Personal Loan With a 600 Credit Score: Can You Get Approved? (2023)

Major personal loan requirements include being at least 18 years old, having a bank account, having a good credit history, and having enough income or assets to afford monthly loan payments. Specific personal loan requirements vary by lender, however. Avant requires a credit score of 600 or higher, for example, while ... read full answerProsper sets the bar at 640 and SoFi asks for 680. Most lenders don’t disclose annual income requirements, but two exceptions are LendingPoint ($20,000+) and Citibank ($10,500+).

Some personal loans may have additional requirements, such as collateral to secure the loan. Lenders will also look at plenty of other factors when you apply, including your existing debt, employment status and housing payments.

Personal Loan Requirements

18+ Years Old

A loan is a binding contract, and most states won’t let you enter into a binding contract unless you are at least 18. Lenders generally do not offer loans to minors as a result.

SSN and U.S. Residency

Many (but not all) lenders will only make loans to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. You may be required to have a Social Security number. Some lenders allow applicants to use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or a Visa instead.

Bank Account

Lenders usually send the funds as a direct deposit to a bank account. Certain types of loans, such as ones where you provide collateral, may not require you to have a bank account. But most loans will.

Steady Income

Lenders need to be confident that you will repay the loan. So you will need to demonstrate that you have a source of income and/or significant assets. Lenders don’t generally disclose minimum income requirements, but you must be able to manage your monthly payments in addition to any other debts/expenses you have.

Credit Score of 585-700+

Lenders require applicants to meet a certain credit score threshold for approval. The most popular lenders usually require a credit score of at least 585 to 700. However, these requirements aren’t set in stone. Having a high income might help make up for a low credit score, and vice versa.

Reasonable Financial Obligations

If the lender determines that you already owe too much money relative to your income and assets (i.e. the amount you can afford to pay back), you probably won’t qualify. Lenders will also consider monthly expenses like housing payments that will decrease the amount of money you can put toward repaying a loan.

Stable Employment

It’s not impossible to get a loan if you don’t have a job. But if you’re unemployed you’ll need a strong alternative source of income, such as a pension, government benefits or investments.

Bottom Line

Overall, good credit and disposable income are the two most important personal loan requirements. You can check your latest credit score for free as well as compare personal loans based on their minimum credit score requirements on WalletHub. Lenders will be able to provide more detailed information about other requirements.

Although each lender is a bit different, the basics of the application and approval processes are pretty much the same. You can take the same general approach to maximize your odds of success, too.

Personal loan applications require several key pieces of personal information, including your name, SSN/ITIN, address and date of birth, along with financial information such as your yearly income and monthly mortgage/rent payments. It usually takes less than 7 business days to get a decision and to receive your money if you’re approved.

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Getting a personal loan is a lot easier than many people think. Most people are familiar with the credit card application process, however, and getting a personal loan is very similar. In general, you comparison shop to find an offer that suits your needs in terms of loan amount, length and APR. Then, you check for pre-approval to gauge your odds of success. Once you’re confident you want to apply, you fill out an application with some key personal and financial information, submit it and wait for a decision. Applying for a personal loan can be done in a matter of minutes, and you may find out whether you’re approved within a few days.... read full answer

How to Get a Personal Loan:

1. Compare offers after checking your credit score.
2. Check for pre-qualification.
3. Fill out an online application.
4. Get a decision.
5. Receive a bank transfer for the loan amount.

The first step in the personal loan process is always to check your credit score. Personal loan companies, just like credit card issuers, will look at your credit when you apply to see if you qualify. The higher your credit score is, the more loans you’ll qualify for and the better terms you’ll get. You can check your credit score for free with WalletHub. It’s also a good idea to take a look at your credit report and dispute any errors before applying.

Once you know your credit score, you’re ready to compare personal loan offers. Take note of the credit requirements that each available loan has, and narrow them down to ones you can likely qualify for. Then, compare other terms, like interest rates, estimated monthly payments, loan amounts and timeframes. These can vary widely depending on the lender.

After you’ve narrowed down your selections to a few personal loans with the best terms you can find, you’ll want to see whether any of the lenders offer pre-qualification. Pre-qualification is a way to check how likely you are to get approved for a loan without actually applying. You’ll just have to give the lender some basic personal information like your Social Security number. Pre-qualification will not affect your credit. If you are pre-qualified, you won’t necessarily be approved. But your chances are about as high as they can get.

By this point, you should make a decision on which loan to apply for. When you apply, it’s best to do so online. That way, you’ll have the potential for the fastest decision possible. The application will ask for basic personal information like your name and address, plus financial information like your income, employment status and monthly housing payment. Be sure to fill out everything accurately and truthfully.

All that’s left now is to wait for a decision. It could happen instantly or could take a few weeks, based on how well you meet the loan’s credit and income requirements and how quickly the lender can verify your personal information. If you’re approved, the lender will send you a bank transfer for the amount of the loan. Make sure you manage the loan responsibly after that. Pay on time every month, and pay more than the monthly minimum if you’re able to.

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If you want to get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner, your options are limited to credit-builder loans, secured personal loans, home equity loans and borrowing from alternative sources like friends and family. Having no credit disqualifies you from getting most unsecured loans, as lenders usually require an established credit score of 600 or higher.... read full answer

You could get around that issue if you had a cosigner, as the lender would use that person’s credit in the decision instead of yours. But without a cosigner, you have to rely on what you do have – income and collateral.

How to get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner:

Get a secured personal loan. Your credit, or lack thereof, doesn’t matter as much when you put up collateral to secure a loan. The lender can take possession of the collateral if you default, which means they have far less risk in lending to you.

You can find secured personal loans at banks like Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bank, KeyBank and PNC. You can also ask about them at your local credit unions. There are online lenders that offer secured personal loans, too. But make sure they’re not predatory payday loans or auto title loans that charge excessive fees.

Take out a credit-builder loan. This is a type of loan where the lender sets aside a certain sum of money in a savings account for you. Then, you pay that amount back in monthly installments and receive access to the account with all your money at the end. Plus, the lender reports to the credit bureaus each month, helping you build your credit score.

The only problem is that this process is kind of backward if you need money upfront. So it’s really only intended for building credit rather than getting money. If you’re interested in a credit-builder loan, check your local banks and credit unions.

Use your home equity. Home equity loans are another type of secured loan. But they can be for much larger sums because the amount you can borrow is based on the value of your house minus the amount you have left to pay on the mortgage. So if your house is mostly paid off and is worth a lot of money, you could get a big loan. It’s not common that someone would own a home yet have no credit history, but it is possible.

Borrow from someone you know. A family member or friend isn’t as likely to care if you don’t have credit history. You may be able to convince them to give you a loan. But in order to avoid any relationship problems with that person in the future, you should make sure you have a written agreement and a plan to pay them back.

All in all, it’s not impossible to get a personal loan with no credit and no cosigner, but your options aren’t the greatest either. If you only need a few hundred dollars, you can always apply for a credit card for people with no credit. Then, you’ll have a credit line to draw on whenever you need it, and the ability to carry a balance between months if necessary.

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