You do not always need a U.S. cosigner, but your degree, school, country and location determine which student loans you can apply for.
“I am an international student in the US and need a student loan, but I don't have a US cosigner. How can I get a student loan under these conditions?”
Summary
Not having a U.S. cosigner does not automatically shut you out. The hard part is finding a currently funded program that covers your particular school and degree—not finding an American willing to sign.
You have two confirmed types of no-cosigner lending to consider, but each has important eligibility limits.
If you are pursuing a supported master’s degree outside your home country, Prodigy assesses your future earning potential and affordability without requiring a cosigner, guarantor or collateral. Your school, program and residence must qualify. Applications are being opened by country and intake—not universally—and Indian students are explicitly eligible to apply for Spring 2027. Approval and available funding are still required. [1][2]
If you attend an eligible Harvard graduate school at least half-time, Harvard Federal Credit Union offers a graduate loan with no cosigner required. You must meet its lending and document requirements and pass sanctions screening. This is a Harvard-specific arrangement, not a loan available to students at every U.S. university. Executive Education and HBS Online programs are excluded. [3]
MPOWER normally advertises no-cosigner loans, but its current funding-capacity notice says it is temporarily unable to offer new loans for 2026. As of October 20, 2026, that explicit restriction matters more than the page’s general application advertising. Its waitlist at https://app.mpowerfinancing.com/eligibility is not an approved loan or a funding commitment. [4]
These are conditional routes, not confirmation that you qualify; an undergraduate or unsupported program needs a different, institution-specific or country-specific option.
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Watch out for
Next steps
Start with the matching application below, then follow the Prodigy sequence if that is your eligible route.
Choose the applicable route
Start the application that matches your program
For Prodigy, create your application at https://accounts.prodigyfinance.com/customers/create-account?returnTo=https://student.prodigyfinance.com and enter your school, course and intake. It also requests a parent’s or guardian’s contact details for verification; that person is not responsible for your loan. For an eligible Harvard graduate program, use https://www.campusdoor.com/Harvard/DGPEL/International/qualify.aspx instead. Harvard FCU’s published 2026–2027 closing date is June 30, 2027, but your school may impose an earlier deadline. [2][3][12]
Requirements
For Prodigy applicants
Complete verification after your provisional offer
Prodigy describes its nonbinding as valid for 14 days. If you want to proceed, accept that provisional offer and complete the verification tasks in your application account. Submit clear, readable files in PDF, JPEG or PNG format where documents are requested; the exact tasks depend on your application. Verification is followed by matching to available funding, not an automatic payment. [9][11]
Requirements
Before paying
Review the full cost before committing
Compare the amount available with what you need and read the repayment terms. Prodigy requires a US$500 processing fee after funding allocation to finalize the loan. Its published representative example also adds an administration fee equal to 4.2% of the amount borrowed, repayable with interest; that example is not confirmation of your personal pricing. Use your actual written offer rather than an advertised starting rate. [1][9][10]
Requirements
For Prodigy applicants
Finish the agreement and school payment
Once funding is allocated, accept the offer and pay the US$500 processing fee through the official application process. Complete the remaining account tasks and digitally sign the loan agreement; Prodigy then sends funds directly to your school. Do not count the provisional offer as money already available for your tuition bill. [9]
Requirements
Legal sources
This answer draws on the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid guidance and the lenders’ own eligibility notices, application instructions and loan terms.
Prodigy Finance — Am I eligible for a loan?
Prodigy has a genuine no-cosigner model, but school, residence, affordability and current funding restrictions still apply.
Basic eligibility requirements; Fall 2026 & Spring 2027
Our assessment is forward-looking and considers factors such as your future earning potential, university acceptance, and affordability without requiring collateral, co-signers, or guarantors. Our loans are designed for students studying outside their home country. For Fall 2026 & Spring 2027, applications are open only to students from selected regions.
Prodigy Finance — Spring 2027
Indian applicants have an explicitly advertised Spring 2027 application route.
