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We all have bouts of procrastination, especially in college. Pulling an all-nighter to crank out a paper you鈥檝e had weeks to work on is practically the definition of a college student.

If you left financial aid to the last minute and you鈥檙e scrambling to cover this semester鈥檚 costs, you still have options. Many colleges have already awarded scholarships, but certain grants may be on the table. And it鈥檚 not too late to borrow student loans.

Don鈥檛 wait any longer to figure out your financial aid 鈥� here鈥檚 what to do right now.

1. Submit the FAFSA if you haven鈥檛 already

You may have been told to fill out the聽聽more times than you can count. But there鈥檚 a reason everyone from your high school guidance counselor to your college financial aid officer is harping on you to fill out this form: It鈥檚 impossible to access most financial aid if you don鈥檛.

The federal FAFSA deadline for the 2016-17 school year is June 30, 2017, which means you have time to apply聽for federal student loans and Pell Grants. Many聽聽for this school year have already passed, but there still may be time to qualify for financial aid in places including Mississippi, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, New York and Louisiana.

Even if you don鈥檛 qualify for federal or state grants, you need to submit the FAFSA to be eligible for many聽聽from third-party organizations. Those scholarships have varying deadlines throughout the year, so look for ones with deadlines you can meet.

2. Call your college financial aid office

Your college鈥檚 financial aid deadlines also may already have passed, but try calling its financial aid office and explaining your situation. There鈥檚 no guarantee that a school will be able to give you extra money, but it may have more authority to do so than you think.

鈥淚nstitutional aid policies are set by the school,鈥� says Abigail Seldin, vice president of innovation and product management for the nonprofit Educational Credit Management Corp. 鈥淭hat means the school has full discretion about how they spend their institutional aid.鈥�

3. Consider聽private student loans

If you鈥檙e short on cash after borrowing the maximum amount of federal student loans you鈥檙e allowed this year, you may need to consider private loans.

Unlike federal loans, which come from the government, private student loans come from banks or credit unions. Undergraduates almost always need a co-signer for a private loan, because they聽don鈥檛 have enough credit history to qualify for one. A co-signer聽promises to pay your bill if you don鈥檛; often, it鈥檚 a relative or friend who has good credit.

Your interest rate depends on the lender and your co-signer鈥檚 credit, so it could be higher or lower than the rate you鈥檇 get with聽a federal loan. But private student loans have fewer borrower protections than federal loans. With federal loans, you can pay a monthly amount that鈥檚 relative to your income, and you might聽qualify for loan forgiveness programs. You can鈥檛 typically do those things with private loans.

Before you choose a lender,聽聽 鈥� either through an online marketplace like NerdWallet or by shopping around on your own 鈥� to find聽the聽lowest rate.

4. Get ahead of next year鈥檚 financial aid

Once you lock down enough money聽for this year鈥檚 college costs, look ahead so you don鈥檛 repeat the same frenzied cash scramble next year.

The FAFSA for the 2017-18 school year opens on Oct. 1, 2016. Mark that in your calendar now. The sooner聽you submit the form, the more likely you are to receive scholarships, grants and work-study opportunities.

You don鈥檛 have to curb your procrastination habit altogether 鈥� those all-nighters are quintessentially 鈥渃ollege.鈥� But when it comes to financial aid applications, it pays to finish early.

Teddy Nykiel is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email:聽teddy@nerdwallet.com. Twitter:聽.

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