Summary
- GradRight, on the other hand, offers a broader and technology-driven marketplace, where students can connect with a wide network of lenders.
- Instead of the student applying to one bank at a time, we collect your single application and invite all partner lenders to submit offers.
- This approach lets you know whether you are likely to qualify for loans based on your savings and co-signer’s income before applying to a university.
If you are an Indian student considering studying abroad, more often than not, you will need to finance at least part of your expenses with loans. This is especially true about studying in countries like the USA, UK, and Australia, where tuition fees and living costs have surged over the years. To put it in perspective, more than 4.6 lakh Indian students availed education loans from just the public sector over the last decade, according to the Finance Ministry.
Moreover, with average loan sizes rising sharply due to inflation and currency depreciation, the formal education loan market is expanding rapidly. But many students struggle to find the best options for low-interest rate loans for their needs. In this blog, we will compare how GradRight stacks up with other education loan assistance platforms like LeapScholar.
GradRight vs LeapScholar: Education loan services
GradRight and LeapScholar are two popular platforms that offer loan assistance for students considering international education. LeapScholar provides direct, fixed-rate loans primarily for studies in the USA and Canada. GradRight, on the other hand, offers a broader and technology-driven marketplace, where students can connect with a wide network of lenders: banks, NBFCs, and international financial institutions.
GradRight simplifies loan comparison and selection
GradRight’s loan search platform has revolutionized the way Indian students apply and shop for educational loans for studying abroad in countries including:
- USA
- UK
- Canada
- Australia
- Germany
- Ireland
Our AI-powered loan bidding platform allows students to access 95% of the education loan market with zero hidden charges or service fees.
The process is transparent, so students can compare interest rates, loan amounts, tenures, and other terms across offers. GradRight’s user-friendly interface and data-driven matching further simplify the process and make it easy for students to navigate and apply.
GradRight’s bidding model flips the traditional process. Instead of the student applying to one bank at a time, we collect your single application and invite all partner lenders to submit offers. The banks compete for your loan and you save both time and money. In practice, this means you can get multiple interest offers to compare within 2 days. The final approval usually comes in 2-4 days.
After you have filled in your application, the lenders submit their loan offers. Then, GradRight displays them side by side. Students see each lender’s rate, processing fee, and time with other terms in one dashboard. GradRight also provides unbiased expert advice to help negotiate or clarify education loan terms.
Other features of GradRight’s reverse bidding platform are:
- Students can select loans without pledging collateral or adding a co-applicant.
- Students get low interest rates starting from 8.25%
- Students benefit from a fully online process with zero hidden fees.
Traditionally, students approached individual banks manually and waited longer to compare the loan terms. With GradRight, you can save up to ₹23 lakh by choosing the lowest-rate offer. Our reverse-bidding model is one of the best education loan platforms in India. We centralize the market so you don’t have to shop bank-to-bank. In addition, students can complete the entire loan process with zero bank visits as everything is done online.
Also Read: Compare Education Loan Interest Rates of Top Banks in India 2025
Why GradRight offers a better financial planning experience
GradRight’s loan search platform helps students compare loans from different lenders. However, our university search platform goes a step further to suggest programs based on students’ profiles and financial needs. This approach lets you know whether you are likely to qualify for loans based on your savings and co-signer’s income before applying to a university. This reduces the risk of admission without sufficient financing.
With GradRight, you can compare both universities and loans on GradRight. First, shortlist the programs, fill in the university applications, and then compare loans side-by-side.
GradRight allows you to make informed decisions. To start exploring loans, just enter basic details about your course, university name, and admission status. First, you start by choosing your admission status, which includes:
- Yet to Apply
- Awaiting Decision
- Received Admit
- Waitlisted
- Already on campus
If you have already selected the university and program you will pursue your masters in, you can go ahead and fill in your other details. These include:
- Intake month
- Aptitude or language test scores
- University/program you are considering
- Your location in India
- Loan amount
After you have completed all four steps, you will see the loan amount you are eligible for or pre-approved for. You can sign up with your personal details and start getting loan offers from 15-plus lenders. GradRight partners with trusted Indian and foreign lenders, including:
- SBI
- ICICI
- Axis Bank
- HDFC Credila
- Prodigy Finance.
However, if you have not finalized your admission and are still deciding on your university and course, you can visit GradRight’s university search platform to explore and shortlist programs and institutions that match your preferences and profile. With 40,000 and more courses from six countries, you can select and compare programs on several parameters. These cover:
- University rank
- Acceptance rate
- Specific location within a country
- Median annual income after graduation
- Campus safety
You can also check your funding options to compare universities on the platform. Just enter details on your co-signer’s income and income type, along with savings, to see if you are eligible for a loan for a particular university. This will help you plan smartly and make sure you know the real financing needs in advance.
Understanding the repayment schedule is also important when taking out a big loan to study and live abroad. GradRight offers several planning tools that help students plan and manage their loan repayments comfortably. You can calculate your monthly payments with different loan amounts, interest rates, and term periods easily on the loan calculator.
GradRight makes education loan planning smarter and faster.
Exclusive features of GradRight’s education loan assistance
GradRight is more than just a loan search engine. It is a student-focused education financing platform that empowers students to take better control of their finances. Here are some exclusive features that GradRight’s loan search platform offers:
EMI Calculators
GradRight offers an advanced education loan EMI (Equated Monthly Installment calculator. This tool lets students accurately estimate their monthly repayments by inputting:
- Loan amount
- Interest rate
- Tenure
The calculator simplifies complex calculations and helps students plan their finances with clarity. It instantly shows their monthly EMI, total payable interest, and total loan cost. This way, you will know exactly what you have to repay each month and plan your study abroad finances better.
