How can I get funding for going back to college when I have bad credit?

Question

I want to go back to school but I need to either get grants or a loan and I don't know where to begin.

Answer 1

usually the college that you're applying to will be able to help you out with that.

My suggestion is to go to their website, or directly to them (in person) and see if they can help you there.

Answer 2

First stop is your financial aid office. If you are in good standing with your school, and your school is accredited you should be able to receive eitehr subsidized/unsubsidized student loans depending on your situation. Governement loans are not subject to credit checks therefore your bad credit does not come into play. Look at the government education website under higher education for more clarification on types of grants, loans and other alternatives.

Answer 3

You can actually get federal student loans, grants, and access to work-study programs that do not take credit history into account. I would suggest visiting http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. This website has detailed instructions on how to apply for federal aid.

I would also suggest contacting the high-school that you graduated from. They can typically provide information about local scholarships to your area, some of which are only available to students from specific schools.

Answer 4

Go to FAFSA on the internet (you can do a google search) and fill it out. I had bad credit and I was able to get a Federal Direct Student Loan. You can also go the website of any college or school that you want to attend and get to FAFSA through there. You will get a letter stating how much you are eligible for and you go from there. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Federal Stafford loans, which are awarded by the school for which you apply for Financial Aid, do not look at credit history. The best thing to do is talk to the Financial Aid office at the school where you want to go. They have a lot of information to help you in this process.

Answer 6

There are tons of scholarships available if you are willing to work a bit at it. Go to fastweb.com and start an account. They ask a number of questions to get started, but can help you in your search. It is for both High School and College students. Many require some effort such as writing an essay, but nothing is free. Also, check out the college you plan to attend for any scholarship opportunities they have directly at that college. Each college has scholarships available to either incoming or continuing students.

Answer 7

Apply for scholarships and grants, usually the school you go to will have some sort of scholarships. Also a co-signer for school loans that has good credit will help you get a loan...

Answer 8

There is a thing you can fill out called a FAFSA, you can find it online, it will tell you what kind of financial aid you qualify for, and not all of it may be loans, you might qualify for grants too, which have nothing to do with credit since you don't have to pay them back.

Answer 9

Have you looked for scholarship funding? Try this website: www.finaid.org/scholarships to search for opportunities.

Also, fill out a FAFSA. This will determine your fin aid eligibility. You can get a form online or from your college's financial aid office. www.fafsa.ed.gov

Talk to your financial aid office anyway! They can tell you about scholarships that are offered by the institution for incoming students that you might not otherwise know about. Your admissions counselor should also be able to help you find funding.

Good luck!

Answer 10

Federal financial aid is not based on credit scores. It is based on financial need. As long as you qualify for federal aid your credit should not come into play. I worked at a federal student loan servicing center, never once had to worry about credit.

Answer 11

Contact the college you plann to attend or go to the local high school guidance counselor and they will be able to help you out. Also the department of Social Services or the Vocation Rehab people can help send you in the right direction.