Applying to grad school/financial aid- which comes first ?

[IFeelSoLost]

This might be a silly question but I could use some advice.

Do you apply for grad. school first or financial aid/scholarships/grants? See I know I can't afford to go to grad. school unless I can get funding. Then again if I get funding and can't get into grad school then what do I do?

Personally, I would need to have the funding in place first. I figure regardless of whether I get in or not, I would at least have the money part in place.

I'm confused.

Thanks

[yankeeyosh]

It depends. If your prospective schools offer assistantships, usually you don't have to file for anything unless you need student loans (the admissions committee determines who would get assistantships in most case). If you need loans, then you can apply anytime...although you might want to do it early since you might qualify for subsidized loans. www.fafsa.gov might help you on that end.