 TITLE: Can I Apply for FAFSA With Bad Credit? CONTENT: Does the FAFSA Require a Credit Check?\n--------------------------------------\nGenerally, federal student loans and other financial aid do not have a credit requirement. As a result, your FAFSA application won't require credit information, and thus the Department of Education won't check it. The one exception is Parent PLUS loans. In addition, if you apply for private student loans, the lender may require a credit check (more on that later).\nFederal student loans charge a fixed interest rate that is the same for all borrowers. For the 2020-2021 school year, that rate is 2.75% for undergraduate borrowers and 4.30% for graduate borrowers. Because of their low interest rates and lack of credit requirement, federal student loans are almost always the best borrowing option for those with bad credit. END