NaviRefi is an invite-only student loan refinance program that consistently advertises conflicting information across its website. Its parent company, Navient Corporation, recently lost its contract with the U.S. Department of Education due to repeated unlawful conduct.
| Loan Limits | $5,001 – $500,000 |
| Fixed Rates | 3.95%* – 9.99% |
| Variable Rates | 5.89% – 9.99% (Undisclosed Cap) |
| Terms | 5, 10, 15, or 20 years |
| Min. Credit Score | Undisclosed |
| Apply | Link |
*Lowest rates include a 0.25% interest reduction for enrolling in auto-pay; NaviRefi posts multiple versions of rate ranges across its website with no indication of which rates are current or correct.
Skip to: Rates & Fees | Eligibility Requirements | Repayment Options | Consumer Reviews & Complaints | FAQ
| Private student loans | ✓ |
| Private parent loans | |
| Federal student loans | ✓ |
| Federal Parent PLUS loans |
NaviRefi Refinance Rates & Fees
NaviRefi offers fixed and variable refinancing rates. The lowest rates include a 0.25% interest reduction for enrolling in auto-pay.
Note that NaviRefi may offer more term lengths than those listed.
| Term† | Fixed Rate | Variable Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Year | 3.95% – 9.50% | 5.89% – 9.55% |
| 10 Year | 5.46% – 9.80% | 6.01% – 9.85% |
| 15 Year | 5.49% – 9.99% | 6.14% – 9.99% |
| 20 Year | 5.69% – 9.99% | 6.30% – 9.99% |
Additional information about NaviRefi refinance rates:
- Checking your rate with NaviRefi will affect your credit score. By the time you get an invite from NaviRefi, they will have already prescreened your credit history with a soft credit check. To process your application, they will conduct a hard credit inquiry (learn the difference).
- Variable rates are only available to residents of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia
- Variable rates are based on the 30-day SOFR (4.51% as of this writing) published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the 25th day (or the next business day) of the preceding calendar month prior to the 1st of each month and rounded to the nearest 0.01%.
- This lender does not publicly disclose a variable rate cap.
| Year End | Fixed | Variable |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4.69% – 9.99% | 5.89% – 9.99% |
| 2023 | 4.99% – 9.99% | 5.80% – 9.92% |
| 2022 | 3.99% – 8.99% | 4.46% – 9.46% |
| 2021 | 2.44% – 6.04% | 1.88% – 5.89% |
Additional Fees
Beyond interest rates, there are a number of fees a refinance lender may charge up-front or during the loan servicing period. Below is a list of these fees that NaviRefi does or does not charge.
| Fee Type | Amount Charged |
|---|---|
| Application Fee | Undisclosed |
| Loan Origination Fee | None |
| Disbursement Fee | Undisclosed |
| Prepayment Penalty | None |
| Late Payment Fee | Undisclosed |
| Returned Payment Fee | Undisclosed |
| Collection Fee | Undisclosed |
- Application fee – fee to apply for rates & approval.
- Loan origination fee – fee to create the new loan.
- Disbursement fee – fee for distributing funds to lenders to pay off loans that have been refinanced.
- Prepayment penalty – fee for making extra payments to reduce a refinance loan balance or pay it off early.
- Late payment fee – fee for making a late payment.
- Returned payment fee – fee for failed payments due to insufficient funds, also known as a “bounced check”.
- Collection fee – fee for collection activity on a defaulted debt.
Current Promotions & Offers
NaviRefi offers a 0.25% interest rate reduction when borrowers enroll in automatic payments.
NaviRefi Refinance Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for refinancing with NaviRefi, all borrowers must meet the criteria below.
- Citizenship Requirement: U.S. citizenship or permanent residence.
- Income Requirement: proof of income.
- Credit Score Requirement: undisclosed minimum score.
- Graduation Requirement: unspecified.
- Location Requirement: residents in 49 states (excluding Nevada) and the District of Columbia.
Additional restrictions apply for specific individuals and loans.
NaviRefi Student Loan Repayment Options
Lenders vary greatly on the benefits and options provided to borrowers during the loan servicing period. Additionally, benefits may only be available on a case-by-case basis. NaviRefi offers some relief options. Some of these options include deferment or forbearance, rate reductions or reduced payments, and total disability discharge.
Deferment & Forbearance
NaviRefi offers deferment or forbearance under certain circumstances. For example, borrowers may apply for a short-term forbearance due to events related to COVID-19. See NaviRefi’s conditions for deferment and forbearance below.
| Condition | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Returning to grad school | Deferment |
| Disability rehabilitation | Undisclosed |
| Active military duty | Deferment |
| Involuntary unemployment | Undisclosed |
| Economic hardship | Undisclosed |
| Natural disaster | Unspecified |
| Temporary hardship | Undisclosed |
Additional Options
NaviRefi may offer other opportunities for relief or contract modification.
