Direct lender · United States
Brazos vs College Ave: the interest at the ceiling, not the advertised rate
At the top of each published range, a $30,000 loan over 10 years costs $9,949 in interest with Brazos and $25,874 with the other — a difference of $15,925 over the life of the loan.
The advertised floors are 3.99% and 6.99%, the same order as the ceilings.
Side by side
Both columns use the fixed-rate product where the lender publishes a full range for it, on the basis the lender advertises.
| Brazos | College Ave | |
|---|---|---|
| Product compared | Fixed | Fixed |
| Published APR range | 3.99% to 5.99% with autopay | 6.99% to 13.99% with autopay |
| Terms listed | not stated | not stated |
| Minimum loan | not stated | not stated |
| Origination fee | none | not stated |
| Interest at the ceiling, 5 years | $4,791 | $11,874 |
| Interest at the ceiling, 7 years | $6,801 | $17,211 |
| Interest at the ceiling, 10 years | $9,949 | $25,874 |
| Interest at the ceiling, 15 years | $15,539 | $41,878 |
| Interest at the ceiling, 20 years | $21,542 | $59,481 |
| Interest at the floor, 10 years | $6,431 | $11,781 |
| Gap between floor and ceiling | $3,518 | $14,094 |
| Monthly payment at the ceiling, 10 years | $333 | $466 |
| Loan made by | not confirmed | not confirmed |
Lenders do not publish on the same basis. Most print the range with a 0.25 point autopay discount already taken off; some print it before the discount; some do not say. We print the figure as published and label the basis where the lender states it. We do not add or remove the discount, because a figure we adjusted could not be checked against the lender's page.
How that is worked out
Nothing else is added. The rate you are offered, any lender-specific discount you do or do not qualify for, and variable-rate movements are not in any figure on this site, because they depend on you and on the future. Where a lender states an origination fee it is added once. The published range is used exactly as printed: where the lender says the range already includes its autopay discount, we say so and do not add it back. The full method is at Method.
Where does the answer change?
The order above holds only under the conditions listed here.
- The order holds at both ends of the range. Brazos costs less at the floor and at the ceiling, so the question is not which end you are offered.
- Do not decide yet if $15,925 over the life of the loan is smaller than the $14,094 gap between one lender's own floor and ceiling, which it is not here; the rate you are actually offered moves the answer more than the choice of lender.
Who this is not for
This compares published rate ranges and nothing else. It is not a judgment about service, hardship options or underwriting, and we have not borrowed from either lender. If the two ceilings are close, this page will not decide it for you and should not.
Sources
- Brazos rates page. checked 2026-08-25
- College Ave rates page. checked 2026-08-25
Related
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from the sources' published pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products. Corrections: contact form.