Discover Student Loans Review

Discover Undergraduate Loan’s process is fast, easy and convenient with competitive rates and high limits. Further, Discover finances up to 100% of school-certified costs (aggregate loan limits apply), so borrowers don’t have to seek loans from multiple lenders. The only hang-up is getting approved may be difficult if your credit isn’t established or in good shape. However, applying with a cosigner is an option to boost your chances of getting approved for a Discover student loan. If you’re looking for an easy and dependable way to cover the cost of tuition and school-related expenses, Discover student loans are worth a look.

Discover Student Loans at a glance

What we like about it

A student loan from Discover offers a whole host of benefits for students through undergraduate and graduate studies. First, depending on your creditworthiness, Discover may pay up to 100% of school-certified costs (aggregate loan limits apply) which is great for students who want to avoid the hassle of dealing with multiple lenders. Discover borrowers also benefit from not having to pay origination, application or late payment fees, which is nearly unheard of among competitors. A unique program that Discover offers is awards for good grades throughout college. If you earn at least a 3.0 GPA, then Discover will send a cash reward² equal to 1% of the loan covering that academic period.

Additionally, the application process is fast, easy and done completely online. Should you require the assistance of a representative, Discover is well-known for its exceptional customer service from U.S.-based representatives. There are great options like extensions, forbearance and reduced payments for borrowers who fall on financially tough times and have difficulty making payments.

Lastly, Discover offers students different repayment options so borrowers can choose a plan that best fits their needs throughout college and after graduation.

Things to consider

Qualifying for a Discover student loan may be difficult for borrowers who have low or limited credit, low or no income or no cosigner available. However, Discover will only make lending decisions based on a hard credit pull.

Another thing to consider is that Discover offers limited loan terms. Also, if you use a cosigner for your loan, there isn’t an option to release your cosigner once your credit is built up — you have to keep the cosigner for the duration of your loan or until you refinance with another lender if you choose to do so.

What you need to know

As the cost of higher education continues to increase, more and more students are looking to private student loans, like Discover to help cover the cost of schooling. Discover offers many competitive options, including the option to choose between fixed and variable APR loans. Additionally, both cosigned and non-cosigned loans are available, allowing for more options if you don’t have great credit on your own yet.

Applying is easy and done completely online with basic information from you and your cosigner – if you have one. Once you’re on Discover’s website, you can get the process started by selecting your school from the pre-populated list. After that, all you need to do is enter your personal information along with your cosigner’s information and hit submit. In some cases, Discover may require additional documentation. In this case, you can easily upload them online through the website.

Fees and penalties

When it comes to fees and penalties, Discover rates highly as one of the most generous student loan lenders out there. Borrowers who choose Discover Student Loans will not pay for origination fees, application fees or late fees. Avoiding these fees can save borrowers thousands of dollars on their loan, making it a very savvy choice.

Collateral and criteria

You’ll have the opportunity to see if your school is eligible during the application process. Student loans through Discover are unsecured loans so do not require collateral.