- Co-signer release is not an option with NaviRefi.
- Death / disability discharge is available in the unfortunate circumstance that a borrower passes away or suffers total permanent disability.
- NaviRefi also offers a rate reduction program that temporarily lowers borrower interest and monthly payments for 6 months. Eligibility depends on financial hardship.
NaviRefi Reviews, Complaints & Lawsuits
Beyond our own findings, our team also collected the most genuinely insightful customer experiences we could find, including any instances of legal action against the company in which the details became public.
NaviRefi Online Reviews
Below are 3 samples of NaviRefi customer reviews we found on public forums, included here for their value as unedited, uncensored, and unsolicited user experiences. Note that these reviews are unverified, may include inaccuracies, and may provide outdated information (about rates, bonus offers, etc.).
“After calling to discuss, I learned that I cannot use Navi Refi to refinance my Navient student loan because I don’t have enough income.
Weird since I had no income when I borrowed the money, never missed a payment in 10 years, AND have a credit score higher than 750…🤔
Anyone else in student loan debt and strongly dislike Navient (formerly known as Sallie Mae)?!.” – Marilyn Lambert on Facebook, 5/31/2020
“Was sent an offer with a “guaranteed acceptance” and promised a fixed rate. Throughout the process all I was seeing was a variable rate. Pressed the submit button and was immediately denied. Have yet to receive a reason why. I assume I took a hit on my credit report even though I was “guaranteed.” I don’t believe NaviRefi is a reputable firm.” – Rod H. on SuperMonday, 6/19/2019
“Navirefi is a relatively new operation, and I couldn’t find much on them when I started the process a couple months ago. So heres my experience.
TL;DR: Got approved for a good rate, they lowered the rate even more unprompted after origination, 2 months from origination to first payment (unexpected), website sucks but does what you need it to. Overall good.
I was looking to refinance the remainder of my wife’s private loans, varying in rates from 5.5-6.5%. Targeting a full payoff in less than 5 years. Now my wife is not very interested in talking on the phone and in general dealing with financial responsibilities (thats my duty and I’m fine with that). So I applied all online via invitation (that is the only way you can get with Navirefi, apparently), and was conditionally approved for $72k @ 4.19% (autopay), which is about what I expected for her creditworthiness. I let this stagnate for maybe 2 weeks while they tried to call several times to talk to her and wrap it up. As I said, she’s not big on that sort of thing and we are busy people. Meanwhile she (I) applied through Earnest and was approved for $72k @ 4.8%, and honestly I was probably just gonna go with that to be done with it, and since I have worked with Earnest on my own loans I knew what I was getting into.
So out of the blue, NaviRefi gives a final approval to the 4.19%, no need to talk on the phone. So I go for it. Sign agreements, etc. I think I signed in mid june, and they set my first payment for $0 on July 25. I contact to inquire, they say thats when my first billing cycle starts, and actually I won’t be charged until August 25. Ok fine, some extra cash flow for a little bit, while interest accrues.
Then early August, out of the blue again, they send an e-correspondence informing me that “hey, we reviewed your application further, and you should actually have a rate of 3.25%”. They even retroactively refunded the 0.94% difference in accrued interest since the loan originated! Unbelievable news from a company (SallieMae/Navient) who we’ve loathed so long.
So my first payment just applied successfully on Aug 25, no issues. I have the bill for the next payment and know what to expect. The website is pretty much a POS, and can be quite slow. The chat has never worked, only email. But it has been a very good experience overall. Feel free to ask any questions.” – dwurl on reddit, 8/27/2018
More (unfiltered) customer reviews of NaviRefi and Navient are available at TrustPilot.com (1.7 out of 5) and ConsumerAffairs.com (1.1 out of 5).
NaviRefi Consumer Complaints
As consumer finance companies, student loan refinancing lenders fall under the jurisdiction of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a federal agency. As part of its mission, the CFPB allows consumers to log official complaints. These complaints are publicly available on the CFPB official website. Since April 3, 2015, consumers have submitted 42,093 complaints about Navient Solutions, LLC (Navient & NaviRefi) to the CFPB at an average of one (1) complaint every 2 hours and 38 minutes; this is 392 times higher than the average daily complaint rate among reviewed lenders. Among the 20,092 complaints with narratives, 566 or 2.82% specifically reference refinancing.
In 2024, consumers filed 3,050 complaints about Navient which is nearly equivalent to the average number of annual complaints. Navient received 1,376 consumer complaints in 2023, equivalent to:
- 42.0% of the number of consumer complaints Navient receives in an average year.
