What is a Credit Score?
A credit score tells lenders about your creditworthiness (how likely you are to pay back a loan based on your credit history). It is calculated using the information in your credit reports. FICO® Scores are the standard for credit scores—used by 90% of top lenders.
What is a credit score and how do lenders use it?
A credit score is a numerical representation of a person’s creditworthiness based on their credit history. Most credit scores have a range from 300 to 850, with higher scores indicating better credit health.
When you apply for credit, lenders want to know what risk they'd take by lending money. Credit scores are calculated to help lenders, landlords and other decision-makers assess the likelihood a borrower will repay a debt or meet other financial obligations.
For example, lenders use credit scores to determine whether to approve mortgage applications, auto loans, personal loans, or credit cards. Credit scores also influence interest rates, as borrowers with higher credit scores are generally offered lower interest rates (saving them money over the life of a loan). Higher credit scores can also result in higher credit limits, giving borrowers more financial flexibility.
It's important to understand that not every credit score offered for sale online is a FICO Score. Learn the difference between credit scores and FICO Scores.
About FICO Scores
The FICO® Score, created by Fair Isaac Corporation, is the most widely used credit score. 90% of top lenders use FICO® Scores to help them make billions of credit-related decisions every year. FICO® Scores are calculated based on information in a consumer's credit report maintained by the credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Most credit scores have a 300-850 score range. The higher the score, the lower the risk to lenders. A "good" credit score is considered to be in the 670-739 score range.
| Credit Score Ranges | Rating | Description |
| <580 | Poor | This credit score is well below the average score of U.S. consumers and demonstrates to lenders that the borrower may be a risk. |
| 580-669 | Fair | This credit score is below the average score of U.S. consumers, though many lenders will approve loans with this score. |
| 670-739 | Good | This credit score is near or slightly above the average of U.S. consumers and most lenders consider this a good score. |
| 740-799 | Very Good | This credit score is above the average of U.S. consumers and demonstrates to lenders that the borrower is dependable. |
| 800+ | Exceptional | This credit score is well above the average score of U.S. consumers and clearly demonstrates to lenders that the borrower is an exceptionally low risk. |
While many lenders use credit scores like FICO Scores to help them make lending decisions, each lender has its own strategy, including the level of risk it finds acceptable. There is no single "cutoff score" used by all lenders and there are many additional factors that lenders may use to determine your actual interest rates.
For a credit score to be calculated, your credit report must contain enough information—and enough recent information—on which to base a credit score.
Generally, that means you must have at least one account that has been open for six months or longer, and at least one account that has been reported to the credit bureau within the last six months. Learn more about the minimum requirements to have a FICO Score.
Why credit scores are different across bureaus
There are three credit bureaus and credit scores differ across them (though they are all designed to assess your creditworthiness). There are several reasons for this.
First, each bureau maintains its own database. Not all lenders report to all three bureaus; some may report to only one or two. This creates variations in the information available to each bureau and could result in a difference in scores. Additionally, the timing of updates can differ. If a lender reports your account activity to one bureau earlier than another, the bureaus may show different statuses for the same account.
Multiple scoring models exist, and each may weigh credit factors differently. Lenders may also use multiple versions of the same scoring model, leading to variations in calculated scores.
Errors, such as incorrect account balances or duplicate entries, can appear in one bureau’s report but not another. Hard inquiries may also only show up on one report because a lender may pull your report from one bureau, not the other two. These can also be reasons for different scores.
Finally, some lenders, such as auto lenders, may use a bureau-specific score tailored to their industry.
Sometimes, the difference in your credit score may be minimal, with discrepancies of only a few points. Other times, the difference in your credit scores from each bureau can be vast and can cost you thousands over the life of a loan. Check your reports regularly or sign up for alerts when your score changes.
Why your credit scores will change over time
As the information in your credit report changes, so will any new credit score based on your credit report. Your credit score from a month ago is probably not the same score a lender would get from the credit bureau today. This could be because of your payment history since on-time payments can improve your score, but missed or late payments can lower it. Your credit utilization (the percentage of your available credit that you’re using) may also change; and high utilization can lower your score. New credit inquiries, aging accounts, changes to account balances and other factors can also influence your score.
Other credit scores or FICO® Scores?
While FICO Scores are used by 90% of top lenders, other credit scores are made available to consumers. Different credit scores may evaluate your credit report differently than FICO® Scores. When purchasing a credit score for yourself, most experts recommend getting FICO® Scores, as FICO Scores are used by 90% of top lenders.