Student loan lenders in the United States:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Sallie Mae was the most searched student loan lender in the United States, accounting for 74.5% of all searches among the six lenders we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Earnest was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Earnest was recommended most often, coming first in one out of four responses that gave a list.
Sallie MaeShare of searches 74.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
College AveShare of searches 18.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
SoFiShare of searches 3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
EarnestShare of searches 2%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
AscentShare of searches 1.3%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
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Top student loan lenders in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Earnest was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Earnest was recommended most often, coming first in one out of four answers that gave a list. SoFi was second, and College Ave was third.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Earnest1st
- SoFi2nd
- College Ave3rd
- Sallie Mae4th
- Ascent5th
Citizens6th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Earnest4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- SoFi3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Sallie Mae2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- College Ave2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Ascent2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Citizens1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about student loan lenders
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which private student loan lender should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best private student loan lenders in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best lender in the US to refinance my student loans?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“private student loans”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“student loan refinance”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 22, 2026.
Which student loan lenders do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each student loan lender by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six student loan lenders we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for Sallie Mae, College Ave, SoFi. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Sallie Mae | College Ave | SoFi | Earnest | Ascent | Citizens |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 75.3% | 18.5% | 3% | 1.3% | 1.1% | 0.73% |
| Nov 2025 | 74.4% | 18.3% | 3.7% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.89% |
| Dec 2025 | 73.5% | 18.1% | 4.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 74% | 18.2% | 3.6% | 2% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 74% | 18.2% | 3.6% | 2% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 76.8% | 15.4% | 3.8% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.92% |
| Apr 2026 | 77% | 15.5% | 3.1% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 0.92% |
| May 2026 | 73.7% | 18.1% | 4.4% | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.87% |
| Jun 2026 | 72.7% | 17.9% | 4.4% | 2.4% | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| Jul 2026 | 68.4% | 20.6% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 70.3% | 21% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.3% |
| Sep 2026 | 74.5% | 18.3% | 3% | 2% | 1.3% | 0.88% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 74.5% | 246K | -33.2% | +4.2 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 18.3% | 60.5K | -45% | -2.7 points | |
| 3, moved from 5th to 3rd | 3% | 9.9K | -18.2% | +0.7 pointsmoved from 5th to 3rd | |
| 4, moved from 3rd to 4th | 2% | 6.6K | -55.4% | -0.8 pointsmoved from 3rd to 4th | |
| 5, moved from 4th to 5th | 1.3% | 4.4K | -63.6% | -1 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th | |
| 6, held 6th | 0.88% | 2.9K | -56.1% | -0.4 points |
74.5%
Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, -33.2% vs prior month. Share +4.2 points.
18.3%
Held 2nd. 60.5K estimated branded searches, -45% vs prior month. Share -2.7 points.
3.
SoFi3%
Moved from 5th to 3rd. 9.9K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
4.
Earnest2%
Moved from 3rd to 4th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, -55.4% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
5.
Ascent1.3%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, -63.6% vs prior month. Share -1 points.
6.
Citizens0.88%
Held 6th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, -56.1% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among student loan lenders in the United States?
6 brands
In September 2026, Sallie Mae was the most searched among student loan lenders in the United States, with an estimated 246K branded searches, 74.5% of all searches for the six we track. College Ave is in 2nd place, 56.2 percentage points behind at 18.3%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sallie Mae | 75.3% → 74.5% | 77%Apr 2026 | 68.4%Jul 2026 | 1st |
| College Ave | 18.5% → 18.3% | 21%Aug 2026 | 15.4%Mar 2026 | 2nd |
| SoFi | 3% | 4.4%May 2026 | 2.3%Aug 2026 | 3rd |
| Earnest | 1.3% → 2% | 3.4%Jul 2026 | 1.3%Nov 2025 | 4th |
| Ascent | 1.1% → 1.3% | 2.8%Jul 2026 | 1.1%Jan 2026 | 5th |
| Citizens | 0.73% → 0.88% | 1.5%Jul 2026 | 0.73%Oct 2025 | 6th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sallie Mae’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States decreased from 75.3% to 74.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Earnest’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States increased from 1.3% to 2%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sallie Mae’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 77% in April 2026 and was lowest at 68.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, College Ave’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 21% in August 2026 and was lowest at 15.4% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SoFi’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 4.4% in May 2026 and was lowest at 2.3% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Earnest’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 3.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 1.3% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ascent’s share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States peaked at 2.8% in July 2026 and was lowest at 1.1% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, College Ave, SoFi, Ascent and Citizens held steady: their share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for United States student loan lenders in September 2026?
6 changes
In September 2026, SoFi overtook Earnest and Ascent to rank 3rd among student loan lenders in the United States, with 3% of the searches.
In September 2026, Sallie Mae gained share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 70.3% to 74.5%.
In September 2026, College Ave lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 21% to 18.3%.
In September 2026, Ascent lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 2.3% to 1.3%.
In September 2026, Earnest lost share of searches among student loan lenders in the United States, from 2.8% to 2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Citizens in the United States rose 20.8% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 2.9K in September 2026.
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