Your Loving Parents

Parents can be awesome, can't they? Especially when they're helping you finance your education and doing your laundry while you're home for break. Not that you don't look good doing it yourself. Hopefully, your folks started saving early, but if not, let 'em know that borrowing from their 401(k) could be a bad idea (source).

It's a good rule of thumb to read the fine print before filling your pockets with that sweet green stuff.

You, You, You!

We heard that you were thinking about college. Well, one of the best resources for responsibly paying for your education is: you. (Shocker, we know.)

Working and saving money for school can be a great way to avoid borrowing ludicrous sums of money later on. Heading straight from AP Bio to flip burgers after school may not seem glamorous...but with good financial planning and sound decision-making, you won't have to sell your soul for textbooks and instant ramen.

Bully for you, future college grad.

Play Sports

If you've got a couple moves on the basketball court, or the diving board, or anywhere that might be relevant to the myriad NCAA- and NAIA-recognized sports, then you should consider an athletic scholarship. You'll need to be a remarkable athlete (source), and if you are, you might be able to net a scholarship that will seriously ease the financial burden of college. 

Now if only we had taken our jai alai career more seriously…

Get Federal Scholarships and Grants

Oh, the FAFSA. College-goers past and present will tell you tales of the burdensome beast that is the FAFSA, which stands for, "Free Application for Federal Student Aid." By the way, it's only "free" if you don't count the labor cost. It will take you hours to figure out how to fill this thing out.

Trust us; it's not exactly a party. However, if you put your big kid pants on and complete the thing, you'll be able to determine your eligibility for federal scholarships and grants (source). Uncle Sam will probably offer more help with your tuition than your Uncle Larry, after all.

Apply for Federal Stafford Loans

Robbing banks might help you pay for college, but good luck finishing that degree from the slammer. Luckily, Stafford Loans make it a little easier to get money from the government. (Please don't go full Yosemite Sam on us; you'll regret it.) 

Stafford Loans generally offer low interest rates and flexible repayment schedules (source), which will help you out when it's time to pay them back.

Maybe you can use some of that extra cash to take your parents out to dinner. Aw, shucks.

Ask Charity Organizations

Sometimes you just need a helping hand, you know? Good thing there are various charity organizations whose mission is exactly that: to help you fund your college dream. 

We suggest you check out a range of scholarships and grants—there are people out there who are willing to give you money for all kinds of things. Trust us. Or, you know, ask the Internet.

And don't forget to apply early. You want to have a complete picture of your financial situation before those first tuition bills roll in (source). Hopefully, you won't end up having to pay too much out of pocket. It's hard enough to keep the other bills paid, you know?

Win a Merit Scholarship

You're a smart cookie. We can tell. Why not put those smarts to work for you, instead of keeping them in your elaborately locked diary?

Merit scholarships are sometimes available to students with good grades and a history of extracurricular activities. Schools might require you to write an essay before granting you one of these babies, though (source). Better sharpen those writing skills.

Go to Community College

Community colleges get a bad rap. But they aren't full of bad teachers and awful students…at least not any more full o' those types than anywhere else.

And public two-year schools are significantly less costly per semester than public or private universities. If your career of choice only requires a two-year degree, or if you're willing to start out at a community college and then transfer to a four-year school later on, the CC system can be a wise choice (source). Go ahead and put those pennies back into your piggy bank, Shmooper.

Your Gainful Employer

Do you share a mutual, everlasting love with your employer? You know, the kind of relationship that stands the test of time and defies the slings and arrows of conflict? Good for you.

If not, you still might be able to negotiate having your employer pick up the tab for your education. First, figure out how your degree might benefit your employer. Then, list those benefits out for your managers. Lastly, put your intentions in the best light by pointing out beneficial tax breaks or offering to commit to the company in the longer-term (source).

You should also remember to lavish gifts upon your company come Valentine's Day. LLCs get lonely too. 

In this case, what's good for the company is good for you. And vice versa.

Take out Private Loans (Gasp)

This is the last resort. The nuclear option, so to speak. Hopefully, you won't have to take out private loans…but many people do.

Thankfully, not every lender tries to suck the very marrow from your bones. Pay close attention to the terms of your repayment, as lenders sometimes jack up the interest rate once the grace period ends (source). 

And whatever you do, try to limit your reliance on these bad boys as much as possible. Or get comfortable with thrifty living…forever.

Summer School and Online Classes

Hilary Duff did it. So did James Franco. And Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Sure, they may have done it to stay out of the spotlight, but online classes have another advantage: they can save you money. Taking some of your college classes online makes your schedule more flexible (which means more time making money at a job), and, in many cases, costs less than taking in-class courses for the same subjects.

Ditto for summer school.

Picking up a course or two during the summers might let you graduate a semester or two early—or at least on time.

And while taking AP classes in high school impresses colleges and can help you land scholarships, it can also help you skip a few basic intro classes in your first year of college. Having those credits already under your belt can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in course fees and tuition costs.