Sallie Mae student loans: 2025 review

Student loan types with Sallie Mae 

Unlike many student loan servicers, Sallie Mae doesn't offer refinance loans. It does, however, offer private student loans for a variety of programs and residencies.

Private student loans 

Sallie Mae offers four types of student loans for undergraduate students, including those who are going to school for certificates or technical degrees. 

• A certificate, associate’s or bachelor’s degree from a degree-granting school.
• A certificate for a technical, culinary or other career training program.
• An associate’s or bachelor’s degree for nursing or a similar field of study.
• An associate’s or bachelor’s degree toward flight school, including flight training.

While interest rates and other key loan details can be similar across these loans, there are some key differences. As you shop around with Sallie Mae and other lenders, confirm you’re making an apples-to-apples comparison between the right Sallie Mae product and a similar loan from competitors.

Graduate student loans 

All of Sallie Mae's graduate loans also cover up to 100 percent of school-certified expenses. The general graduate school loans, MBA, law and health professionals loans have a 15-year repayment period and the medical and dental loans have a 20-year repayment term. 

Law school loans have a nine-month grace period, dental school loans have a 12-month grace period and medical school loans have a 36-month grace period. Bar exam loans have the option of deferred repayment while you’re in school at least half-time and during the nine-month grace period. Medical and dental residency loans increase this grace period to three years if you remain enrolled at least half-time. 

All of the loan options, with the exception of residency and bar study loans, are eligible for the three basic repayment options. Because these specific loans are designed to cover post-graduate expenses, the deferred repayment option is the only in-school repayment plan available.

Sallie Mae customer service 

Sallie Mae gets an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, the highest possible grade, but the reviews on Trustpilot tell a different story. Out of 5 stars, Sallie Mae has an average ranking of 1.3. Out of 59 reviews, 97% of commenters left a 1-star rating and 3 percent left a 2-star rating. Most of the comments are about poor customer service. 

Sallie Mae’s customer service department is available via phone or mail. Its customer service hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Fridays.

Sallie Mae vs. Sofi 

SoFi has a similar student loan portfolio to Sallie Mae, offering loans that cover up to the cost of attendance, but SoFi is better for students who plan on refinancing — both undergraduate and graduate refinance loans are available to borrowers who qualify. Currently Sallie Mae does not offer refinancing.

Despite this, Sallie Mae may be the better choice for borrowers looking to save money. Aside from the refinance loans, SoFi's maximum rates are higher than many types of Sallie Mae's student loans. For example, the highest rate for Sallie Mae law school loans is 14.99% (fixed), while the highest rate for SoFi law school student loans is 15.86% (variable).

Sallie Mae vs. EdvestinU

EDvestinU also offers undergraduate and graduate loans with competitive starting rates, but EdvestinU's maximum fixed rate of 10.927% is over six percentage points more than Sallie Mae's highest fixed rate. Also, unlike Sallie Mae, EDvestinU provides refinance student loans.

In addition to offering lower maximum fixed rates, EDvestinU is a better choice for borrowers seeking more flexible repayment terms. While Sallie Mae only offers 10- and 15- year repayment terms for most of its loans, EDvestinU offers 7-, 10- and 15-year repayment terms.

Do you qualify for a loan with Sallie Mae?

Qualification requirements to take out a loan vary by loan type, and Sallie Mae’s website is scarce on exact minimum requirements. In general, borrowers must have a history of borrowing money and paying it back on time. If you don’t have a lot of credit to your name, you can also apply with a creditworthy cosigner. You also must be applying for a loan from an eligible school, which you can see by starting an application.

Sallie Mae accepts applications from students attending:

• Full time, half time or less than half time.
• Online or on-campus classes.
• Winter or summer classes.
• Study abroad.
• Professional certification courses.
• School in a foreign country.

Non-U.S. citizens residing in and attending school in the U.S. may also qualify for a loan if they have a cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

How to apply for a loan with Sallie Mae

Though Sallie Mae has several different loan options, the process for applying is generally the same across the board. Primary borrowers or cosigners can start the application process through the lender’s website.

Editorial disclosure: All reviews are prepared by Bankrate.com staff. Opinions expressed therein are solely those of the reviewer and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including rates and fees, presented in the review is accurate as of the date of the review. Check the data at the top of this page and the lender’s website for the most current information.