Getting into a good school is only half of the battle. Now, you have to figure out how to pay for it! If you are one of the fortunate ones, your parents have probably been scrimping and saving ever since your birth to pay for your college education, but it is often not enough.

Tuition is not the only cost, as there are other expenses to consider such as books, supplies, rent, food, and so on. Applying for and getting scholarships and grants can help out and in some cases may mean the difference in your school experience. To find as many scholarships and grants as possible:

1. Start with speaking to your school guidance counselor. Not only can they help you find the right school and help out with the application process, they can generally point you in the direction of the various grants and scholarships that you might qualify for. In the case of some of them, it will be the guidance counselor who must nominate you for the award.

2. Approach social service clubs, especially those that have some family affiliation. If your father is a member of the Elks club for instance, find out if they sponsor a scholarship and if so, how to apply.

3. Research online. Do not just type in the word “scholarship” and then expect to make heads or tails out of the results of your search. Not only will you find literally thousands of pages to slog through, many of them will lead you on a wild goose chase and at best, waste your time.

4. Be wary of the websites that guarantee you success. By the sheer volume of requests that each scholarship committee receives, there is no way to promise this. Some sites will also demand money without providing any real service at all. If you know some key sites to check out you can do some of the real footwork for yourself. There are good sites that can help narrow down your search however.

5. Apply for scholarships even if you only barely qualify for them. The more you apply for, the more likely you are to gain one.

5. Finally, consider applying for internships and work programs whenever possible to offset some of the high costs of tuition, fees and books.