Personal LoansLender Reviews
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LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

SoFi Personal Loans Review

Updated on:
Content was accurate at the time of publication.

4.5
LendingTree Rating
Accessibility
Rates & terms
Repayment experience
Jump to: Our Methodology

Our Methodology

To come up with our star rating for personal loan companies, LendingTree considered 22 data points across three categories: accessibility, rates & terms and repayment experience. The data points reflect every step of the process to shop and apply for, borrow and repay personal loans. A five-star lender, for instance, has flexible eligibility requirements, offers you the chance to prequalify without commitment and supports you in zeroing your balance.

The 22 data points, culled from the lenders themselves, determine the overall rating. We score lenders consistently, sometimes awarding partial points, so that you can make apples-to-apples comparisons when shopping around.

LendingTree isn’t paid for conducting these reviews, and lenders don’t have control over their content. With our reviews and ratings, we aim to give our users the objective and exhaustive information they need to make the best possible decisions.

SoFi
8.99%-29.99%
24 to 84 months
$5K-$100K
680
Our Verdict
While SoFi has a higher credit score threshold than some competitors, this lender offers unique perks like same-day funding, flexible features and no required fees.
Get Your Rate
Terms & Conditions apply
NMLS#1136

  Read more about how we rated SoFi.

 

SoFi offers personal loans online with many attractive features to prospective borrowers. Here’s what you need to know before filling out an application:

  • Competitive rates: With APRs as low as 8.99%, SoFi is a worthy competitor if you’re shopping around the personal loan market.
  • No required fees: SoFi doesn’t charge any required fees. However, if you want to qualify for lower rates, you can accept an origination fee.
  • Wide range of loan amounts: SoFi offers one of the largest loan ranges among online lenders, from $5,000 to as much as $100,000.
  • Fast funding: Borrowers may receive funding on the same business day they apply, if approved.
  • Allows for co-applicants: For borrowers who want to qualify for a lower interest rate, SoFi offers joint personal loans, but you’ll have to live at the same address as your co-applicant. Keep in mind that adding a co-applicant can add an extra week or two to the approval timeline.
  • Best for borrowers with good credit: Borrowers will need a credit score of at least 680 to be approved for a SoFi personal loan. This lender may also be a good fit for consumers looking for large loans or loans with a quick funding timeline.

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There’s a lot to like about SoFi’s personal loan options, but there are also a few details you’ll want to keep in mind before submitting an application.

ProsCons

  Same-day funding available

  No required fees

  Perk for setting up automatic payments

  Offers large loan amounts

 Origination fee may apply for lower rates

 No physical branch locations

 High minimum loan amount

 Good credit required

SoFi doesn’t charge any required fees, including late fees or prepayment penalties. If you want to qualify for lower rates, you can accept a 0.00% - 7.00% origination fee, which will be taken out of your loan amount. Borrowers can also receive a 0.25% discount if they sign up for autopay, and may get same-day funding for their loan.

On the other hand, because SoFi is an online lender, it has no physical branches to visit. Plus, its minimum loan amount of $5,000 is relatively high, so borrowers looking for a small personal loan should look elsewhere.

Further, with a minimum credit score of 680, it also may be difficult for those with less-polished credit to qualify. You can check your credit score before applying to see if you’ll meet this requirement, and you may also consider using a co-borrower with strong credit.

Other than being at least the age of majority in your state of residence, you’ll need to meet several other borrower criteria requirements in order to be eligible for a SoFi personal loan.

Minimum credit score680
Employment requirements
  • Borrowers either must be employed or have an employment offer to start within 90 days
  • If you’re not employed, you must have income from other sources, such as alimony or Social Security benefits
Citizenship requirements
  • Must be a U.S. citizen
- OR -
  • Must be a permanent resident or nonpermanent resident (including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipients and asylum-seekers). Permanent residents and nonpermanent residents must present documentation demonstrating that your immigration status is current.

If you meet the basic requirements listed above, you may need to disclose how you plan to use your personal loan. While SoFi does allow borrowers to use its funding for a variety of purposes, there are certain expenses you cannot put the money toward.

SoFi loans CAN be used for…SoFi loans CANNOT be used for…

 Repaying credit card debt

 Home improvement projects

 Vacations

 Engagement and wedding expenses

 Debt consolidation

 Real estate

 Business expenses

 Investments

 Purchases of securities

 Post-secondary education

 Short-term bridge financing

If SoFi’s personal loan options won’t work for your borrowing needs, be sure to shop around for a lender that helps you meet your financial goals and can offer you the best-fitting rates, terms and amounts.

Because SoFi is an online lender, you won’t need to visit a branch in person in order to apply for a loan. To find out whether you’ll be approved for a personal loan with SoFi, follow these steps:

Prequalify for a loan

If you prequalify for a personal loan, you can check the potential rates, terms and amounts you may be eligible for with no impact to your credit score. Aside from your personal information, you’ll need to supply SoFi with information about how much you want to borrow, how you plan to use the funds and what your monthly rent or mortgage payments are.

Verify your information

If you choose to move forward with a SoFi personal loan, you’ll then need to verify your information. You may need to provide the following documentation:

  • A government-issued form of ID (such as a driver’s license or passport)
  • Income verification (such as recent pay stubs or a W-2)
  • Proof of address (such as a utility bill, lease agreement or mortgage statement)

Close on your loan

After you’ve verified your information with SoFi, you’ll have to submit to a hard credit pull (note that this can temporarily put a small dent in your credit score). If SoFi approves your personal loan application, you could receive your funds the same day you’re approved.

