us 4.6/5 stars on Trustpilot, and we’ve received multiple awards, including Best Student Loan Refinancing* and one of the Best Private Student Loans by NerdWallet and U.S. News** – to name a few.

Financial Aid Tools

Private student loans¹ and student loan refinancing² should come after financial student aid, and we create tools that make it easier for people to sign up.

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Real Help When You Need It

Customer service can be the most frustrating part of student loans, but at Earnest, you can speak to a real person in under 2 minutes.

Why our Client Happiness team is different:

• Our clients love us. Over 90% give our customer service team a positive review.
• We don’t outsource. Our reps are employees based in our Salt Lake City office.
• We don’t use a script or give you the runaround. We work to solve your problems, and if we can’t, we find someone who has the answers.
• No drama or confusion. We tell you about your loan in simple, plain language that you can understand.
• We can help you complete a student loan application over the phone if you need it.

All-In-One Lifetime Support

We’re one of the few student loan companies that offers in-house servicing for the life of your loan. This means that once you’re an Earnest customer, we don’t pass you off to somebody else. We handle all of your needs, including your account dashboard, monthly payments, loan agreements, and tax documents.

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A Planner For Affordable Payments

We help our customers build the most affordable payment for their budget. How does that work? When you apply, you will choose a rate, loan term, and payment amount that works for your budget. In short, you can customize your loan around your life.

You’ll also be able to see how much you will pay in total (including interest) with different payment selections. The goal is to help you make the most informed decision when applying for a loan.

You can use our Refinancing Savings Calculator to see if refinancing will make your loan more affordable or our Student Loan Repayment Calculator to calculate your future student loan payments.

Unique Features For Easier Payoff

If you can’t make a payment, you can use our Skip-a-Payment feature to skip one payment per year without any penalties. Another option many competitors don’t offer is paying bi-weekly instead of monthly.

We also offer a Rate Match Guarantee and an eligibility check for our private student loans. This way, you can find out if you’re the right candidate for an Earnest loan before you apply.

We’re Here To Stay

Taking out a student loan or refinancing is a big decision, and you want to go with someone you trust. At Earnest, we’re backed not only by over a decade of experience but also by Navient. As an independent part of Navient, we’re going to keep servicing students and families for many years to come.

Check out Earnest.com to learn more about our mission and what we do.

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About the Author

Sasha Bulatskaya

Sasha is the Senior Manager of Brand and Content at Earnest. She has been writing for ten years and has been focused on educational finance and financial aid for over three. Her passion for mission-driven companies brought her to Earnest in 2020, and she's been helping make student finance more accessible ever since. She strives to demystify personal finance and student loans to help borrowers make the best decisions for their financial situation.

Disclaimer

This blog post provides personal finance educational information, and it is not intended to provide legal, financial, or tax advice.

*According to competitor financial data in 2021.

**According to the 2023-2024 U.S News and World Report on Banking, Investment Platforms & Lenders.

1 Before applying for private student loans, it’s best to maximize your other sources of financial aid first. It’s recommended to use a 3-step approach to assembling the funds you need: 1) Look for funds you don’t have to pay back, like scholarships, grant, and work-study opportunities. 2) Next, fill out a FAFSA(R) form to apply for federal student loans. Federal Direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans, excluding PLUS Loan for Parents and PLUS Loan for Graduate and Professional Students which require a credit check and a credit worthy endorser if the parent or graduate or professional student has adverse credit, do not require a credit check or cosigner, and offer various protections if your struggling with your payments. 3) Finally, consider a private student loan to cover any difference between your total cost of attendance and the amount not covered in steps 1 and 2. For more information, visit the Department of Education website at https://studentaid.ed.gov.

2 Please note that you may lose benefits associated with your underlying federal loans, such as federal Income-driven Repayment Plans (an example of which is the SAVE plan), Economic Hardship Deferment, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, or other deferment and forbearance options, if you refinance into a private loan. If you file for bankruptcy, you may still be required to pay back this loan.

3 Earnest clients may skip a payment through a one, one-month forbearance during a 12 month period. Your first request to skip a payment can be made once you’ve made at least 6 months of consecutive on-time full principal and interest payments, and your loan is in good standing. The interest accrued during the skipped month will result in an increase in your remaining minimum payment. The final payoff date on your loan will be extended by the length of the skipped payment periods. Any unpaid accrued interest may capitalize (added to the principal balance) at the end of the forbearance period by adding unpaid accrued interest to the outstanding principal as permitted by law and the terms of the loan agreement. For Student Loan Refinance Only: Interest will not be capitalized on loans originated to Michigan residents under the Regulatory Loan Act of 1963. Please be aware that a skipped payment does count toward the forbearance limits. Please note that skipping a payment is not guaranteed and is at Earnest's discretion. Your monthly payment and total loan cost may increase as a result of postponing your payment and extending your term.