Tuition is crazy expensive. Even thinking about when you’re going to go back to school is stressful enough without thinking about the finances. Talking about tuition costs is enough to make you crazy.
Going back to school shouldn’t be such a financial burden on you. There are a few ways to save big bucks in college that you can start working on right now.
Getting free money for college isn’t as hard as you would think. Whether you’re new to finding free money for college or seasoned in saving, you can always learn something new.
Here are a few tips on how to get that money so that you can focus on your studies rather than your finances.
Federal Grants
Grants are the very first stop for free money for tuition. Maybe you’ve heard it a million times or just a few, but you have to fill out your FAFSA form! This is the quickest way to get the money you need for school.
FAFSA is a government form that you can fill out online. Once you document your income information and send the form in, you get money based on your financial needs. Be diligent in filling out this form every year when it reopens.
October 1st is the day it opens, so make sure you fill it out as close to that date as you can. Although it’s open until June, many states have a “first come, first serve” structure for the money they hand out. This means the sooner you fill out the form, the more money you get!
Scholarships
Scholarships are slightly different than grants, although they often get confused. Grants are based on financial need, while scholarships are based on merit.
Typically this “merit” has to do with scholarly and educational success, but that doesn’t have to be all. There are plenty of organizations that will offer you a scholarship based on essays, stories, or your heritage.
You can even get scholarships for silly things like the color of your hair. Easy-to-apply scholarship websites will be your best friends when searching for scholarships to apply for.
Check these websites often and be efficient with what you choose to apply for. Make sure you apply to scholarships you’re more likely to achieve and ones that aren’t too demanding of your time or resources.
You won’t believe how much money you can save doing this while you get ready to go back to school!
Let your job pay for your schooling.
There are a handful of companies that will actually pay for your college tuition just by working there. This is on top of the money you will be already making from the job, so it really is free money towards your education.
Here is a list of some of the jobs that offer to pay for some or all of your tuition while you work. This is a great way to skip the hassle of searching for scholarships or applying for loans. Make money AND have your school paid for by working for one of these companies.
Loans
Although this isn’t a lasting option for free money, this is a very helpful way to get money for school now. Getting a loan is a fantastic final option for your tuition payment options if you still need some financial help. Keep in mind that you will have to pay these back later along with interest costs, so definitely make this last on your list.
Depending on what occupation you step into, your company may offer loan forgiveness. This is an incredible option for you if you have to use loans to get through college.
Don’t worry!
College prices are intimidating. That shouldn’t stop you from pursuing your goals by getting a degree. Go back to school confident that your finances are taken care of!
