Funding-U

About Funding-U

Funding U, legally known as Funding University, Inc., operates as a specialized financial technology firm focused on the U.S. student loan market. Founded in 2015 by Jeannie Tarkenton and Jesse Dyer, the Atlanta-based company was established to address a critical gap in educational financing for high-achieving undergraduate students who lack access to traditional credit or cosigners. Tarkenton, the company's CEO, drew from her extensive background in education nonprofits to create a solution for students, particularly from low-to-moderate-income households, who were often shut out of conventional lending systems.

The firm's core business revolves around providing non-cosigner private student loans directly to undergraduates. This model intentionally deviates from the industry standard of relying on FICO scores or parental income. Instead, Funding U has developed a proprietary, data-driven underwriting model called the SMaRT (Student Merit and Risk Test) scoring system. This algorithm assesses a student's eligibility based on factors they can control, such as their academic performance (GPA), course load, major, likelihood of timely graduation, and projected future earnings. The objective is to identify and invest in students who demonstrate a high probability of graduating and securing employment that will enable them to repay their loans.

Funding U provides fixed-interest-rate loans, offering financial predictability for borrowers. Loan amounts typically range from $3,001 to $20,000 per academic year. The company serves U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and DACA recipients who are enrolled full-time in four-year, non-profit colleges within its network of eligible institutions. Repayment terms require small in-school payments—either a flat fee or interest-only—which helps students build a credit history before graduation. The company makes money through the interest paid on these loans. In addition to its direct lending, Funding U launched a "Powered by Funding U" Platform as a Service (PaaS) in 2020, offering its data and technology solutions to other organizations aiming to provide outcomes-based financing.