- one (1) complaint for every $3.10 million of that year’s corporate income from interest on education loans.
- one (1) complaint for every three (3) employees.
The allegations made in these complaints are unverified, are not necessarily representative of all consumers’ experiences with NaviRefi, and may contain outdated information (about rates, bonus offers, etc.). Note that a lender with a large customer base is likely to have a higher number of complaints when compared with smaller lenders. 
Complaint 10364166
10/6/2024
South Carolina
“I am writing about Navient again. I had sent an original complaint in XXXX and the company responded with balance not reflecting my payments due to forbearance, etc. It also looks now like Im interest rate is a lot higher than it had originally been. I feel strongly that they miss appropriated payments, etc. Now it looks like they sold my loan to XXXX at the higher interest rate. I guess I am very confused how this can be allowed. I had called to refinance and also called to remove co-signer, kept getting turned down. My XXXX is a XXXX who had to consign for me and its still on his credit! He is livid I had taken out {$5000.00} in XXXX and Ive made over XXXX payments and still have a balance of {$4200.00} What can I do?”
Complaint 10305465
10/1/2024
Ohio
“I had requested an Income Based Repayment Plan in XXXXXXXX & was denied on lies. At the time, I was only making {$1000.00} – {$1200.00} a month while Sallie Mae ( now Navient ) was demanding a monthly payment of $ XXXX per month. The representative lied & said that I did not qualify for an Income Based Repayment Plan & forced me into a Forbearance plan. I was stuck on Forbearance payments until I got a higher paying job in XXXX & could finally afford the {$960.00} per month that Sallie Mae ( & later Navient ) demanded. This forced Forbearance did not stop the interest which added another {$30000.00} minimum in interest to my total. I have paid over {$90000.00} in payments over the last 14 years ( with never a single late payment after my Forbearance period ), but I still owe over {$56000.00}. My original loan total was around {$80000.00} in XXXX when I graduated. This year XXXX XXXX ), I tried to refinance my XXXX XXXX XXXX with the Department of Education, but found that Navient converted my loans to private loans without my knowledge or consent in XXXX. My loans were Federal & should still have the protections guaranteed to such loans despite Navient being ineligible to service such loans. Sallie Mae & now Navient have both scammed me for considerably more money than I originally owed for my loans. As they gave me no proper information/documentation about either the Income Based Repayment Plan or the changing of my Federal loans to private, I have no files to upload other than any statements I can get from Navient of my payments.”
Complaint 10210884
9/23/2024
Louisiana
“I have been in repayment of my student loan ( FFELP ) for 35 years. The loan has been serviced by Sallie Mae and by Navient, and was transferred to XXXX, effective XX/XX/XXXX. I have been enrolled in an income-based repayment plan for some time now, after I spent many, many years in either deferment or forbearance programs offered through Navient. I was guided into forbearance and deferment due to financial hardships but was never informed by Sallie Mae or Navient that other income based programs were available to me. I borrowed {$27000.00}, and the loan was consolidated in XXXX at 9 % interest. Over the past 35 years, I have repaid approximately {$82000.00} on the loan, but I still owe upwards of {$140000.00}. I am now XXXX XXXX XXXX, work for myself part-time as a social worker and collect social security. I have never been able to own my own home because of the debt I carry from my still-growing student loan debt. I hoped that I might qualify for some forgiveness but having a FFELP loan always complicated my attempts to enter a loan-forgiveness program, even when I applied to enter the loan forgiveness program around XXXX or XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX but denied due to my having a FFELP. I contacted Navient to ask about loan forgiveness. I was sent an application to apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. I was told that I would have to have my loan refinanced and apply. I am self-employed and do not work for non-profits, the government or agency-setting that meets the criteria for the loan forgiveness program. Moreover, I do not want to re-finance a {$270000.00} that has ballooned to {$140000.00} That sad part, for me, is that I will die before this loan will ever be paid off.”
For a full list of complaints made against Navient Solutions, LLC in the CFPB’s Consumer Complaint Database, click here.
NaviRefi Lawsuits
NaviRefi has not explicitly been named in any lawsuits since the program’s launch in 2018.
Navient Lawsuits
NaviRefi has not been directly implicated in several ongoing lawsuits filed against its servicer, Navient Solutions, LLC. This includes the September 2020 filing of Villalba v. Navient Et. Al. and multiple ongoing civil suits facilitated by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; these actions allege repeated violation of state and federal consumer protection laws. Navient is also subject to multiple class action suits.[1][2][3]
The U.S. Department of Education ended its contract with Navient as of December 2021. Future legal action is likely.[4][5]
Note that while this information is updated regularly, ongoing legal action is subject to change.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the most common questions consumers have about student loan refinancing with NaviRefi.
