Splash Financial Student Loans: 2023 Review

Do you qualify?

Generally speaking, U.S. citizens and permanent residents can apply for a loan through Splash Financial, but the exact requirements vary by lending partner. However, Splash does note that, ideally, borrowers should have an “excellent” credit score of 700 or more and a debt-to-income ratio below 30 percent to qualify for a loan.

When it comes to refinance loans, graduates with four-year degrees from Title IV accredited institutions are eligible, as are professionals with associate degrees. Parents with parent PLUS loans are also eligible to refinance if their child earned their degree.

Splash Financial: in the details

What we like and what we don’t like

Splash Financial is a top student loan company to consider, but there are definitely some advantages and disadvantages to be aware of before applying. Consider these pros and cons before you apply.

What we like

• Low interest rates: Splash Financial offers some of the most competitive rates available today, since it works with several different lenders.

• Few fees: Splash Financial loans come with no origination fees and no hidden fees.

• Discount for autopay: You can save 0.25 percent on your interest rate when you set up your student loan for automatic payments.

What we don’t like

• Third-party lenders: Splash Financial works with lending partners, so you will actually borrow money from a different bank, credit union or online lender. This means that your loan may or may not qualify for special benefits like deferment or forbearance, and your fees and discounts depend on the lender you’re matched with.

• Limited eligibility: Splash Financial’s lending partners will lend to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and some visa holders.

How to contact Splash

Splash Financial makes it easy to ask questions about your loan or loan application. You can email the company any time at contact@splashfinancial.com, or you can call at 800-349-3938. Splash Financial customer service hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, although the company does offer 24/7 customer support over chat.

Loan rates

Splash Financial’s discounts may vary by lender, but in general, you’re likely to receive a 0.25 percent discount for setting up autopay. Splash Financial’s rates below reflect this discount:

Repayment terms and options

With Splash Financial student loans, you can choose to repay your private student loans over 5, 7, 10 and 15 years*.

Depending on the lending partner you’re matched with, you may get a grace period of up to nine months. Besides that, some of Splash’s lenders offer flexible repayment options, which include immediate repayment, deferred, interest-only or $25 automatic payments while in school.

Splash’s refinance loans have repayment terms of 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 years*.

How to apply for a loan with Splash

To get prequalified, head to the Splash Financial website and click on the button that says “check my rate.” From there, you’ll provide information like your email address, your name, your home address, your date of birth, your citizenship status, your education level, your income and desired loan amount.

At this point, you’ll be presented with a range of loan options and rates you qualify for. If you decide to proceed, you can fill out a full loan application, which will lead to a hard inquiry on your credit report. Documentation you may need to provide to complete your loan application includes:

• Pay stubs or a tax return for income verification.

• Photo ID.

• Payoff verification statements for each of your current loan servicers, if you’re refinancing.

• Graduation certification, such as a photo or copy of your diploma or transcripts, if you’re refinancing.

You can upload these documents directly to Splash Financial’s online portal.

Splash FAQs

Methodology

Bankrate scores student loan providers across 14 data points. State availability, the length of the grace period offered and available loan amounts are all considered when evaluating lenders. Scores are divided into three categories.

• Repayment options: Includes loan amounts, loan types, repayment options and state availability.

• Affordability: Includes grace period length, APR range, cosigner requirements and fees.

• Customer experience: Includes app availability, repayment options, online availability and customer service hours.

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.

See disclaimers at: https://www.splashfinancial.com/disclaimers/

Splash Financial, Inc. (NMLS #1630038), licensed by the DFPI under California Financing Law, license # 60DBO-102545

*Payment Disclosure

Fixed loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 20 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 5.47% for a 12-year term would be $94.86. Variable loans feature repayment terms of 5 to 25 years. For example, the monthly payment for a sample $10,000 with an APR of 5.90% for a 15-year term would be $83.85.

General Disclosure

Terms and Conditions apply. Splash reserves the right to modify or discontinue products and benefits at any time without notice. Products may not be available in all states. Rates and terms are subject to change at any point prior to application submission. The information you provide is an inquiry to determine whether Splash’s lending partners can make you a loan offer. To qualify, a borrower must be a U.S. citizen or other eligible status and meet lender underwriting requirements. Lowest rates are reserved for the highest qualified borrowers and may require an autopay discount of 0.25%. Splash does not guarantee that you will receive any loan offers or that your loan application will be approved. If approved, your actual rate will be within a range of rates and will depend on a variety of factors, including term of loan, creditworthiness, income and other factors. This information is current as of January 3, 2023. You should review the benefits of your federal student loan; it may offer specific benefits that a private refinance/consolidation loan may not offer. If you work in the public sector, are in the military or taking advantage of a federal department of relief program, such as income-based repayment or public service forgiveness, you may not want to refinance, as these benefits do not transfer to private refinance/consolidation loans. 

Fixed APR: Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Fixed rate options range from 4.47% (with autopay) to 9.24% (without autopay). 

Variable APR: Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is the cost of credit calculating the interest rate, loan amount, repayment term and the timing of payments. Variable rate options range from 3.99% (with autopay) to 9.24% (without autopay). Variable rates are derived by adding a margin to the 30-day average SOFR index, published two business days preceding such calendar month, rounded up to the nearest one hundredth of one percent (0.01% or 0.0001).