I have learned quite a few important things via your post. I would also like to mention that there may be situation where you will apply for a loan and do not need a co-signer such as a Federal Student Aid Loan. But if you are getting that loan through a common bank then you need to be prepared to have a cosigner ready to assist you. The lenders can base their decision using a few issues but the most significant will be your credit history. There are some loan merchants that will also look at your work history and decide based on this but in most cases it will be based on on your scores.