Q: If I am going to be needing student loans for 2012 and 2011 is it too early for me to start looking? How early should I be applying for student loans for 2012 and 2011, and where should I start looking for student loans?

A: It is never too early to begin thinking about financing your college education. The earlier you can start preparing for financing your college education, the better chances you will have of avoiding unnecessary student loan debt.

If you have not started saving for college, it is best to focus on this. The more money you can put away now for your college education, the less money you will need to borrow in student loans for 2012 and beyond.

You may also want to focus on researching scholarships for college. Your Junior and Senior years of high school are a great time to locate college scholarships that apply to you. Scholarships can be a fantastic tool in helping fund your college education, and best of all, it is money for college that will not have to be repaid. You can start by looking at our Scholarships section to learn more, or visit our “Over 101 Scholarships for College” resource.

As for student loans for 2012 and 2011, you will want to start by filing a FAFSA for federal student loans. You can visit www.fafsa.gov for application deadlines and to file a FAFSA. Currently you can not apply for student loans for 2012. For the 2010-2011 School Year FAFSA applications will began on July 1st, 2010 and end on June 30th, 2011. For the 2011-2012 School Year FAFSA applications will began on July 1st, 2011 and end on June 30th, 2012.

To learn more about federal student loans and FAFSA, visit our Federal Student Loan section. If you need student loans for 2012, it is currently a little early to start applying for them, but it is never too early to began planning out how to fund your college education. For college financial aid tips, please take a look at our free eGuide: 89 Financial Aid for College Tips

TheStudentLoanShark:
Answering all of your student loan and college financial aid questions. Read all of my posts by clicking here or ask me your student loan and/or college financial aid questions.

Tags: applying for student loans / FAFSA / federal student loans / student loans

Share this Student Loan Information or Comment!