Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Review
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Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Reviews

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Angela Mae Watson

WRITTEN BY

Angela Mae Watson

Affordable private student loans
Affordable private student loans
About Education Loan Finance (ELFI)

Established in 2015, Education Loan Finance, or ELFI, is part of SouthEast Bank. The lender originally offered student loan refinancing only. Over the past couple of years, however, it’s started providing private student loans to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as parent borrowers.
Education Loan Finance excels in its dedicated, personalized support and competitive loan products. The lender has helped countless individuals bridge the financial gaps in their education – large and small.

9.0

LS SCORE

10

CREDIBILITY

10

SUPPORT

8.0

ACCESSIBILITY

Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Student Loans Review

Education Loan Finance offers private student loans and student loan refinancing for student and parent borrowers. The lender has relatively high eligibility requirements, but its loans come with low starting interest rates – variable and fixed.

Loan terms are also flexible, making them more manageable for borrowers than those offered by many other private lenders. Plus, the loans come in nearly any amount – from $1,000 for private student loans and from $10,000 for refinanced loans.

Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Student Loans Highlights

APR FIXED RATE

Min 3.20%

APR VARIABLE RATE

Min 1.88%

MIN CREDIT SCORE

680

LOAN REPAYMENT TERM

5, 7, 10, 15, or 20 years

FUNDING TIME

21 days

ORIGINATION FEE

None

PREPAYMENT FEE

None

OTHER FEES

None

SOFT CREDIT PULL

Yes

LENDER TYPE

Direct

Pros & Cons

  • Private student loans available in nearly any amount - maximum up to the approved amount by the school for the academic year
  • Student borrowers currently enrolled in a degree program may qualify for deferment or forbearance
  • Borrowers work with a qualified student loan advisor to assist them in understanding how to handle their student loans
  • Higher eligibility requirements than usual (ex. borrowers must have good credit or a co-signer, $35,000+ annual income, and 3+ years of credit history)
  • No co-signer release option until the borrower refinances their student loan

Student Loans Type

  • Private student loans

Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Refinance Highlights

REFINANCE AMOUNT

min $10,000

REFINANCE FIXED APR

4.29% - 7.29%

REFINANCE VARIABLE APR

2.48% - 7.98%

Pros & Cons

  • Parent PLUS loans can be refinanced under the student’s name
  • Student borrowers currently enrolled in a degree program may qualify for deferment or forbearance
  • High minimums for student loan refinancing
  • Good credit (680+) or co-signer, 36+ months of credit history, and a $35,000 minimum yearly income needed to qualify

Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Student Loans Terms & Requirements

Education Loan Finance has somewhat high eligibility requirements for student – and parent – loan borrowers. This includes good credit and credit history and a minimum income. The student must also be currently enrolled at least half-time in a qualifying Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree program to qualify. Parent borrowers also have to meet certain requirements (ex. support the student financially for 6+ months of the year).

That said, ELFI’s student loans come at competitive rates and have flexible terms. Their refinancing option are also affordable and can save the borrower thousands of dollars over the life of their loan.

Required Information

To begin the prequalification process, the applicant must provide certain personal and financial information. This includes proof of income and employment, proof of identity, and information about their school and degree program. Any co-signers or parent borrowers must have similar information (as pertains to them).

State Availability

Available in all states

Privacy & Security

Like many other online student loan lenders, Education Loan Finance has a strict privacy and security policy. It collect certain personal data through its website, applications, and electronic communications. However, it draws the line at collecting financial information obtained through the online application.

The lender also discourages minors – anyone under the age of 13 – from using its website. If a child does use the website and ELFI finds out about it, it strives to remove any related data.

Education Loan Finance is not responsible for how third-party websites might collect, use, track, or share users’ data. In some cases, ELFI may share this information with partner websites, as well as subsidiaries and affiliates.

Customer Support

Education Loan Finance has an excellent customer support team. This includes experienced student loan advisors who are committed to helping borrowers throughout the entire funding process. ELFI is also very responsive with regular business hours, which are:

  • Monday to Thursday: 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM (EST)
  • Friday: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (EST)
  • Saturday: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (EST)

Whether you have a question about the lending process, your loan’s terms, or something else, you can expect a response quickly. You can call them (1-844-601-3534) during business hours or email them at answers@ELFI.com with your query. Alternatively, you can use their online contact form.

Most online reviews are positive, particularly when it comes to customer support and how easy the application process is. On Trustpilot, for example, ELFI has 4.9 out of 5 stars with 1,926 reviews.

Phone Support
1-844-601-3534
Mon-Thu
8am-8pm EST
Fri
10am-5pm EST
Sat
10am-4pm EST
Sun
Closed

In Conclusion

Education Loan Finance offers private student loans to students (undergraduate and graduate) and parent borrowers. It also does student loan refinancing for those looking for better rates or to reduce monthly payments. These loans come in a wide range of amounts, so they’re good for covering any financial gaps in education.

ELFI also has excellent end-to-end customer support. The main downside is that it doesn’t have a co-signer release. In other words, the original borrower has to refinance their loan to remove their co-signer. Additionally, to qualify for the best rates, the borrower will need to meet higher eligibility requirements than is standard in the industry.

FAQ

How can an ELFI private student loan be used?
These private loans range from $1,000 up to the full yearly cost of the borrower’s education and can be used for nearly anything related to academic expenses. This includes things like tuition, room and board, books, and transportation.
Does ELFI offer forbearance or deferment on its student loans?
Student borrowers have up to 6 months after leaving school before they have to start repaying their loans. Depending on their repayment plan, they may also have automatic deferment. If a borrower experiences a financial hardship, they may also have up to 12 months of forbearance. Interest will still accrue during this time.
What does a student loan advisor do?
A student loan advisor can help student and parent borrowers with everything from applying for a loan to creating the best repayment plan. They can also help borrowers with things like delayed payments or past-due accounts.

Education Loan Finance (ELFI) Disclaimer

*Education Loan Finance is a nationwide student loan debt consolidation and refinance program offered by Tennessee based SouthEast Bank. ELFI is designed to assist borrowers through consolidating and refinancing loans into one single loan that effectively lowers your cost of education debt and/or makes repayment very simple. Subject to credit approval. See Terms & Conditions. Interest rates current as of 10-01-2022. The interest rate and monthly payment for a variable rate loan may increase after closing, but will never exceed 9.95% APR. Interest rates may be different from the rates shown above and will be based on the term of your loan, your financial history, and other factors, including your cosigner’s (if any) financial history. See Eligibility Requirements for more information. For example, a 10-year loan with a fixed rate of 6% would have 120 payments of $11.10 per $1,000 borrowed. Rates are subject to change.

†Notice for Federal Student Loan Borrowers: On 8/24, the White House announced up to $10,000 in forgiveness on federal student loans for qualified borrowers and up to $20,000 qualifying for Pell Grant recipients and suspended federal student loan payments with 0% interest until 12/31/22. Before refinancing federal student loans, keep in mind that doing so will cause you to lose access to future benefits applied to federally-held loans. Learn more.

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WRITTEN BY

Angela Mae Watson

Angela Mae is a personal finance writer specializing in loans, debt management, investing, retirement planning, and financial literacy. She comes from a journalistic background and pulls from hands-on experience and deep-dive research to breathe life into her stories. Her goal is to help others achieve financial stability and independence. When not writing, she can be found traveling, honing her yoga skills, hiking, or exploring new means of healthy, sustainable living.