I want to get back into school, but before I can do that, I need to pay off my past balance of $10,000. I already tried to apply for the Stafford loan, but I was told that it cant be applied to prior balances. I am trying to avoid gettin a personal loan from a bank because I have horrible credit. Is there any federal loan that will cover this? These are the loans I have heard about: - Auxiliary Loan Assistance for Students (ALAS) - Stafford Student Loan, formerly know as the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) - Parents Loans for Undergraduate Students (PLUS). Must be incurred for the use of the individual contracting for the program (not others such as relatives) - Consolidated Loan Program. Only covers the member's education expenses - Federally Insured Student Loans (FISL) - Perkins Loan, formerly known as the National Direct Student Loan (NDSL) - Supplemental Loans for Students (SLS)