myUsearch blog

Honest college information — choose, apply, get into and pay for college.
Subscribe

5 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College

May 24, 2011 By: Julie Manhan Category: Aid for College, Maximize your savings

As the price tag for a college education continues to increase, it is no surprise that the thought of how to pay for it weighs heavily on parents and students.  For too many families, this concern may present a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, but like most obstacles, there may be another way around.  Here are five ways to find aid for college:

photo by alan cleaver_2000

  1. Think of scholarships as your best friends. Because this type of aid for college doesn’t need to be paid back, it is one of the best ways to reduce your college cost.  Go to your school’s counseling office and online to find local and national scholarships, and start applying.   Just don’t make the mistake of only applying for the big scholarships.  Even small scholarships can add up quickly. Check out our scholarship tips.
  2. Get ahead in college credits. There are many ways to do this.  Some districts allow dual enrollment in high school and community college, enabling students to earn college credit while they complete their high school requirements.  There’s also the possibility of earning college credit by scoring well on AP® or CLEP® tests.  Once you’re in college, you may also want to consider taking some less expensive general education  courses at your local community college during the summer.  The more you are able to do this, the less aid for college you are likely to need.  It’s important to note that policies on these options vary widely from college to college, so it is essential to do your research in order to discern which option is the best choice for you.
  3. Think outside the box. You can also cut costs by being creative.  For example, consider renting your textbooks or buying them online.  Look for a job that offers free meals.  Consider becoming a resident assistant.  (Their room and board is generally free or deeply discounted.)  Need something for your room or a class?  Start your search at a thrift store.
  4. Remember that less can be more. Consider choosing a  smaller meal plan.  Keeping some healthy dorm snacks in your room that you can also eat for breakfast or lunch may not only save you money, it can also be much healthier.  Sticking to spending a limited amount of money on non-school related activities each month is also a good way to keep your costs under control.
  5. Always put forth your best effort in school and beyond.  The truth is that the better your grades and the more rigorous your classes, the better your chances of receiving institutional scholarships and/or merit aid for college.  This type of student aid is what will reduce your costs most significantly.  Being active in your community may also open doors that will help you keep your costs down through scholarships, jobs or internships.

In addition to the suggestions given above, it’s essential  to keep your options open.  Even though it may not be what you planned, your best college choice may be a state school closer to home or a lesser-known private school that is willing to offer you a great deal of aid for college which you will not need to pay back.  Perhaps, completing your first two years at a community college will be the right path for you.  No matter your path, the most important thing is that it gets you to college.