Spring 2027 applications
Applications for Spring 2027 are open for Indian students.
Harvard FCU — Harvard Graduate Loan
Harvard FCU offers a school-specific no-cosigner graduate loan, subject to enrollment and lending requirements.
Harvard Graduate Loan features, eligibility and application period
No cosigner required (0.25% interest rate reduction with qualified cosigner) To qualify, a borrower must be accepted into or enrolled at an eligible Harvard graduate school at least half-time and must satisfy all required underwriting and document requirements. All international borrowers must pass an OFAC screening. The application for the 2026-2027 academic year is available and will remain open until June 30, 2027. Please note that your school may set an earlier deadline based on the end of its academic year.
MPOWER Financing — funding-capacity notice
MPOWER’s current notice rules out relying on a new 2026 loan despite its general no-cosigner advertising.
Funding-capacity notice
We have reached our current funding capacity and are temporarily unable to offer new loans for 2026.
Prodigy Finance — excluded regions
Prodigy’s specific residence exclusions qualify its broader statements about lending to students in the U.S.
Excluded markets; U.S. states
As a financial institution, we are bound by regulatory frameworks and funding restrictions that preclude us from offering loans to students residing in these countries, states and provinces below: The following U.S. states: Alabama Alaska Delaware Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Montana Nevada North Dakota Ohio Oregon Rhode Island South Carolina Vermont Washington State (Washington DC is located in the District of Columbia which is a city we support) West Virginia Wyoming
Prodigy Finance — second-year and top-up funding
Prodigy’s additional-funding route is currently India-only and requires a separate application for each academic period.
Who is eligible to apply; multiple academic periods
At this time, second-year and top-up applications are open to students from India only. If your course has multiple academic periods, you’ll need to submit a new application for each period.
Ascent — International Student Loans
Ascent’s international-student product does not work without the required U.S. cosigner.
Can I get international student loans without a cosigner?
International students in the USA must have a cosigner who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Federal Student Aid — Eligibility for Non-U.S. Citizens
Student and exchange-visitor statuses are excluded from federal aid, while permanent residents and certain other immigration categories can qualify.
Eligible noncitizens; ineligible immigration categories
You are a U.S. national or permanent resident. You are NOT an eligible noncitizen and cannot receive federal student aid if you are in the U.S. on an F-1, F-2, or M-1 nonimmigrant student visa, or on a J-1 or J-2 nonimmigrant Exchange Visitor Visa; or
Prodigy Finance — application and funding process
A Prodigy quote is provisional; verification, funding allocation, payment and the final agreement come before school payment.
Application steps 2–6
You'll receive a non-binding provisional offer valid for 14 days. Accept your offer and upload your supporting documents. If successfully verified, you'll be matched to available funding. Once your funding has been allocated, you'll need to accept the offer, and pay a USD 500 processing fee, to finalise your loan. Once you arrive on campus, you'll sign your loan agreement digitally. Funds are then sent directly to your school.
Prodigy Finance — representative pricing
Prodigy’s published example includes both a processing fee and an administration fee, rather than interest alone.
Representative loan example
Administration fee: USD 1,680 (4.2% of the amount borrowed), added to the loan on disbursement and repayable with interest over the term. Processing fee: USD 500, payable before the loan is advanced.
Prodigy Finance — verification requirements
Prodigy verifies your identity, address, admission and any applicable financial information through application-specific tasks.
Proof of address; school admission confirmation
The exact requirements depend on your application and will be clearly shown in your dashboard. We’ll need to confirm your current residential address, as listed in your application. We’ll ask you to confirm that you’ve been accepted to the school, course and intake as indicated in your application.
Prodigy Finance — application instructions
Providing a parent’s or guardian’s contact details for verification does not make that person responsible for your Prodigy loan.
Parent or guardian contact details
We’ll ask for the contact details of a parent or guardian for verification purposes. Please note that they will not be responsible for your loan.
These are the official eligibility rules and lender terms published in the cited sources; rules, prices and funding availability can change.
This is general information about official processes, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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