Looking for Laurel Road to refinance your student loans? You won’t find it anymore. Type in laurelroad.com and you land on KeyBank’s student loan page, and every old Laurel Road refinance page now sends you to KeyBank’s refinance page instead.
So what happened, what does KeyBank offer now, and what should you do if you already have a Laurel Road loan? Here’s the short version.
The short answer
- Laurel Road isn’t a separate lender anymore. The Laurel Road and GradFin brands have joined KeyBank.
- The refinance loan is now called Key Student Loan Refinance. You need a degree (or to be in your final term), a job or a job offer, and at least $5,000 to refinance.
- The old doctor and resident pages now land on KeyBank’s general refinance page. There’s no separate resident program on it.
- Refinancing federal loans with KeyBank, or anyone private, ends your federal protections for good.
What happened to Laurel Road?
Laurel Road was a well-known student loan refinance brand, and it’s now part of KeyBank. KeyBank’s student loan page puts it in one line: “Laurel Road® and GradFin® brands have joined KeyBank”.
The Laurel Road site is a redirect now. The home page, the refinance page, the doctor and resident pages and the Parent PLUS refinance page all forward to KeyBank. If you have an old bookmark or an old review open, that’s why it doesn’t match what you see.
What KeyBank’s refinance loan looks like now
Same idea as before: one private loan pays off your old private and federal student loans, and you repay KeyBank at a new rate and term. Rates move every day, so check the current rate on KeyBank’s refinance page rather than trusting a number in any review, this one included.
| Question | KeyBank’s answer |
|---|---|
| Degree needed? | Yes. You must have graduated from an accredited Title IV U.S. school, or be in good standing in your final term before graduation. |
| Didn’t finish school? | No. Non-graduates aren’t eligible. |
| Job needed? | Yes, a job or an eligible offer of employment. |
| How much | Up to 100% of your outstanding private and federal student loans. Minimum $5,000. |
| Associate degree? | Only in listed healthcare fields, and capped at $50,000 (Parent PLUS refinancing isn’t subject to that cap). |
| Parent loans? | Yes. Parents refinancing loans they took out for a child can apply. |
| Terms | 5, 7, 10, 15 or 20 years. |
| Fees | No origination fee or prepayment penalty. A late payment costs up to 5% or $28, whichever is less. |
| Autopay | Cuts your rate by 0.25%. |
| Variable rate cap | Never above 15.00%. |
| Credit check | No. Checking your rate is a soft pull. Applying is a hard pull. |
One catch worth knowing before you get excited about the low end of the rate range: KeyBank’s own disclosure says only about 10% of applicants qualified for its lowest advertised APR. Most people land higher.
KeyBank also offers free student loan consultations, with access to a marketplace of lenders, and a consultation-led path for new student loans. Those are separate from the refinance loan.
Does KeyBank still have the Laurel Road doctor and resident program?
Not that we could find. Laurel Road had its own pages for medical and dental professionals and for residents. Those pages now forward to KeyBank’s general refinance page, and that page shows no resident program and no special resident payment. There’s a “Key for Doctors” item in KeyBank’s menu, but it’s a banking menu, not refinance terms.
If you’re in residency now and want a low payment during training, ask KeyBank directly before you count on anything. Splash Financial does list a resident refinance for current residents and fellows (not if you live in Mississippi or Montana) with payments as low as $100 a month during training and six months after. Read the fine print, though: that payment may not cover the interest, so your balance can grow.
Already have a Laurel Road loan?
Your loan didn’t go anywhere. You still owe it on the same terms you signed, so keep paying.
- Pull up your latest statement or email. It tells you where to pay and who to call now.
- Check that autopay is still running. A missed payment after a brand change is the easiest mistake to make, and it costs you a late fee and a hit to your credit.
- Not sure who has your loan? Start at KeyBank’s student loan page, which is where laurelroad.com sends you now, or look at your credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Rates dropped since you refinanced? You can refinance again. Compare a few lenders with soft pulls before you do.
Before you refinance federal loans
Federal student loans can’t be refinanced inside the federal system. Refinancing them with a private lender takes them out for good, and Federal Student Aid says plainly that you lose the benefits.
That means no income-driven repayment (RAP or IBR), no Public Service Loan Forgiveness or other federal forgiveness, no federal deferment or forbearance, and no federal death or disability discharge. There’s no way back once the new loan pays off the old ones.
Should you refinance with KeyBank or shop around?
Shop around. Checking your rate is a soft pull at KeyBank and at most refinance lenders, so it costs you nothing but a few minutes to see two or three offers side by side.
Refinancing makes the most sense if your loans are private, your credit is good, and the new rate is clearly lower than what you pay now. If your loans are federal, don’t refinance just to save a little interest. Losing income-driven repayment and forgiveness can cost you far more than the rate cut saves.
Next stepPlug your balance and two rates into our student loan refinance calculator to see what a lower rate is worth to you.
Our guide to refinancing student loans walks through the lenders still taking applications, and if you’re torn on whether to do it at all, read should you refinance your student loans first.
Compare KeyBank against other refinance offers
- See offers from Splash’s lending partners with a soft credit pull. Continuing to apply leads to a hard pull.
- No application fees, no origination fees and no prepayment penalties.
- Fixed terms of 5 to 20 years and variable terms of 5 to 25 years. Minimum $5,000.
- Best fit: private loans, a four-year degree, and credit of 700 or higher.
Splash Financial is a marketplace, not the lender. Your loan comes from one of its lending partners, and some are credit unions you’d need to join. Not all rates and amounts are available in every state. If you refinance federal loans through Splash, you lose federal benefits for good.
Frequently asked questions
Not as its own brand. KeyBank says the Laurel Road and GradFin brands have joined KeyBank, and laurelroad.com now redirects to KeyBank’s student loan page. The refinance loan is now called Key Student Loan Refinance.
Yes. The brand change doesn’t change what you owe or your terms. Check your latest statement for where to pay, keep autopay on, and if you’re unsure who has your loan, start at KeyBank’s student loan page or look at your credit report.
No. KeyBank requires that you graduated from an accredited Title IV U.S. school, or are in good standing in your final term before graduation. You also need a job or an eligible job offer.
We couldn’t find one. The old Laurel Road resident pages now forward to KeyBank’s general refinance page, which shows no resident program. Ask KeyBank directly before you plan around one.
No. Checking your rate is a soft credit pull. If you go ahead and apply, that’s a hard pull.
Sources (5)
We use primary sources wherever we can: Federal Student Aid, the U.S. Department of Education, the IRS, federal regulations and each company’s own site.
- KeyBank. Student loans. key.com. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- KeyBank. Student loan refinancing. key.com. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Federal Student Aid. Financial aid dictionary: refinance. studentaid.gov. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Splash Financial. Medical school student loan refinancing. splashfinancial.com. Accessed October 22, 2026.
- Splash Financial. Student loan refinancing. splashfinancial.com. Accessed October 22, 2026.
