– Everyone qualifies for low interest federal loans and some qualify for federal grants.

– Some schools (particularly smaller private ones, this is not so common in big state schools) offer rather large scholarships and grants in order to intice you to attend.

– Some states offer grants for various purposes.

– Private scholarships (need and merit based) are also offered.

For all of them but the last, you will have to fill out a FAFSA when you are applying to school and they will do some magical number crunching and each school will offer you something to help you with school.

Private scholarships you will need to apply for individually (and you can get started on them now). Some are one time, some are every year, some are as small as $100 and some are as large as $20,000. Most require you to do something (like write an essay or answer some questions or do a project). Don’t discount the smaller ones! They add up and you’re more likely to get them. Also, talk to your guidence counselor about any local scholarships that might be available.

There are more private scholarships available to students about to graduate from high school then there are to students who are already in college – take advantage of that!

See the links for more info.

**In some cases if you are applying to a private school they might want you to fill out different forms. See each individual school’s website for more information.

Real world advice: keep your college spending conservative. If you have to borrow for tuition and fees, live at home, or rent off campus, or better yet, buy a small condo or townhouse to live in. You can sell it when you graduate and pay off education expenses.

Get a job and pay for your books, food, and lifestyle. Keep partying to a minimum…find a nice girl or boy (significant other) and a few good friends early, so that meaningful socializing will mean watching movies and hanging out (much cheaper)…not spending lots of money on keggers, drugs, and strippers. Good luck.