Affiliate Disclosure

Last Updated: February 8, 2026

How We Make Money

The Gap Funding Group LLC ("Company," "we," "us," or "our") operates this website as a free educational resource. We earn money through affiliate partnerships with private student loan lenders and financial service providers. This page explains exactly how that works so you can make informed decisions.

The Short Version

We earn commissions when you click certain links on this site and take a qualifying action with one of our lending partners — such as checking your rate, submitting an application, or funding a loan. This costs you nothing extra. Our commissions come from the lender, not from you.

This compensation does not affect the data in our Funding Gap Calculator, the cost-of-attendance figures we report, the federal loan limits we cite, or the editorial content of our articles. Those are based on publicly available institutional data and federal law, not on which lenders pay us.

What Is an Affiliate Link?

Some of the links on this site — particularly in our lender comparison tables and "Check Your Rate" buttons — are affiliate links. When you click one of these links, you are directed to the lender's website. A small piece of tracking data (a cookie) records that you came from our site. If you subsequently complete a qualifying action with that lender, we receive a commission.

Qualifying actions vary by partner but typically include:

Completing a rate check or pre-qualification (soft credit pull — does not affect your credit score)
Submitting a full loan application
Funding a loan

You will never pay more for a loan because you clicked an affiliate link on our site. Lender rates, terms, and fees are the same whether you arrive through our link or go directly to the lender's website.

What Our Compensation Does and Does Not Influence

Compensation MAY influence:

Which lenders appear on our site. We feature lenders with whom we have affiliate relationships. We do not feature every lender in the marketplace. There may be lenders not shown on our site that offer terms more favorable to you.
The order in which lenders are displayed. In our comparison tables, lenders who compensate us may appear in a more prominent position than lenders who do not, or who compensate us at a lower rate.
The prominence of lender placement. Lenders with affiliate relationships may be featured in callout boxes, comparison tables, and call-to-action buttons throughout our content.

Compensation DOES NOT influence:

Our Funding Gap Calculator results. The Calculator uses publicly available cost-of-attendance data and federally established loan limits. No lender pays us to alter these figures.
The cost-of-attendance data we report. Tuition, fees, and living expense figures come from institutional websites and public sources. They are not influenced by any commercial relationship.
Our editorial content. Our articles, data reports, and guides are written based on research, data analysis, and our interpretation of federal law and policy. We do not allow lenders to review, approve, or influence our editorial content prior to publication.
Our data methodology. Our dataset of graduate program costs was independently collected and is updated based on publicly available institutional data, not lender preferences.

Our Lending Partners

We maintain affiliate relationships with the following categories of partners:

Private student loan lenders that offer loans for graduate and professional school tuition, living expenses, and related educational costs
Student loan marketplaces that allow you to compare rates from multiple lenders through a single application
Student loan refinancing companies that offer refinancing products for borrowers who have already completed their education

The specific partners featured on any given page may change over time as we add new relationships and as lender products evolve. The presence of a lender on our site does not constitute an endorsement, and the absence of a lender does not constitute a negative assessment.

Important Reminders

We are not a lender. We do not originate, underwrite, fund, or service student loans. We are an educational website that provides information and tools to help you understand your funding options.

We are not a financial advisor. The information on this site is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Your borrowing decisions should be based on your individual financial situation, and we encourage you to consult with a qualified financial advisor or student loan counselor.

Rates and terms change. The interest rates, repayment terms, and other loan details shown on our site are for informational purposes and may not reflect current offers. Always verify rates and terms directly with the lender before making a borrowing decision.

Check your rate without affecting your credit. Many of our lending partners offer rate checks through a soft credit inquiry, which does not impact your credit score. A hard credit inquiry, which may affect your credit score, typically occurs only when you submit a formal loan application. Each lender's process may differ — check with the lender for details.

Questions

If you have questions about our affiliate relationships or how we make money, please contact us at info@gapfundinggroup.com.