Students generally don’t have awesome credit – they don’t have established credit history. They also don’t have a ton of money and paying for school isn’t easy. I remember trying to pay for school and wondering how I was going to make it work. I also remember thinking about credit and knowing that there’s no way I had a good credit score.

Fortunately, there are plenty of options out there for students. This guide can help you to learn about the options that you have and which ones are available for people in different situations.

Subsidized Stafford Loans

Stafford loans are the ultimate no credit student loans. The federal government created the program and backs the loans. What this means for you is that you don’t have to worry about your credit score. The government assumes the risk and your credit isn’t checked with this type of loan.

Interest rates for these loans also isn’t determined by your credit history.

The aspect of subsidized Stafford loans that sets them apart from every other type of loan is that the government pays your interest while you’re in school. This means that you don’t need to make any payments until after you finish your education, in fact you don’t make payments until six months after you finish your education.

If you look at the total interest that you pay for a loan, these loans will beat anything else, especially if you factor in four to eight years worth of no interest.

Unsubsidized Stafford Loans

The unsubsidized version of Stafford loans are a lot like the subsidized version, except the government doesn’t make your interest payments while you’re in school.

Qualifying for these loans doesn’t rely on credit because the federal government also backs these loans. Student loans with no credit don’t get much easier than Stafford loans. Your credit isn’t checked with either type of Stafford loans.

If you’re looking to get these loans, you’re going to need to fill out a document that’s called a FAFSA. You can fill out this form online or you can get one at the financial aid office at your school. Your approval will be based on need – if you need the loan you’ll be able to get it. There are only a few things that could stop you from getting the loan. If you or your parents have enough income to pay for your education it could cause a problem. Additionally, if you have defaulted on a student loan in the past it will cause a problem.

Perkins Loans

Perkins loans are also backed by the federal government, taking the credit approval process out of the equation. Perkins loans are also based on need and require more need than Stafford loans. Only students with extreme need will be approved for Perkins loans.

Loans That Do Require A Credit Check

Almost all private student loans will require a credit check. This means that you will have to find a cosigner if you’re a person that has less than perfect credit. People are usually liberal in agreeing to cosign for a student loans since it’s a very worthy cause. Private student loans with no credit are going to be very difficult to find.

Most loan companies that provide student loans will also check your credit.

Stick with the federal loan options until they run out. Work on building your credit for your first year or two that you’re in school and you’ll be able to get any loan you want at when it becomes necessary.

Federal student loans are provided by a financial institution, and are guaranteed by the federal government. The best federal government student loans are called Stafford loans. Almost anyone is eligible to receive Stafford loans – eligibility isn’t determined by the borrower’s credit.

In order to be eligible for most types of government federal student loans, one must be a student or prospective student who has filled out a FAFSA, must have financial need as determined by your college or university, must be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, a U.S. permanent resident, or eligible non-citizen of the U.S. You also must not be in default on any educational loan.

Federal college student loans comes in two varieties, subsidized and unsubsidized. Subsidized student loans provide the borrower with a lower interest rate, because the government subsidizes the loan. You can qualify for one amount to be subsidized, and then the rest will be unsubsidized.

While there are quite a few alternative student loans out there, you shouldn’t try to use them until you have maxed out your Stafford student loans. It isn’t likely that there is a better deal than the Stafford. Stafford is available for both undergrad and graduate student loans and are basically the best student loans out there.

Since these loans are available to anyone that hasn’t defaulted on an educational loan, they are often called guaranteed student loans. They are also low interest student loans, currently falling in at about 6%.

Bad Credit Student Loans

Believe it or not, most federal student loans are offered to everyone, regardless of their credit history. Stafford loans are available to anyone – even to individuals that have poor credit. Perkins loans are also available to individuals that have poor credit, although they are only available to those who are at a severe financial disadvantage. Getting student loans with bad credit is fairly simple, as long as you don’t have an educational loan in default. For this reason, many people call Stafford and Perkins loans ‘no credit check student loans’. Alternative student loans will usually require a credit check

If you have poor credit, you will also want to look into the possibility of getting Pell grants. They are available to anyone who is deemed to be in need by their college or university.

Direct Student Loan

The direct student loan is provided directly by the U.S. Department of Education, who acts as a lender for Stafford loans. To qualify for a direct student loan, one must attend a participating institution, fill out a FAFSA, and create a master promissory note. This program is available for both graduate and undergraduate student loans.

Since the federal loan programs work regardless of credit history, they are truly amazing. For a fast student loans no cosigner application, visit the official government site.

International Student Loans

International student loans are provided mainly by private lenders. There currently is no federal program for this. The government really has no incentive to provide student loans for international students since most of them will not be paying taxes here in the U.S. However, there are plenty of options for people who are willing to work with a private lender.

Many of the private lenders who offer this type of loan for international students are willing to offer grace periods that make the loans quite desirable.