<p>There are two kinds of aid: Need-based (this is where your financial situation comes in; it’s offered by both the government and the college), and merit aid (this is offered by the colleges, and is based on your grades, test scores, and other achievements; it usually has nothing to do with your financial situation).</p>
<p>The gateway to all need-based aid is a thing called [FAFSA</a> on the Web-Federal Student Aid](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/]FAFSA”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/). It’s a government form which makes you eligible for federal aid, such as subsidized student loans, work study, and some federal grants. </p>
<p>The big need-based bucks come not from the government, but from the colleges, and they use that very same FAFSA to determine how much need-based school grant money they will offer you. (There’s another form called CSS which some colleges use; they will request it if they need it. But even these schools use FAFSA.) There is a huge variation in how much need-based aid that different colleges give. </p>
<p>Then there’s merit money, or scholarships. This is money colleges offer you because you’re so wonderful, not because you’re low income. Again, there’s a big variation between colleges.</p>
<p>So – strategy: First, look for schools which are known for being generous with aid. There are several threads at the top of this forum which will point you in the right direction. Also, you want to apply to schools where your stats would put you in the top 25% of their applicants; in other words, schools where you’d be a shining star and they’d pay you to come. Look at the stats for last year’s incoming freshman class to see how you stack up.</p>
<p>Second, submit FAFSA in early January of your senior year. FAFSA requires information from your parents’ tax return (and your own if you have to file one), so ask your parents ahead of time to get their taxes done as quickly as possible. But don’t wait till the taxes are done to do your initial FAFSA; you can put in estimates and then make corrections once you have the final figures. But don’t put it off.</p>
<p>Third – speaking of not putting it off – pay careful attention to all deadlines, and be sure you meet them! This is critical. If you miss a deadline, you’ve probably missed out on the money. </p>
<p>Fourth, whatever you do, do NOT borrow anything approaching $200K, or $100K, or even $40K. It’s probably inevitable that you’re going to end up borrowing the maximum in federal loans, which is around $27K for the four years, but that is offered by the government at advantageous terms, and should be manageable after you graduate. But don’t do much more borrowing than that. You will live to regret it. </p>
<p>Fifth, don’t fall in love with a specific school until you know for sure that you can afford to attend – and that doesn’t happen until spring of senior year when the aid offers come. That’s really hard, and it’s OK to dream a little. But keep an open mind, and know that there are plenty of wonderful colleges out there, some of which may be willing to make college affordable for you. </p>
<p>Sixth, seriously consider the smart way to get a degree for half the cost: Do two years at your community college, and then transfer to a 4-year school. Your diploma will be just as valid as if you’d taken all 4 years at the university. </p>
<p>You can go to college without crippling your future with debt. It takes willingness to do the research and fill out the forms, and open-mindedness about where you could see yourself going. But you can do that. ;)</p>