Do your homework to find scholarships and grants. Many will come from your school. Ask your financial aid counselor about what is available at school and what scholarship search Web site(s) are recommended. Scholarships may be available through private agencies, organizations, or clubs.

There are a number of on-line resources that make promises to find scholarships for a fee, but there are no guarantees that you will receive a scholarship. Further, most of the information they provide is available from other sources for free.

Here is Sean's list of scholarship resources: (rating system: 1 thumb-up, or 1 thumb-down for don't bother)

1. The College Board's Scholarship Search   
   • Free Service Site
   • URL: (http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/scholarshipSearch.jsp)


2. Wired Scholar   
   • Free Service Site
   • URL: (http://www.wiredscholar.com/paying/scholarship_search/pay_scholarship_search.jsp)


3. College Net Mach 25   
   • Free Service Site
   • You can create a profile with the promise of confidentiality
   • Or you can simply type in keywords without a profile
   • URL: (http://www.collegenet.com/mach25/)


4. FreSch!   
   • Free Service Site
   • URL: (http://www.freschinfo.com/)


5. The Scholarship Page   
   • Free Service Site
   • Does not provide many results (under 25)
   • URL: (http://www.scholarship-page.com/)


6. Scholarship Resource Network   
   • Free Service Site
   • Results were average
   • URL: (http://www.srnexpress.com)

Click here for TIPS that will help you to apply for scholarships.

If you may want to decrease your debt even further, consider working a part-time job. You can check with local restaurants and stores that hire part-time staff. You can also apply for work-study, a form of financial aid available through your financial aid office. Ask your financial aid counselor if you can qualify for work-study and how it affects your financial aid award. Check with your school. Sometimes additional staff is needed to work events on your campus.