Juno Student Loans Review 2026: Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

Juno Student Loans is a platform that helps you match you with a private student loan lender, but with a new twist. This process usually works by pre-qualifying, looking at a list of lenders, and then choosing the lender with the best rate.

But what if you could get together with a group of friends and approach one lender for a loan? Would this lender be more willing to lower the interest rate?

Juno believes the answer is yes because that is exactly what her strategy is built on. Juno takes a pool of borrowers and introduces them to its network of partner lenders. It then negotiates a lower rate based on a group of borrowers versus a single borrower. In this article, we’ll review how Juno works.

Juno, formerly known as LeverEdge, negotiates better student loan rates for groups of student loan borrowers. Its founders are Christopher Abkarianz and Nikhil Agarwal, who pioneered the “group student loan” strategy during their Harvard years. The company has raised $2.5 million through a seed round.

“Juno is the first collective bargaining group on student loans,” Abkarianz told KTEN TV. “Our mission is to help students reduce the cost of education, from the day they take out their first loan to the day they finish paying it off.”

“Juno is the ultimate team effort…the more people involved, the more we can negotiate lower rates. We are committed to doing everything we can to reduce the cost of student loans.”

Juno offers private student loans and student loan refinancing. By working with its lending partners, Juno is able to negotiate lower student loan rates. As the Abkarians mentioned in the quote above, the more borrowers involved, the greater their negotiating leverage with lenders.

Traditional lender matching platforms connect lender with borrower. Each loan is negotiated individually. It can be a slow, tedious and very time-consuming process. However, some platforms will pre-qualify borrowers, which can significantly speed up the process.

Juno takes a pool of borrowers and provides their information to partner lenders. This would likely be a win-win for both sides. Lenders receive a pool of borrowers, which is more efficient for them than working with just one borrower at a time. In return, the group of borrowers receives lower interest rates.

One drawback of this process is that it may take weeks or even months before lenders close a deal. Lenders still need time to analyze the group’s overall credit risk, and that’s where the lag comes in. Students looking to get better rates with Juno should consider tuition due dates versus how long it may take to finalize the deal. Of course, this does not prevent students from shopping just in case.

Private student loans and student loan refinancing are available from Juno. Here are the types of private student loans they currently offer:

Refinancing is also available with terms ranging from 5 to 15 years from the following partner lenders – Earnest, Splash and Nelnet Bank. If you’re refinancing medical loans, you’ll be directed the Laurel route. All other types of loans are offered through Earnest or Splash.

Juno is currently building a negotiation pool to refinance international student loans. Once he reaches 2,000 sign-ups, he will start reaching out to lenders to negotiate a group rate.

Juno is currently offering up to $1,000 cash back to borrowers who refinance with Splash. For Earnest and Laurel Road borrowers, the bank is promising an interest rate reduction of 0.25%. With Laurel Road, you can also make payments of $100 while you are in your medical residency or fellowship program.

The short answer is no. Federal student loans offer many advantages over private student loans. Some of the benefits of using federal student loans include:

Regarding the last two points, private student loans do not qualify. Also, during the pandemic, federal student loans have been in a 0% interest bearing period. For many private loans, this option is not available.

However, if you’ve already reached your annual or lifetime federal borrowing limits, Juno Private Student Loans offer great interest and competitive rates. Also, if you don’t take advantage of IDR and aren’t seeking PSLF forgiveness, refinancing your federal loans at a lower rate with Juno may make sense.

No, Juno does not charge any application or set-up fees. There are also no prepayment penalties if you pay off your loans before the end of the repayment period.

Since Juno isn’t actually a lender, its “secret sauce” is lower interest rates and cash back deals. But it’s important to understand that you may be able to find a lower rate or even more cashback by applying with an individual lender directly or using another comparison platform like Credible.

Here’s a quick look at how Juno compares:

There is a grace period of 9 months after graduation or withdrawal from school before repayment begins. But all other benefits such as forbearance and deferment periods will vary depending on the lender. You can read our reviews of Splash, Earnest, and Laurel Road to learn more about the benefits they offer.

You can visit the Juno website to get started. Expect to provide the following when filling out the application:

• name
• Email address
• School/university information
• Tutorial information
• Graduation year
• Immigration status
• Social security number
• Loan balance
• Employment information (if applicable)
• Annual income (if applying)
• designer Information (if any)
• Cosigner’s immigration status (if applicable)

Juno can be reached by phone or email Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). Their phone number is 201-482-1269 and their email address is [email protected]. You can also schedule a Zoom meeting with a Juno team member here.

Why should you trust us?

I’m America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™ and have been actively writing about and covering student loans since 2009. The team and I here at The College Investor have been actively tracking student loan providers since 2015 and have reviewed, tested, and followed almost every provider and lender in the industry.

Furthermore, our compliance team reviews the prices and terms contained in this list every day of the week for accuracy. This way you can make sure you’re looking for an accurate and up-to-date price when you comparison shop.

If you need to take out private loans or are looking to refinance existing student loans, Juno may be worth it. They don’t charge any fees, offer flexible terms, and may be able to offer you a lower rate than traditional lenders. However, the application process at Juno may take longer, so you will need to apply well before the tuition deadlines.

Before applying with Juno, be sure to fill out the FAFSA form for federal loans first because they offer more protection than private loans. As with any loan, it’s important to research to get the best deal. Compare Juno with the best private student loan companies and student loan refinancing lenders.

Here are some questions people often ask about Juno Student Loans:

Yes, since its founding in 2018, Juno has already had over 78,000 members sign up to join one of its negotiating groups and has secured over $420 million in loans.

Does Juno offer scholarships?

Yes, they offer a monthly $1,000 non-essay scholarship as well as a $1,000 essay/video scholarship.

Can you refinance international student loans with Juno?

Not yet, but you should be able to soon. It is currently building a negotiating group and has already had over 1,000 members join it. Once the group reaches 2,000 members, Juno will begin bidding with lenders.

Does Juno offer any cash back rewards?

Yes, they are currently offering up to $1,000 to borrowers who refinance.