RISLA

4.5 (765 Reviews)

To leave a review you need to be logged in

Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) is a non-profit quasi-state authority that has been providing lower-cost higher education financing solutions since 1981 and free college planning services since 1998. Also provided by RISLA is RIScholarships.org, a free online scholarship search tool to help match students with local scholarships. Additionally, RISLA also offers the Knowledge for College Scholarship, which awards 50 students $2,000 each to help pay for college expenses. For students trying to reduce their interest rates on existing student loans, RISLA also offers low-cost student loan refinancing options. RISLA is with you every step of your college journey, walking you through the college planning process, educating families on obtaining financial aid, and providing tools and resources that help families make informed and responsible borrowing choices to help pay for education.

Reviews 765

4.5

Out of 5.0

Dean K

Mar 10,2023

Excellent and expedient communication. Great experience didn’t even have to pick up the phone. Very very efficient. Highly recommend!

HEATHER B

Mar 10,2023

RISLA's current interest rates for refi loans are hard to beat, but it didn't come without A LOT of work. RISLA requested original promissory notes not just for the loan I was looking to refinance, which were loans that had already been consolidated and refinanced, but for the original loans I took out between 2007-2011, which was over 10 years ago. Many of the loans weren't even on my credit report, and most of the loan companies have gone out of business. Since I consolidated (in 2013) and refinanced (in 2015), I didn't keep the original loan documents, as the original loans are now closed. I went back and forth with the financial advisor assigned to my case to explain the situation, and they still canceled my request. I spent many hours calling banks to try and find loan documents that no longer existed and, overall, a lot of stubbornness and determination to finally get my loan processed. It took far less time and work to be approved for a mortgage, through a non-profit for low-/middle-income buyers, in the middle of a pandemic! In the end, I now have a reasonable interest rate and monthly payment, but it wasn't without quite a bit of stress and far more work than I had expected or feel was reasonable.

BRITTANY S

Mar 07,2023

Everyone was super helpful and the process was very easy!

Matthew C

Mar 05,2023

Quick responses, easy to navigate the website, my only negative experience was some the kick back emails were not specific about what was needed to correct the issue. Come timer service on the phone was great!

Michael L

Mar 03,2023

Easy process.

JACQUI C

Mar 02,2023

I had been struggling to find a company to refinance my private student loans. With RISLA I was able to lower my payment by extending my loan period an extra 5 years, drop my interest rate by nearly 6% and save literally tens of thousands of dollars on interest over the life of my loan.

HEATHER D

Mar 01,2023

RISLA made it easy to apply for a student loan consolidation and didn't require overly detailed financial information. Customer service was simple to access, and we were able to speak with actual people who didn't give us a run around, and were able to do more than just verify account status. Thank you, RISLA for making it easy to consolidate!

LINDSEY S

Mar 01,2023

Communication was quick and efficient through the whole process!

JARED L

Mar 01,2023

The process was easy and I had a quick response back. Once you’re approved, you will get help for each step that has to completed. The quicker you are getting all your documentation together and scanned in, the quicker your loan is disbursed.

EDWARD S

Mar 01,2023

Quick and painless

MELISSA

Mar 01,2023

Easy and quick!

PAULA B

Feb 25,2023

The application process was easy and the approval was quick. I appreciated receiving email updates every step of the way. Thank you RISLA.

CHRISTOPHER K

Feb 24,2023

The ease of the refinance and the helpful answers I received along the way

Lora M

Feb 24,2023

Excellent company and great customer service Highly recommended

KRISTEN C

Feb 22,2023

Very quick and easy

Christopher M

Feb 22,2023

Extremely fast and easy

Leslie McCrea

Feb 20,2023

It was very quick from the time I applied to the time I received the loan which I really appreciated.

James S

Feb 19,2023

I could call the contact number and get individualized help within a few minutes.

Elizabeth A

Feb 18,2023

Very easy to work with. Quick and efficient and the employees are very very friendly and helpful!!

Jeff

Feb 17,2023

Very professional, friendly, helpful and easy to contact. No phone trees, no sitting on hold for 20 minutes. Thank you for making this a pleasant experience.