Few words bring as much excitement to students and fear to parents as the word college. Besides parties, alcohol and other worldly pleasures to worry about their is the constant over riding cost. There is no getting around the fact that college is expensive.

Let\’s face it, as a general rule, college is expensive. In fact, the average in-state school tuition for a public university is around $7,000 a year with the out of state averaging at $11,500. Private colleges are way higher, averaging around $27,000 a year. Add in things like food, books, parking and other random needs and the cost can seem daunting. Fortunately, there are numerous options available that don\’t come directly out of your pocket. The military will help you pay for an army education online so be sure to check them out.

Grants are the most popular options seeing as how they don\’t need to be repaid and they come in all types. The most common grant is the Pell grant, given out by the U.S. government. While funding for the Pell grant has been slashed by Congress, there is still money to go around. It is fairly easy to apply for, simply go to the FAFSA web site and fill out the online forms. There are many other grants available though, including academic, ethnic and state grants.

Next are scholarships. The most common are academic and athletic but there are many more as well. In fact, going to a community college for 2 years is often enough to earn you a partial scholarship at an in-state public college. Every year thousands of dollars in scholarships go unrewarded so it is certainly worth looking into.

Don\’t forget student loans either. While loans may not sound like a good idea, the are long term, low interest and can help establish a students credit as well. The are far more better investments then buying a new car.

One option you may not have considered are online universities. With easy access to the internet, these schools have emerged as a very popular option for many. Because they are online they are more affordable and the hours are very flexible as well. You could just stay at home and take your classes from you room if you wished!

Not only that, but the same financial aid applies to them as well. This includes low interest, long term loans, scholarships and best of all grants. With federal Pell grant money having been recently reduced it is more important than ever to make that money go even further, making online universities an even more attractive option.

All schools will have a financial aid office that can help you figure out how to best pay for your classes. So with all the help available why not go ahead and do so?