Is it hard to get a student loan for college without any credit established?

First, of all, the GSL has been obsolete for years. It's now known as the Federal Stafford loan. All you need to do to apply for this type of Federal Student Aid is file your FAFSA (http://www.fafsa.ed.gov) and complete any other forms your school requires from you (you will also need to complete a Stafford Loan Promissory Note). It is important to note that these loans require no credit check (though the will appear on your credit report once you have borrowed it).

The same holds true for the Federal Perkins Loan, which would be awarded to you at your school's discretion based on your FAFSA results (Perkins loans are meant to be awarded to the school's neediest students; you can't get one if you show no need at all). Both of these loans are pretty good, considering they don't even *look* at your credit: Stafford interest rates (beginning with the 06-07 academic year) will be fixed at 6.8% and the Perkins rate has always been fixed at 5%.

Should you need additional funding, you will need to do one of the following:

(a) Have your parents borrow a Federal PLUS loan on your behalf. This loan would be in their name but you would be the recipient of the proceeds. This is usually the lowest-cost option, since it's the only other Federal Loan that most people are eligible for. PLUS loans do require a credit check. {Note: if you are a graduate student, you are now allowed to borrow PLUS for *yourself* beginning July 1, 2006.}

(b) Borrow a private loan with a co-signer who has good credit. Having a co-signer can help your interest rate substantially but still keeps you as the primary applicant for the loan (though your co-signer is still on the hook if you fail to make your payments on time).

(c) Look for a private loan that doesn't have very stringent credit criteria. There are a few out there, but keep in mind that they are much %26quot;higher risk%26quot; loans, so your interest rate won't be great. Consider looking for loans based on your job history, perhaps.

If you must borrow privately, begin by looking at finaid's list of popular private loan lenders, here: http://www.finaid.org/loans/privatestude... . Read their credit critera and pick the one that seems the best fit given your situation.

In the mean time, you are going go need to establish credit, and probably soon. Research the best ways to build credit, whether it be through a secured credit card (be careful to get one through a legitimate company), a small store credit line (Macy's for example), or a small bank loan. The longer you wait, the harder it will become.

Is it hard to get a student loan for college without any credit established?

Nope. pretty much anyone get a get a student loan.

Is it hard to get a student loan for college without any credit established?

This is one of those rare times that no credit is better than bad credit. GSL's or Guaranteed Student Loans are exactly that. Loans that are guaranteed by the the government. Lenders incur less risk because it is up to the federal government to recoup if you default.

Is it hard to get a student loan for college without any credit established?

It will be harder if you do not have someone with established credit to co-sign the form with you, but it is very possible. With having no credit it will be better than bad credit.