How to Apply for Technical College Student Loans

While some students venture off to community colleges or four-year universities to get their degree, others seek out technical schools that provide training in a specific career field such as automotive, diesel mechanics or welding. Although their chosen paths might be different, students at technical schools have the same problems affording and paying for college as their counterparts at community colleges and universities. As long as the technical school is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, students can apply for student loans.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Attend an accredited technical college. Unless you use a private lender, student loans are awarded to students who are attending an accredited school within the United States. To ensure the technical college you are a student at has the right accreditation for students to receive federal aid funds, visit the Department of Education's accredited programs website.

2. Complete the financial aid application. All technical college students seeking student loans need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This document is used to determine what student loans you qualify for as well as grants that might be available based upon your financial need. You can complete the application for free by visiting the FAFSA website.

3. Review the student loans you've qualified for. After submitting your FAFSA, you should get information from your technical school's financial aid office indicating what student loans you qualify for. Students can qualify for subsidized or unsubsidized student loans, and parents can qualify for a PLUS student loan. Subsidized loans are interest-free while you are attending school, but unsubsidized loans begin accumulating interest as soon as you receive the loan. The PLUS loan is available for parents to take out if they want to pay for school for their student.

4. Complete entrance counseling. Once you've decided which loans to accept, your school will require you to complete entrance counseling through a website they direct you to. This counseling covers important information about your loan as well as your responsibilities in paying it back once you are no longer enrolled in school. You also have the opportunity in most cases to choose your lender during your counseling session as well as electronically sign a master promissory note agreeing to pay back the money. Most technical schools require completion of the entrance counseling before they will release the funds from your student loan to you to pay for your school expenses.

5. Speak with your financial aid counselor. Each technical college handles how they award and dispense student loans differently, which is why it's important to talk to your financial aid counselor. There might be additional steps your specific college requires to receive a student loan after completing entrance counseling. The financial aid adviser on your campus should be able to walk you through the process as well as answer any questions you might have.

Tips & Warnings

• After submitting your FAFSA, you might be selected for financial aid verification. This requires you to submit supporting documents proving that the information submitted on your FAFSA about your taxes and finances is true. The verification process must be complete before you can find out what student loans you qualify for.

Resources

• FAFSA
• Accredited Programs from the Department of Education

Who Can Help Sponsored

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