Student Loan Planner's own methodology page lists lender payment size as one of three explicit ranking criteria, making its lender rankings a commercially shaped product rather than an independent editorial judgment.
What it's really for Lead generation for affiliated lenders dressed as expert editorial guidance; the consulting business adds legitimacy and client acquisition
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about Rankings of private student loan refinancing lenders and "best of" lists by borrower type, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
Student Loan Planner's own ranking methodology page states that lender payment amount is one of three explicit criteria for determining which lenders appear and how prominently. The site earns referral commissions from every lender it recommends, and individual lender listings disclose that portions of cash bonuses are paid directly by Student Loan Planner out of those commissions.
Source →- Operating since
- 2016 (10 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- Affiliate commissions from refinancing referrals (paid by lenders when borrowers refinance through site links) plus paid consulting engagements for individual borrowers.
- What they do
- Staff-written "best of" lists and lender rankings for student loan refinancing, private loans, and federal servicers, bundled with paid consulting services for high-income borrowers. Readers click through affiliate links that pay commissions and cash bonuses to Student Loan Planner.
- What to watch for
- The site does not conduct independent lender testing or third-party audits. By its own admission, how much a lender pays is one of the three explicit criteria used to determine ranking prominence — meaning a lender that pays more gets better placement regardless of product quality alone.
- Composite score
- 2.00 / 5.00 → grade C-
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- The site's own ranking methodology for refinancing lenders lists three criteria: conversion rates, user feedback, and 'How much does a lender pay us?' — explicitly tying compensation to placement prominence. Source: Student Loan Planner — Best Student Loan Refinance Companies →
- The methodology page states: 'All websites that offer student loan refinancing earn advertising commissions when you refinance through their links. We mitigate this conflict of interest by taking a lower payment from our partners so we can offer the best student loan refinance bonuses to you.' — acknowledging the conflict but not eliminating it. Source: Student Loan Planner — Best Student Loan Refinance Companies →
- Individual lender listings disclose that portions of advertised cash bonuses are paid directly by Student Loan Planner out of affiliate commissions (e.g., '$1,000 will be paid directly by Student Loan Planner'), confirming lenders fund the rankings. Source: Student Loan Planner — Best Student Loan Refinance Companies →
- The About page confirms the site was founded in October 2016 by Travis Hornsby and operates through consulting services and loan refinancing partnerships as its two primary revenue streams. Source: Student Loan Planner — About →