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Discover Private Student Loans Review

Discover has some decent interest rates on private student loans, but the loan quality doesn’t quite live up to the marketing materials.

Written By: Michael P. Lux, Esq.

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Discover undergraduate student loans are a solid choice.

Discover combines decent interest rates with innovative features to create a solid private student loan option. Unfortunately, Discover loans do come with some red flags and we think some of their promotional materials are a bit misleading.

Ultimately, it is the low interest rates that make Discover one of the better private loan lenders on the market.

(Note: Borrowers with existing student loans who are looking to refinance should read our Discover student loan refinance review.)

Discover Undergraduate Student Loan Basics

Discover Student Loans Review
Loan Types Offered:Fixed and Variable
Variable Rates:1.12% - 10.22%
Fixed Rates:4.24% - 11.99%
Repayment Length:15 Years

A quick glance at the table above and it should be obvious that Discover has solid interest rates on the low-end. However, some borrowers end up with double-digit interest rates which are terrible.

Discover doesn’t bother with a 5 or 10-year loan like most other lenders. The only repayment length offered by Discover is 15 years.

Only offering a longer loan is a smart approach. The vast majority of borrowers will want lower payments from extended repayment. Borrowers can always pay extra and pay the loan off early, but those that select a shorter repayment length will be stuck with larger payments that can be unmanageable. We really like that Discover sticks with 15-year loans and the rate transparency that it creates.

Like other legitimate private lenders, Discover doesn’t charge any loan origination, application, or prepayment fees. Discover takes the no fee approach one step further and doesn’t even charge any late fees.

Finally, like most other lenders, Discover will usually want a cosigner because most students lack the credit score and income in order to qualify on their own.

Discover Advantages

The excellent rates offered by Discover is the advantage that should really matter, but there are a couple of perks that may interest most borrowers.

Discount for Interest Payments During School – Borrowers have the option of delaying repayment until 6 months after finishing school, but there is a .35% interest rate reduction for those that make interest-only payments during school. We normally suggest students elect the interest-only payments during school because it helps encourage responsible borrowing and spending, but Discover has added an extra incentive.

Cash Rewards for Good Grades – Students who get at least a 3.0 GPA may be eligible for a one-time cash reward. We doubt a lender cash reward will be the difference between a student working hard or slacking at school, but it is a nice little perk for the students who do well.

Customer Service – For years Discover has earned a reputation for solid customer service. The student loan product is no exception.

Multi-Year Option – Discover offers a “pre-qualification” for future loans. In theory, this should provide peace of mind to assure students that they won’t run out of student loans midway through their junior year. On the surface, it is an exciting idea with real potential.

Unfortunately, the multi-year option has some major shortcomings.

Red Flags on Discover Student Loans

The multi-year option sounds like it provides some future borrowing security, but it really doesn’t.

The first issue is that there still is a soft credit pull that will take place each year. It helps that it won’t affect the borrower or cosigner credit score, but Discover can always decline future loans if something bad pops up on the credit report.

The other big issue with the multi-year option is the fact that the borrower must have the same cosigner, attend the same school, AND be working towards the same undergraduate degree. Many cosigners will not be able to sign for all the debt for all the years of college. Moreover, 75% of college students start out as undecided or change majors during their college career.

The glaring limitations on the multi-year option mean that it won’t be something that adds any level of certainty to future borrowing. At best, it makes filling out future applications a little quicker.

We also take issue with the Discover comparison table that suggests that Discover is a better option than federal student loans. The reality is that federal student loans are a much better option for the vast majority of borrowers. This is because federal loans include consumer protections like repayment plans based upon income rather than total debt. Federal loans also have a variety of forgiveness provisions. These huge federal advantages are noticeably missing from the Discover comparison table.

We’ve seen other lenders admit that borrowers should first maximize federal loans, and we wish Discover would do the same thing.

The complaints with Discover student loans don’t doom Discover as a lender, but it does mean that borrowers should be careful when making borrowing decisions.

Discover Student Loans Final Review

Discover has excellent interest rates, solid customer service, and is overall a very good student loan lender.

Even though we like Discover more than most other student loan lenders, it is still important that borrowers shop around to find the best interest rates available for their private loans.

Each lender has a different formula for evaluating applications, so the only way to know who has the best rates is to check with multiple lenders. We do realize that not every college student has the time or interest in doing this research, so we suggest applying to Discover through the Credible Marketplace. Going this route allows for checking rate offerings with multiple lenders by filling out just one form.

Click here to see what rate Discover will offer.

About the Author

Student loan expert Michael Lux is a licensed attorney and the founder of The Student Loan Sherpa. He has helped borrowers navigate life with student debt since 2013.

Insight from Michael has been featured in US News & World Report, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other online and print publications.

Michael is available for speaking engagements and to respond to press inquiries.

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