This year’s tuition, spread into fixed monthly payments.
Tuition for the school year you have already chosen, spread into fixed monthly payments instead of one lump sum due at enrollment — without touching a college fund meant for later.
Fixed rates from
8.99%APR with AutoPay*
Assumes excellent credit. Your rate is determined by your credit profile, amount, and term.
Checking your rate does not affect your credit score.
What it covers.
- Private or independent K–12 annual tuition
- A parochial or Montessori enrollment for the year
- Testing, application, and enrollment deposits
- A specialized or therapeutic school placement
Why a Lightstream loan.
Turn a lump sum into a payment
Many schools want tuition up front or on a stiff internal plan. A fixed-rate loan converts the year into predictable monthly payments on your terms, not the school’s.
Leave the college fund alone
Financing this year’s tuition means a 529 or long-term savings keeps compounding for higher education instead of being drawn down early for grade school.
A short, sensible term
This purpose favors shorter terms, matching the loan to a single school year rather than carrying one year’s tuition for a decade.
Paid the way the school needs
Funds in your account let you pay the school’s deposit and tuition directly, on the enrollment schedule, without waiting on a slower education lender.
Loan amounts and terms.
- Loan amounts
- $3,000 – $50,000
- Repayment terms
- 2–6 years
| Loan term | APR range with AutoPay* | Example payment per $10,0002 |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | 8.99%–19.99% | $317.95/mo |
| 4 years | 9.79%–20.79% | $252.62/mo |
| 5 years | 10.69%–21.69% | $215.88/mo |
| 6 years | 10.69%–21.69% | $188.76/mo |
Funds can be received as soon as the same business day for applications approved before 2:30 p.m. Eastern time.¹
Frequently asked questions.
Many private-school payment plans are administered by a third party with enrollment fees and little rate transparency. A fixed-rate loan states its rate up front, funds to your account so you can pay the school in full, and gives you one predictable payment instead of a plan tied to the school’s calendar.
Yes. Because the loan funds to your account, you can size it to cover tuition for multiple children at the same or different schools and pay each institution directly. It is a household education expense, not a per-student contract.
A 529 is designed for education, and K–12 tuition may be an eligible expense in some plans and states — but drawing it down now reduces what compounds for college. Financing the current year at a fixed rate is a way to preserve long-term savings; weigh the loan’s interest against the growth you would forgo.
PreK–12 tuition favors the program’s shorter term bands, shown in the calculator, aligning the loan with a single academic year and keeping total interest low.
Related loan purposes.
Disclosures
*Loan terms vary by loan purpose, amount, term, and credit profile. The lowest advertised rates require excellent credit. 29.46% of approved applicants who applied for the lowest rate qualified for it, based on data from 01/01/2026 to 03/31/2026. The rate quoted includes the AutoPay discount; the AutoPay discount is only available prior to loan funding, and rates without AutoPay are 0.50% points higher. All loans are subject to credit approval; additional conditions and limitations apply. Advertised rates and terms are subject to change without notice.
¹Same-day funding is available if your loan is approved on a banking business day and, by 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, you complete these steps: (1) review and electronically sign your loan agreement; (2) provide us with your funding preferences and relevant banking information; (3) complete the final verification process.
²Example payments are per $10,000 borrowed at the lowest APR shown for that term, include the AutoPay discount, and assume excellent credit. Your payment is determined by your amount, term, and credit profile.
Payment example: Monthly payments for a $10,000 loan at 7.24% APR with a term of 3 years would result in 36 monthly payments of $309.87.
Maximum APR for a Lightstream loan is 25.39%. Loan terms range from 24 – 240 months depending on the loan purpose.