Minimum Credit Score to Buy a House, by Loan Type

Minimum credit score by loan type

These are the program floors; individual lenders often add their own higher requirements, called overlays. Government-backed loans (FHA, VA) are the most forgiving on credit, conventional and jumbo the strictest.

Minimum credit score by loan type

Loan type	Minimum score	Notes
Conventional	~620	Most lenders' floor. Fannie Mae's DU dropped its hard 620 minimum for casefiles from Nov 16, 2025; manual underwriting still needs 620 (640 for ARMs)
FHA	580 or 500	580 for 3.5% down; 500 for 10% down
VA	No VA minimum	Lenders typically want ~620
USDA	640	For automated (GUS) approval
Jumbo	~700	Varies by lender; larger loan, more risk

Why the minimum varies

Government-backed loans (FHA, VA, USDA) can accept lower scores because the agency insures or guarantees part of the lender’s risk. Conventional loans carry no such backing, so they lean harder on your credit. Jumbo loans exceed the limits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will buy, leaving the lender fully exposed — which is why they set the highest bar.

What is in your credit score

The FICO score most mortgage lenders pull is built from five categories. Payment history and amounts owed make up nearly two-thirds of it, and they are also the two you can move fastest. Lenders usually pull all three bureaus and use the middle score; with two borrowers, most use the lower of the two middle scores.

What is in your credit score

Factor	Weight	What moves it
Payment history	35%	On-time vs. late payments, collections
Amounts owed	30%	Card balances vs. limits (utilization)
Length of credit history	15%	Age of your oldest and average accounts
New credit	10%	Recent applications and hard inquiries
Credit mix	10%	Variety of account types

How to raise your score before you apply

You do not need a perfect score; you need to cross the next pricing tier. Conventional pricing steps in roughly 20-point bands (740, 720, 700 and so on), so a borrower at 738 can gain more from one card paydown than from any negotiation at closing. The fastest levers, roughly in order:

Pay revolving balances down below 30% of each limit, ideally under 10%: utilization updates monthly. Keep old cards open, because closing one shortens your history and raises utilization. Pay every bill on time; one 30-day late payment can cost a strong score dozens of points. Skip new credit in the months before you apply. Dispute genuine errors on your reports; corrections can post within a cycle.

Utilization changes show up within a billing cycle or two. Recovering from a late payment or a collection takes months, so start well before you shop. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and never lowers it. See what each tier is worth in today's rates with the mortgage rates by credit score calculator.

Rate shopping will not wreck your score

Several mortgage applications inside a short window count as one inquiry: 14 days in older FICO versions, 45 days in newer ones. Gather all your Loan Estimates within about two weeks and the batch costs you a few points once, fading within months. Taking the first offer without comparing costs far more — see how to compare lender offers.