- Is NaviRefi good for refinancing student loans?
NaviRefi may be a good option for current Navient customers and for borrowers who want to keep certain protections, such as deferment for a return to school.
- Does NaviRefi have a minimum credit score requirement to refinance student loans?
NaviRefi does not disclose a minimum credit score to qualify for student loan refinancing.
- Are NaviRefi loans federal?
NaviRefi loans are not federal. NaviRefi has no affiliation with the federal government or the U.S. Department of Education.
- Does NaviRefi charge a prepayment penalty?
It is unclear as NaviRefi does not disclose this information.
- Does checking your rates with NaviRefi hurt your credit score?
Yes, checking your rates with NaviRefi may impact your credit score. Refinancing with NaviRefi is invitation-only; borrowers who receive an invite may assume they have already prequalified. If you proceed with an application, NaviRefi will perform a hard credit check that may affect your credit score.
- Is NaviRefi a bank?
No, NaviRefi is not a bank nor is it affiliated with any bank. NaviRefi is a student loan refinance program under Navient designed for the lender’s existing customers.
- Can I refinance a NaviRefi loan?
You can refinance a NaviRefi loan, Navient student loan, federal loan, or a student loan from another private lender. There is no limit to the number of times a borrower may refinance with NaviRefi. Note, however, that every new line of credit requires a hard credit check that may affect your FICO score.
- Can I refinance just some of my loans with NaviRefi?
Yes, you can refinance some, all, or just one of your qualifying student loans with NaviRefi. You may choose to refinance your private loans only or refinance private and federal loans together.
- Can I refinance loans that have already been refinanced?
Yes, you can refinance loans as many times as you want with NaviRefi. Note that each time you refinance, you will have to submit a new application; every application requires a hard credit check that may affect your credit score.
- Can my spouse and I refinance our loans together with NaviRefi?
No, NaviRefi does not generally allow spouses to combine debt except in some cases where a borrower owes educational loans on behalf of a spouse.
- How long does it take to refinance with NaviRefi?
NaviRefi does not disclose a timeline, but borrowers may expect refinancing to take between 5 and 15 weeks. The first payment will be due 25-60 days after the disbursement date.
- Who services NaviRefi refinance loans?
Earnest Operations LLC and Navient Solutions LLC finance and service refinance loans from NaviRefi.
- Does NaviRefi offer a grace period?
No, NaviRefi does not offer a grace period.
- How often do variable rates change?
NaviRefi updates its variable interest rates on the 1st of each month according to the 30-day SOFR as published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on the 25th day (or the next business day) of the preceding calendar month and rounded to the nearest 0.01%.
- Can I get any special rates or discounts with NaviRefi?
NaviRefi offers a 0.25% rate reduction to borrowers who enroll in automatic payments.
- What happens if I file for bankruptcy?
NaviRefi loans may not be discharged by a bankruptcy filing. NaviRefi honors the automatic stay of the Bankruptcy Court and ceases collection efforts against that person while the automatic stay is in place.
- Does NaviRefi partner with any major student refinance lender marketplaces?
NaviRefi does not appear to partner with any major multilender marketplace.
Compare Student Loan Refinance Reviews
| Lender | Rating |
|---|---|
| RISLA | A |
| Brazos | A- |
| ELFI | A- |
| Credible | A- |
| Advantage | B+ |
| Laurel Road | B+ |
| Splash Financial | B |
| LendKey | B |
| Panacea Financial | B |
| UW Credit Union | B |
| Purefy | B |
| SoFi | B- |
| INvestEd | B- |
| Mpower Financing | B- |
| Earnest | C+ |
| Yrefy | C+ |
| EDvestinU | C+ |
| SC Student Loan | C+ |
| Sparrow | C+ |
| Citizens Bank | C |
| College Ave | C |
| ISL | C |
| MEFA | C |
| SuperMoney | C |
| SELF Refi | C |
| CU Student Choice | C |
| iHelp | C |
| Navy Federal | C |
| BECU | C |
| First Tech Federal | C |
| PA Forward | C- |
| PNC Bank | C- |
| Nelnet Bank | C- |
| NaviRefi | D- |
Sources
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, CFPB Sues Nation’s Largest Student Loan Company Navient for Failing Borrowers at Every Stage of Repayment
- Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School Project on Predatory Student Lending, VILLALBA V. NAVIENT
- NavientClassAction.com, Navient Class Action Information
- Forbes, Navient Ends Student Loan Contract – Here’s What It Means for Your Student Loans
- Reuters, Navient Must Face Broad Borrower Lawsuit Over Payment Allocation
- NaviRefi Front Page