You can also play with the calculator to compare different loan offers. For example, you can see how reducing your loan tenure by a few years raises the EMI but cuts total interest dramatically.
A 10-year ₹20 lakh loan at 8.5% vs 9.0% might mean a difference of over ₹50,000 per year in payments. Therefore, even half a percent of interest can save you lakhs in the long run.
You can also inspect your loan eligibility with information on your university ranking and the monthly income of the co-signer. It gives you a realistic view of your financing chances even before committing to a program.
Students can also access the loan planning tools via the official GradRight app on the Google Play Store.
Also Read: Education Loan EMI Calculator: Calculate EMI for Your Student Loan
Detailed Loan Insights with No-Collateral and Co-Signer Options
Students receive comprehensive insights into each loan offer on GradRight. The data-driven approach makes sure you have all the information needed to make the best choice.
Side-by-side insights into each loan offer include:
- Interest rates
- Processing fees
- Repayment terms and options (such as repayment during moratorium vs. after)
- Collateral requirements (secured or unsecured)
- Prepayment penalties (if any)
- Eligibility criteria for each lender
GradRight also partners with lenders that offer no-collateral (unsecured) education loans. This means your family does not have to pledge assets as security. No co-signer loan option goes further to make loans accessible even without financial guarantors.
Refinancing (Education Loan Balance Transfer)
GradRight also helps international students stuck with high interest rates. If you already have an education loan, you can transfer it to another lender with better interest rates or more favorable terms. GradRight offers loan refinancing options that benefit you with:
- Lower EMIs
- Reduced overall interest burden
- Improved repayment flexibility
This will ultimately save you money over the full loan term..
Value-Added Services
In addition to study abroad loans, GradRight offers other important services to help students after their loan is secured. These GradONS include:
- Forex services (currency exchange at competitive rates)
- International travel cards
- Exclusive scholarships worth ₹42 lakh and more
- Accommodation assistance abroad
- Health insurance
You can avail these student loan support services by contacting a GradRight expert at grad@GradRight.com or calling 09240209000.
LeapScholar’s loan assistance lacks the benefits of a competitive marketplace
LeapScholar, through Leap Finance, provides education loans with features such as:
- no margin money,
- fixed interest rates starting from 8.49%,
- and no-collateral options for eligible students.
Their study abroad loan assistance process for students is online. However, Leap Finance’s loan services are mainly focused on those considering studying in the USA and Canada. The platform also offers direct loans rather than a marketplace of competing offers. They can connect you with traditional banks, including SBI and Axis.
Notably, LeapScholar emphasizes its own NBFC, Leap Finance, which advertises quick online approvals and unsecured, collateral-free loans up to 90–100% of costs.
Unlike GradRight, LeapScholar does not have an online bidding platform. Consequently, students do not have the platform to get multiple offers on a dashboard. Rather, your counselor will gather information and work with one lender at a time. This means you might not automatically see the absolute lowest available rate.
Overall, LeapScholar’s process is more manual and relies on established lenders. Whereas GradRight automates and democratizes the loan comparison. LeapScholar does offer collateral-free loans, like GradRight, but it lacks GradRight’s transparent multi-offer display.
Why GradRight is the superior choice for loan assistance
Overall, GradRight outperforms LeapScholar in several key areas:
- Marketplace Model: GradRight’s reference bidding loan platform fosters competition among lenders. This results in better rates and terms for students. It also connects students to a wider range of lenders, including major Indian banks, NBFCs, and international institutions. And covers several countries and universities worldwide.
- Data-Driven Recommendations: GradRight’s AI-powered tools match students with the best-fit loans and universities. This helps students plan funding needs early, even before applying to programs and increases approval chances and financial suitability.
- Comprehensive Financial Planning Tools: EMI calculators and detailed loan insights enable students to plan their finances effectively. Exclusive scholarships further benefit students as they can fund part of their expenses with one of five need and merit-based programs in addition to loans.
- No Co-signer Options: GradRight offers access to unsecured loans that do not burden family members with financial obligations in the future.
Start your study abroad financing with GradRight’s education financing solutions. We are one of the best loan comparison platforms for students in India.
FAQs
1. What Makes GradRight’s Education Loan Assistance Better Than Leapscholar’s?
GradRight connects students to 15+ lenders through a reverse-bidding platform. Our educational loan assistance model empowers students to better loan terms by creating competition among multiple lenders. LeapScholar, on the other hand, offers limited fixed-rate loan options. They lack a marketplace platform where students can compare multiple competing offers in one place.
2. Does GradRight Provide More Education Loan Options Than Leapscholar?
GradRight’s university search platform provides education loan offers for your study abroad needs from different lenders. The lenders compete for your business and you end up getting better rates, transparent comparisons and customized choices. While LeapScholar usually only connects you with fixed plans.
3. Can GradRight Help With No-Collateral Loan Options?
GradRight partners with lenders that offer no-collateral (unsecured) loans. Our Loan services for international students also help individuals without assets to finance their education abroad affordably.
5. How Does GradRight Simplify The Loan Selection Process?
With GradRight, your single application invites competing offers from banks and NBFCs. Our platform then displays all offers side-by-side for your comparison. The 100% online process saves you time, effort, and unnecessary paperwork.
6. What Financial Planning Tools Does GradRight Offer That Leapscholar Doesn’t?
GradRight offers detailed EMI calculators, total loan cost breakdowns, refinancing support, and funding eligibility checks linked to university choices. In addition to GradRight’s education loan comparison tool, LeapScholar also fails to provide a university search platform that allows students to compare programs based on their financial eligibility and affordability beforehand.
