Almost everyone in the first world countries qualifies for certain types of college student loans whether by means of federal or private financial assistance. By filling out the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) that can be accessed online, students may begin submitting their student loan application as early as possible.  But, before filling out the form, it is important to note that an applicant must have ready information about his social security number and all personal information, including the previous year’s tax return, the codes of the potential school, and the parents’ information if he is an underage applicant.  

For fast release of loan, student applicants are advised to apply for loan prior to the start of a school year or semester. With this, the lag time between passing the loan application and receiving the financial assistance is less. Ideally, a big sum of money is set aside for loan purposes at the start of each semester so students who need to loan a large amount of cash must act immediately before the money runs out.

What about a student with bad credit? Can he apply for student loans? Actually, yes! There are different types of loan available for different types of student loan applicants. The Stafford Loan for example is a student loan offered by the government – who will sponsor the principal amount and the interest payments. For subsidized Stafford loans, the government institution covers the interest accumulated while the applicant is studying and it never needs to be paid back. On the other hand, the unsubsidized Stafford loans, interests are held in reserve, and then the student will pay for it after graduation. Stafford loans do not oblige a credit check. Other loans to be explored by those with bad credits are the Perkins loan and Federal Pell Grant.