Who offers personal loans with bad credit?

Several online lenders and loan marketplaces work with borrowers who have low or fair credit scores, though eligibility and terms vary by lender. Upstart‘s platform considers borrowers with bad credit and factors beyond credit score, including employment and income stability, when evaluating an application.

What do bad-credit lenders look at?

Lenders that work with bad credit borrowers usually look at more than a three-digit score. Many combine credit history with other data, such as:

  • Income
  • Employment stability
  • Education
  • On-time bill payment history

For example, someone with a credit score of 570, generally considered subprime on the FICO scale, might still qualify with a lender that weighs steady income and job history alongside credit history, instead of rejecting the application on credit score alone.

How are bad-credit applicants evaluated for loans through Upstart?

For loans through Upstart, applications are reviewed using an underwriting approach that also factors in a borrower’s education and employment history, not just their credit score2. This broader view can help borrowers whose score doesn’t fully reflect their current financial situation qualify for a loan they might not get approved for through a traditional bank.

What should you compare before choosing a lender?

In practice, this means a lower credit score doesn’t automatically rule out approval, but it may affect the rate and terms you’re offered. Before choosing a lender, compare:

  • The annual percentage rate
  • Origination fees
  • Repayment term length
  • Whether the lender reports payments to the credit bureaus

These details vary widely across loan marketplaces. It also helps to check whether a lender requires a hard credit pull just to see estimated rates, since that can affect your credit score before you even apply. Get quotes from a few lenders and compare the total cost of each loan before signing anything.

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*This content is general in nature and provided for informational purposes only. This content is not specific to Upstart, except where explicitly stated. This content may contain references to products and services offered through Upstart’s credit marketplace. Upstart is not a financial advisor and does not offer financial planning services.

Upstart Network, Inc. (NMLS #936133) is not a lender. All loans on its marketplace are made by regulated financial institutions.

All mortgage lending conducted by Upstart Mortgage, LLC dba Upstart Home Lending. (NMLS #2443873). Equal Housing Opportunity.

  1. Checking your rate won’t affect your credit score: When you check your rate, we check your credit report. This initial (soft) inquiry will not affect your credit score. If you accept your rate and proceed with your application, we do another (hard) credit inquiry that will impact your credit score. If you take out a loan, repayment information may be reported to the credit bureaus.
  2. Upstart’s model considers education: Neither Upstart nor its lending partners have a minimum educational attainment requirement in order to be eligible for a loan.
  3. One business day: If you accept your loan by 5pm ET (not including weekends or holidays), your funds will be sent on the next business day. When the funds will be available to you will depend on your bank’s transaction processing time and policies.
  4. APRs from 6.3% – 35.99%, with 3 or 5 year terms: The full range of available rates varies by state. The lowest rates are only available to the most qualified applicants. A representative example of payment terms for an unsecured Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 19.08% and a 8.15% origination fee of $815, for an APR of 23.37%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9185 and will make 60 monthly payments of $261. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in June 2026. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
  5. 3,000+ Variables: As of 6/30/2026. “Variables,” often also referred to as “features,” refers to raw variables and combined variables considered in our AI models. A “raw” variable is a non-combined, conceptually distinct unit of data, such as “applicant-reported savings.” A “combined” variable is data that has been transformed, combined, or otherwise engineered from a raw variable or set of raw variables, such as “applicant-reported savings” divided by “loan amount.”
  6. Fully automated loans: In Q2 2026. Percentage of Loans Fully Automated, which is defined as the total number of loans in a given period originated end-to-end (from initial rate request to final funding for personal loans and small dollar loans, and from initial rate request to signing of the loan agreement for auto loans) with no human involvement required by the Company divided by the Transaction Volume, Number of Loans in the same period.