If your credit score is below 680, you might have some trouble qualifying for a SoFi personal loan unless you apply with a co-applicant. Before applying for a loan, you can boost your odds of personal loan approval by improving your credit score and lowering your debt-to-income ratio.

 

Even if you believe SoFi aligns with what you’re looking for in a personal loan, it never hurts to shop around and compare other lenders. Here’s how SoFi stacks up against similar personal loan lenders.

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?
LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.

How Does LendingTree Get Paid?

LendingTree is compensated by companies on this site and this compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (such as the order). LendingTree does not include all lenders, savings products, or loan options available in the marketplace.
SoFiLightStreamWells Fargo
LendingTree’s rating4.5/54.4/54.0/5
Minimum credit score680Not specifiedNot specified
APRs8.99% to 29.99% (includes discounts)

Pricing Disclosure

Fixed rates from 8.99% APR to 29.99% APR reflect the 0.25% autopay interest rate discount and a 0.25% direct deposit interest rate discount. SoFi rate ranges are current as of 02/06/2024 and are subject to change without notice. The average of SoFi Personal Loans funded in 2022 was around $30K. Not all applicants qualify for the lowest rate. Lowest rates reserved for the most creditworthy borrowers. Your actual rate will be within the range of rates listed and will depend on the term you select, evaluation of your creditworthiness, income, and a variety of other factors. Loan amounts range from $5,000– $100,000. The APR is the cost of credit as a yearly rate and reflects both your interest rate and an origination fee of 0%-7%, which will be deducted from any loan proceeds you receive. Autopay: The SoFi 0.25% autopay interest rate reduction requires you to agree to make monthly principal and interest payments by an automatic monthly deduction from a savings or checking account. The benefit will discontinue and be lost for periods in which you do not pay by automatic deduction from a savings or checking account. Autopay is not required to receive a loan from SoFi. Direct Deposit Discount: To be eligible to potentially receive an additional (0.25%) interest rate reduction for setting up direct deposit with a SoFi Checking and Savings account offered by SoFi Bank, N.A. or eligible cash management account offered by SoFi Securities, LLC (“Direct Deposit Account”), you must have an open Direct Deposit Account within 30 days of the funding of your Loan. Once eligible, you will receive this discount during periods in which you have enabled payroll direct deposits of at least $1,000/month to a Direct Deposit Account in accordance with SoFi’s reasonable procedures and requirements to be determined at SoFi’s sole discretion. This discount will be lost during periods in which SoFi determines you have turned off direct deposits to your Direct Deposit Account. You are not required to enroll in direct deposits to receive a Loan.

7.49% to 25.29% (with autopay)7.49% to 24.99% (with relationship discount)
Loan amount$5,000 - $100,000$5,000 - $100,000$3,000 - $100,000
Repayment term24 to 84 months24 to 84 months

Loan Term Disclosure

Your loan terms, including APR, may differ based on loan purpose, amount, term length, and your credit profile. Excellent credit is required to qualify for lowest rates. Rate is quoted with AutoPay discount. AutoPay discount is only available prior to loan funding. Rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher. Subject to credit approval. Conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice. Payment example: Monthly payments for a $25,000 loan at 7.49% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $777.54. © 2024 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, LightStream and the LightStream logo are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Lending services provided by Truist Bank.

12 to 84 months
Origination fee0.00% - 7.00% (optional)NoneNone
Funding timelineReceive same-day fundingReceive same-day fundingReceive funds in one to three business days
Bottom lineSoFi customers can benefit from flexible terms and fast funding, but may pay an origination fee for lower rates.LightStream has similar features to SoFi — but while it doesn’t charge any fees, it also doesn’t offer prequalification.Wells Fargo offers smaller starting loan amounts and shorter repayment terms, but funding takes longer than with SoFi.

See Your Personal Loan Offers

To come up with our star rating for personal loan companies, LendingTree considered 22 data points across three categories:

  • Accessibility: We paid attention to whether lenders offered loans to nontraditional borrowers, as well as those without excellent credit scores. We also checked if lenders offered soft credit pulls, and whether they were transparent about eligibility criteria other than credit scores.
  • Rates and terms: We wanted to know if lender rates, terms, amounts and fees were not only transparent, but also competitive.
  • Repayment experience: We based this category on lenders’ reputations, customer support availability and unique benefits.

The data points reflect every step of the process to shop and apply for, borrow and repay personal loans. A five-star lender, for instance, has flexible eligibility requirements, offers you the chance to prequalify without commitment and supports you in zeroing your balance.

The 22 data points, culled from the lenders themselves, determine the overall rating. We score lenders consistently, sometimes awarding partial points, so that you can make apples-to-apples comparisons when shopping around.

LendingTree isn’t paid for conducting these reviews, and lenders don’t have control over their content. With our reviews and ratings, we aim to give our users the objective and exhaustive information they need to make the best possible decisions.

Unlike with predatory lenders, SoFi will report your payments to the credit bureaus so your credit score can improve as you make on-time payments. You’ll have to submit to a credit check to ensure that you’re in a financial position to afford a personal loan.

With a minimum credit requirement of 680, it may be difficult for consumers who don’t have a good credit score to qualify for a SoFi personal loan. However, SoFi does give borrowers the opportunity to apply with a co-applicant, which can increase your chances of getting approved.

During the personal loan application process, you’ll have to submit to a hard credit check, which can temporarily bring your credit score down by up to five points. However, your credit score can increase over time as you continue to repay your loan.