Roughly 620 for a conventional loan and 580 for an FHA loan at the minimum down payment, with FHA going as low as 500 if you put 10% down; VA and USDA set no official minimum but lenders apply their own, usually around 620.
There is no single number, because there is no single loan. Each programme sets a floor, and then individual lenders add their own stricter requirement on top, which the industry calls an overlay. Two lenders can quote the same programme and answer differently.
None of this is lending advice, and a lender's actual decision looks at income, debts and savings as well as the score.
The floors, by loan type
These are programme minimums. Meeting one qualifies you to apply, not to be approved.
- Conventional: usually 620. It is the loan most sensitive to the score, because both the rate and the mortgage insurance are priced off it.
- FHA: 580 with 3.5% down, or 500 to 579 with 10% down. Many lenders will not go below 580 regardless.
- VA: no programme minimum, for eligible service members and veterans. Lenders commonly want 580 to 620.
- USDA: no programme minimum, in eligible rural areas. Around 640 is where automated approval usually becomes straightforward.
The score is a price, not just a gate
Clearing the minimum and having a strong score are different things. On a conventional loan the score moves both the interest rate and the cost of private mortgage insurance, and the gap between a 660 and a 760 borrower is real money every month for as long as the loan lasts.
That is the argument for waiting a few months when a score is close to a threshold. Moving from 615 to 625 can change which loans you can have; moving from 700 to 740 can change what they cost.
What lenders look at besides the score
Debt-to-income ratio, which is your monthly debt payments against gross monthly income, and which is often the thing that actually stops an approval. Employment history. Cash for the down payment and closing costs, and where it came from. And the recent history behind the score: a 660 that has been climbing steadily reads differently from a 660 that has been falling.
Questions people ask
Can you buy a house with a 500 credit score?
It is possible through FHA with 10% down, but many lenders will not write below 580 whatever the programme allows, so the practical answer depends on finding one that does.
What credit score do you need for a conventional loan?
Usually 620 as a floor. The rate and the mortgage insurance both improve as the score rises, so the useful target is well above the minimum rather than at it.
Does checking my credit score hurt it?
Checking it yourself does not. A lender's hard inquiry has a small, temporary effect, and multiple mortgage inquiries inside a short shopping window are normally treated as one, so comparing lenders is not penalized the way it looks like it would be.