Private College Student Loan

I'm graduating high school this year, wondering when to apply for college Loans/Grants?

I remember someone saying I needed to wait til i got my results back from FAFSA (which i'm finishing up today) Is that correct? Also, HOW do you apply for loans and grants? I'm so lost and my parents don't know anything about it so I'm in this alone!

Public Comments

1. After you finish completing your fafsa, you'll wait until they send you a letter in the mail or an email letting you know what loans or grants you have qualified for. This information will also be sent to the school you're planning on attending. Once you know, you'll be able to accept loans, grants, scholarships, and work study through your school. FAFSA will provide you will loans and grants, so you don't need to separately apply for these. The only reason you would need to apply for a loan is if fafsa does not give you as much as you need to pay all of your college expenses. If this happens, you'll have to go through private lenders (banks, etc...) to get a student loan. Don't stress about it. It's really easy and your school's financial aid office will guide you through the process.
2. When - technically, you could have started ages ago... like back in October. How - why not apply for scholarships as well? It's practically free money, and a lot just want you to submit an essay. Google up some scholarships... there's a lot out there for minorities, student athletes, and kids with good grades. Ask your school counselor for more info.
3. Filling out you FAFSA is you applying for grants and governmental loans. Your school may even find you scholarships through your FAFSA without you needing to do anything extra. Don't worry about trying to find personal loans until you get an exact amount of what you will owe the school if any. You can also apply for scholarships at any time now.