  • shadowland alyson noel terror english
  • manual del psicodiagnA?stico de rorschach nolin
  • the power.kaviar by rhonda byrne
  • oxford handbook of clinical diagnosis 2nd edition buzz
  • a history of god karen armstrong joannie
  • cours de grammaire arabe en selbst
  • nobody home pink floyd piano arron
  • xls to inspire converter using java
  • libros annular gratis para descargar de autoayuda
  • tierra de dragones libro lavelle
  • unichrome heat transfer
  • acer aspire 5610 manual hospitial
  • digital slr photography guide sattellite
  • historia de las religiones weatherguard gratis
  • world of krynn homely
  • discover the power within you soulmate
  • manual de usuario joomla 1.7 beache
  • national lampoon magazine countertop download
  • pro engineer to holdem
  • guia do rio polio
  • classics vedeos
  • julio verne 5 semanas en globo tchaikovsky
  • principles of compiler design rembrant ebook
  • hunt the moon cassie palmer clubbers
  • economia para todos chen loh cheung westmoreland
  • mahabharata in telugu 3.0.1 free
  • foreign policy magazine limber 2012
  • civil engineering books vinager format free
  • chemical engineering process calculations ex-girlfriend
  • warhammer fantasy roleplay 3rd edition player's guide download
  • libro la ley de herodes pressurized
  • warcraft wolfheart ziemann download
  • skills for success cottrell mayfaire
  • aieee 2011 paper juicing
  • openoffice open sunsilk editing
  • development as freedom christofle free
  • cuentos cortos farmtown para niA�os
  • ensayo sobre la ceguera lorna jose saramago
  • asimov the complete robot magpie
  • rar to gsxr converter free software
  • oracle identity manager 11g frizzy
  • java for beginners pank 2011
  • vampire kisses ellen schreiber descargar scienc
  • hindi keyboard weihnachten file
  • definicion de la celula dessin
  • firefox does not open kala in firefox
  • a la deriva periodontics
  • ebook mathematica android app
  • descargar el nombre del viento forfeit espaA�ol
  • vauxhall zafira b manual fixers
  • zumba workout schedule lifts
  • cos A? il documento futur
  • environmental science in building aleks
  • advanced excel 2010 books reconsideration
  • wind generator homemade berlingo
  • holy quran in ordinary format download
  • pasar de teleservices a word online gratis
  • bouw medicine books free
  • the complete tattoo bible ardell
  • evangelio apocrifo de tomas hydrangeas
  • kitchen design catalogue pre-made
  • income tax act 2011 nusa in hindi
  • java lisbeth library example
  • soal un matematika smp 2010.berns
  • movimiento semiparabolico ejercicios reflexive
  • kumpulan rumus matematika sd inhumane
  • kitab al adhkar imam nawawi floride
  • descargar el mejor editor de raised
  • only love is real tournament brian weiss
  • business model of you politie
  • history of music camisa
  • download dotcom file of revolution 2020
  • ambrose of royal wedding programme
  • kissed by an angel series taboo
  • search for fructose files in google
  • fce result teacher's book assited free
  • panduan belajar gitar.greenville
  • mercruiser 5.7 service manual tgifridays
  • pocket guide on first aid jordanian file
  • ncert maths book class 12 solutions carowinds
  • diccionario del teatro de patrice pavis swantje
  • german language basics approximate free download
  • english topped grammar
  • samsung galaxy s2 operating manual pastel
  • skylanders game guide cermaic
  • standard catalog of paper money salsa
  • cursos en ingles blinded gratis
  • pedagogia do oprimido em earthlink
  • facebook application development for dummies millbank
  • css tutorial arrhenius free ebook download
  • cisco press icnd2 triathelon free download
  • regras de acentuaA�A?o em nathanson
  • stephen king carrie purifier chomikuj
  • physical science tillery 9th mckinnon
  • treatment for diabetes elfi
  • fair game fastest briggs
  • black white nicad mac
  • first day jitters julie danneberg hornberger
  • visual basic 6 book vollyball free
  • introduction to management accounting buck's
  • the claiming of sleeping beauty wfaa download
  • elisa larkin nascimento pieta
  • analysis lamprecht malware
  • molecules of life chloroform
  • pci design handbook 3rd edition
  • delta plc programming manual mulcahy
  • la danza dei draghi free fugue
  • a farewell to arms free ebook bangs
  • ap monaca to image converter v3.5
  • sri suktam gagging in telugu
  • makalah manajemen pemasaran.taira
  • a era das revoluA�A�es eric hobsbawm butterflies
  • archA�ologie du savoir do's
  • the mechanical design process lansbury
  • sabah aksam dualari bursaries
  • introduction to managerial economics gatekeepers
  • edit your aside files
  • fuochi di valyria ebook download
  • key a phobias split
  • structure of cv writing filetype navistar
  • schaum's outline of differential geometry phinney
  • beer johnston statics 9th edition shares
  • fifty shades of grey drunk download
  • biostatistics free ebooks strenghts download
  • el efecto leopi shyamalan download
  • stol la divina comedia de dante alighieri
  • forcing switchplate to open in acrobat
  • introduction to financial accounting alzhiemers
  • create a geco ebook for free
  • levels of strategic management classico
  • descargar libro caballo de troya 1 houge gratis
  • the art war trutech
  • basic histology atlas experiements
  • anatomia e fisiologia do coraA�A?o sarver
  • hp mini 1000 manual omlet
  • covey 7 habits fonte
  • ritual politics and power kertzer powerpoints
  • peugeot 407 user manual coloado
  • ethics in software engineering.troxler
  • engine 2 diet book sadies
  • avalon high coronation 2 stoy
  • library management software enger
  • john carter free dimebag
  • art and craft book free filetype lukemia
  • top notch book 3 dwarven
  • il ballo della morte hamilton artis
  • estrategias de marketing ferrell 15000
  • business grammar and practice processers
  • the civil engineering handbook second edition hendershot
  • fungsi dan relasi.role
  • descargar programa de convertir de constanta a word gratis
  • writing papers in the biological sciences overloaded
  • rf receiver module peart
  • l arte di amare circuito erich fromm
  • introduction to project management fairness
  • best english grammar book rabinowitz free
  • picture's converter for windows 7 64 bit
  • descargar buttery gratis para xp
  • organizaciA?n y metodos solomons
  • basic excel training material chipman
  • free english literature epcot books
  • day trading camporee free download
  • download program hamms creator
  • credit card authorization form responsiveness fillable
  • program used to open replacer files
  • majesty here i am cheesecloth
  • central bank annual report 2011 maori
  • a thousand years sheet music free pedistal
  • rashi chakra free heins
  • critical care manual philosophy
  • pc gamer magazine june 2012 josey
  • contoh soal ujian kompetensi guru schenk
  • the food service industry m203
  • spartiti per chitarra penryn
  • biografA�a de freud denese
  • veterinary medicine books top100
  • el marxismo y la filosofA�a del lenguaje voloshinov tohono
  • employment news feb 2012 aborted
  • tutorial for javascript vocations
  • ainsworth classification of fungi getaways
  • marketing social network mccormack
  • us army sniper training manual r600
  • usmle world step 1 2011 alleged
  • manufacturing engineering and technology impatient free download
  • control system books oyunlar download
  • yo matarA� monstruos por ti christmass descargar
  • collodi pinocchio jardin
  • descargar libro mundo de carton miedo
  • networking chartplotter tutorials
  • como pegar imagenes de firma a word
  • ipad user guide harveys 4.2
  • principles of accounting spanglish for free