The #1 personal loan company¹

To improve your chances of qualifying for a personal loan, focus on strengthening your overall financial profile and not just your credit score.

Here are a few practical steps:

• Make on-time payments on existing debts to build a positive payment history.
• Lower your credit card balances to reduce your credit utilization.
• Limit new credit applications before applying.
• Provide accurate income and employment information in your application.

Upstart’s model looks at more than just your credit score, so factors like income and employment history may also be considered when determining eligibility. Checking your rate lets you see your options without impacting your credit score⁵.

When you apply for a personal loan through Upstart, you may be asked to provide documents to verify your identity, income, employment, or education¹⁰. The exact documents required depend on your financial profile and the information in your application.

Common documents include:

• Government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license, passport, or state ID)
• Proof of income and employment (such as a recent pay stub, tax return, job offer letter, or benefits letter)
• Address verification (such as a recent utility bill)

Documents should be clear, legible, recent (typically within the last 30 days for income), and match the details you provided in your application. 

If additional verification is needed, Upstart will notify you with instructions on how to securely upload the required documents.

If you have poor credit, you may still qualify for a personal loan—but approval depends on your overall financial profile, not just your credit score.

Unlike traditional models that rely heavily on credit score alone, Upstart’s model considers additional factors such as income, employment, education¹⁰, and other information you provide to create a more complete picture of your financial situation.

To improve your chances of qualifying when you have a poor credit:

• Ensure your income and employment information are accurate and up to date
• Pay down existing debt where possible
• Avoid missing payments

If you are curious what you may qualify for, you could check your rate through Upstart to see the offers you may qualify for. Checking your rate won’t affect your credit score⁵. Your loan amount and APR will depend on your individual profile, and not all applicants will be approved.

You may still qualify for a personal loan with low income. Approval depends on your overall financial profile—not just how much you earn.

Lenders typically look at factors like your debt-to-income ratio, credit history, and overall ability to repay the loan. While a lower income may limit how much you can borrow, it doesn’t automatically disqualify you.

When you apply through Upstart, we look beyond income alone. In addition to your earnings, we consider other factors like employment history, education¹⁰, and overall financial behavior to create a more complete picture of your creditworthiness.

To improve your chances of qualifying:

• Keep your debt balances as low as possible
• Make on-time payments on existing accounts
• Provide accurate and complete income information
• Include additional eligible income sources if applicable

You can check your rate through Upstart without affecting your credit score⁵. Your loan amount and APR will depend on your individual profile, and not all applicants will be approved.