Ascent Funding

Ascent Funding: private student loans for college and career education

Ascent Funding presents itself as a private student loan entity that finances undergraduate, graduate, and career training programs. Its offering is aimed at covering up to 100% of school-certified costs, including tuition, housing, meals, and textbooks, with fixed rates starting at 1.94% APR and no application, origination, disbursement, late, or NSF fees.

The company states that it has funded more than 220,000 people and maintains a 4.6 out of 5 rating on Trustpilot. Its catalog includes college loans with and without a cosigner, graduate loans for MBA, law, medical, dental, health professionals, computer science, and engineering programs, master's and doctoral degrees, as well as parent loans, career training loans, and international student loans.

Financing products

• College loans for undergraduate students, with or without a cosigner.
• Graduate loans for MBA, law, medical, dental, health professionals, computer science, engineering, master's, and doctoral programs.
• Parent loans.
• Career training loans.
• International student loans.

The rates published on the site start at 1.94% APR for college loans, 3.64% APR for graduate loans, and 5.39% APR for parent loans. The company notes that these rates reflect an automatic payment discount of 0.5% on credit-based loans and 1.00% on outcomes-based loans, and that they are effective as of September 15, 2026.

Application and disbursement process

The process begins with an online application that allows you to check prequalification without affecting your credit score. Then, the applicant can review repayment options and choose a plan. Ascent performs a hard credit check and the school confirms enrollment. Finally, Ascent sends the loan amount directly to the school.

The company states that rate checking takes less than three minutes and that no essay is required for the scholarships it offers.

Repayment plans and borrower benefits

Borrowers can choose to make no payments during the school period and up to nine months after graduation, or start paying earlier. Ascent offers an automatic payment discount of between 0.50% and 1.00% on the interest rate. It also has a cosigner release program after 12 consecutive on-time payments, a cash reward upon graduation, and access to AscentUP, a financial and career support program.

The company does not charge application, origination, disbursement, late, or NSF fees, and does not apply a prepayment penalty.

Scholarships and educational resources

Ascent offers monthly no-essay scholarships for students and parents, and has awarded more than $355,000 in scholarships since 2020. In addition, it provides resources such as a guide to paying for college, a student loan calculator, a tool to calculate the graduate school funding gap, on-demand webinars on FAFSA, scholarships, and student loans, and a blog with tips on finances and student life.

The company also offers access to more than 1.2 million minutes of financial wellness education.

Eligibility and scope

Ascent accepts applications from students enrolled at least half-time at an eligible institution or in an approved career training program. Eligibility may be met through a cosigner or with alternative criteria based on the applicant's credit, income, or academic performance. The company also offers options for DACA and international students.

The company describes itself as an award-winning private student loan lender and a leader in innovative financial products and student support services. These claims come from its own presentation.

Customer service

Phone support hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Email channels include addresses for general help, technical support, bootcamp help, and scholarships.

Location and contact

Phone: 877-216-0876 · Email: help@ascentfunding.com · Hours: Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.