All I can think of is applying for scholarships that may defray the cost of the semester for you. Best of luck!

For scholarships first see if you school has a scholarship foundation. Most do and your financial aid officer should be able to tell you if there is one on campus.. These scholarships are usually easier to get than a lot of the national ones. You usually only have to fill out one application and it will put you in the running for all the scholarships the foundation offers.

Next I would go to Fast Web.com and sign up for their service. It is free and you can give information that is specific to your situation. Some examples of that would be if your a single mom, if your a member of a minority, if your the first person in your family to go to college etc. They will crop up a bunch of scholarships you could qualify for.They will send e-mail updates when new ones become available. Each scholarship will have specific instructions on how to apply. Fast Web is good and it has an excellent reputation. Never give your money to a site that says they will help you for a fee. They are all scams.

I took out student loans not that long ago and frankly I was asked nothing about my credit rating. Does the school your going to offer Federal Student Loans? They should if they're an accredited college. Federal Student Loans are based on your FAFSA results that you got when you applied for your Pell grant. not your credit rating. If you are applying for a private loan from a bank then they will look at your debt.

Almost every state has a student assistance commission. These are scholarships from all over your state and are available to apply for in one place. Again your financial aid officer should know about that. In my state it is called The Oregon State Student Commission and your state's name is probably something very similar. That's a good resource.

Also, have you ever had a family member who was in a union, was a police office or firefighter, or belong to groups like the Masons, Elks, Daughters of the American Revolution etc? Well all sorts of groups like that have scholarships available for the children of members. If your a member of a large church denomination you might qualify you a scholarship. Hope that helps a little

Oh, one more thing. You can get scholarships even if you don't have a 4.0 GPA. Many, if not most, are given based on financial need. It is a little harder to get scholarships if your not a full time student but that is changing. They are starting to realize not all students can attend full time and still need financial help.

Some jobs defray the cost.....mine pays for 75% as long I remain employed for 1 year....It would be super-sweet to have a benefactor!!!!!....

Also, depending on your major, grants are available from those industries.

Another place to try is your county's Job Services department....depending where you live...there are dollars allocated for education/training...you may have to rethink your career choice.

Hope this helps!

I'm going to try some advice shared here!!!
Thanks!

cherrie has a really good point. I worked for an employer for a year and they paid half of my college expenses. I signed a contract and worked for them for 2 years after I got out of school to repay the debt. I don't know what you plan to study but there are many good employers that want to help their workers get more education. This is very true in hospitals if your going into something medical like that.

Another place to check out is the Unemployment Dept. You'll need to talk to someone but they can often help. Often you can collect your unemployment even through your in school under certain situations. If your state has The Job Council they are a wonderful resource for getting information like that. I was amazed at the stuff the state and feds had to offer to help people get training. You just never hear about it unless you go there.

Wow guys! Thanks for replying! I love your advice!!!!

I know I've been to school a couple of times with grants and they have taken all the words out of my mouth lol.

Also if you're applying for disability and eventually get it there may be special stuff for that too. dunno

Good luck