First, fill out the paperwork for FAFSA. FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application makes people cringe because it seems so long and complicated, but what is an hour or two of your day compared with not having the money to go to college?

Filling out the FAFSA indicates that you have little or no income and are in need of a low interest loan for school. The loan you will receive from the FAFSA is the Federal Stafford Loan. This is given without a credit check making your bad credit a non-issue. You must be a U.S. citizen and be able to show that you don't have the ability to pay for college yourself. You must not have any other defaulted student loans when you apply.

When you fill out the FAFSA, it is a good idea to apply for a Perkins Loan as well. Do this as soon as you can because these loans are not endless and you don't want to miss out on getting one. A Perkins Loan also does not require a credit check and is based on need. They come from school and government funds.

More often than not, the money received from these loans will not pay for everything you need so you should be prepared to apply for a private student loan. These DO require a credit check so if you have bad credit, you must have a cosigner in order to be approved.

A cosigner is someone who allows you to use their good credit to get a loan. If you are able to get a good cosigner, then you will be able to get your money for school. Choosing someone whose credit score is nearly as bad as or even worse than yours won't help you. The loan companies don't add credit scores together; rather they will literally be using the other person's credit score as a basis for giving you a loan.

When someone cosigns for you they are literally accepting responsibility for the repayment of your loan if you do not make timely payments or if you default on your student loan. They take the risk of ruining their credit if you shirk your responsibility, so don't shirk it! Keep that person in mind and always make timely payments.