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Best Personal Loans For Tuition With Bad Credit

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Tuition Loans Bad Credit

Can a personal loan be used for tuition?

Personal loans can help cover tuition costs, as long as spending restrictions allow. Personal loans are a type of installment loan funded as a lump sum and repaid in fixed installments over a predetermined period with interest. While they typically have few spending restrictions, it’s important to understand the agreement. Funding your education is a worthy investment, but be sure to explore your options. Education costs can add up and getting to the finish line in a financially stable spot can put you ahead. Before pursuing a personal loan you may want to consider student loans, grants, or other funding avenues designed to help students obtain the education they deserve.

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Where can you get a personal loan for tuition with bad credit?

Finding lenders that are willing to extend loans for bad credit borrowers can take a little more time. However, there are some lenders that specialize in helping bad credit borrowers. If you’re looking for lenders with less strict requirements, searching online can expand your options. In addition, online lenders can have less strict requirements. By leveraging the online marketplace you can expand your options from local to national, without going anywhere. 

How is a personal loan different from a student loan?
Personal loans and student loans are different, and here’s how. 

Personal loan: Personal loans are a type of installment loan funded as a lump sum and repaid in fixed installments over a predetermined period with interest. Typically after they are funded, the borrower will start repayment within 30 to 45 days. Personal loans can be funded by  private lenders, banks, or credit unions. 

Student loan: Student loans provide students with funds to finance education costs, including tuition. Generally, repayment on a student loan is deferred until after the student graduates. Student loans are usually funded by the federal government but can also be funded by private lenders. 

What credit score do I need to qualify for a personal loan for tuition?

With a personal loan, you are not putting up collateral. Therefore, the private lender, bank, or credit union is issuing a lump sum of cash without much protection that they will get their money back. And, that’s where credit score comes in. Most lenders hold credit score as a requirement to determine a borrower’s creditworthiness, or likelihood of repaying the loan. The larger the loan, or the longer the loan, the more strict the requirements can become. In most cases, offers are returned for borrowers with fair, good, or excellent credit. According to the FICO® score scale, the fair range falls between 580-669. Most lenders on the Acorn Finance platform have a credit score cutoff of 600 or above. If you need a personal loan to afford tuition, do what you can to boost your score before applying if necessary or apply with a co-signer with good credit. 

What are the advantages of personal loans for tuition?

Personal loans are designed to offer borrowers a lump sum of cash with plenty of flexibility. Here are some of the advantages that personal loans can offer students. 

  • Opportunity to boost credit score: If personal loans are repaid on-time (or early) they can work to boost your credit score over time. During your education, you may use several personal loans to get you through. Each time you repay a loan, you can boost your credit score. 
  • Repay the loan sooner than graduation: Repayment on personal loans generally begins 30-45 days after they are approved. If you’re able to make the payments while in school, this can help you pay down debt in parallel. When you get to the finish line at graduation, you can walk away with a little less financial burden having been paying your debt down already. 
  • Fixed installments: Personal loans are repaid in fixed installments. This means that the installment payment is the same over the duration of the predetermined repayment period. If you make all required payments on time, the loan will be paid in full. This can be simpler to manage than unknown payments that can come with variable loans or even student loans. 
  • Few spending restrictions: Personal loans have few spending restrictions. Therefore, you can apply the funds toward tuition, food, housing, car repairs, or anything else you need to support your education. 

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What can I do with a $10,000 personal loan?

A $10,000 personal loan has a number of uses, including (but not limited to):
Home improvement Buying a car Wedding costs
Debt consolidation Medical bills Startup business costs

Still have questions?

Personal loans can impact your credit score, but with on time payments the ultimate outcome can be positive. When you first take out the loan, you may see your credit score drop some – but don’t panic. This is often the result of the lender performing a hard credit pull and you taking on more debt. The impact of these events should be minimal and temporary, if you make on-time payments to follow. With on-time payments, your score can recover and potentially exceed your score before obtaining the loan. Monitoring your credit score on a regular basis can help you learn what impacts it, in either direction. Credit scores can be sensitive so the sooner you start to understand how to maintain a higher score, the sooner you can take action. 

Personal loans are funded as a lump sum, and can be deposited directly to your account. In most cases, the lender will not ask how you intend to use the loan. Once you have the funds, you can spend as needed - as long as it’s within the spending restrictions. Before applying for a personal loan, invest some time calculating the expenses you need to cover. This can allow you to request the appropriate amount. Since a personal loan is an installment loan, you’ll only want to borrow what you need. Overborrowing can result in paying more interest and fees than you need. Underborrowing can result in the need for another loan, or not accomplishing all you hoped to achieve with the loan. 

Loan approvals can take anywhere from a few business hours to a week or more. Before getting approved, in most cases you’ll get pre-qualified. Pre-qualified offers can be extended in seconds, depending on the lender. While they are based on your personal information, there can be contingencies. For example, the lender may request proof of income and or state that they need to perform a hard credit pull and verify your information before approving the loan. Factors such as how quickly you submit information requested, or how thoroughly the lender verifies your information can impact the time it takes to get approved. Once a loan is approved, it can be funded in as little as 1-2 business days, although funding times can vary.

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