Answer:
is this for a project or just for you? There are several ways
Step-by-step explanation:
First, a few questions:
what are your interests in college? like what subject/ major?
Are you interested in a certain type of college like local, state school, private, in state/ out of state?
How do you feel about attending courses on line?
Are you interested in working while in school?
Do you plan to live at home, in a dorm, with a relative or roommate? (in other words, would you have to pay rent?)
If you're still in high school, would you be able to work now before going to college?
How soon do you plan to/ will be able to attend college?
Things you need to know are:
does your state pay for tuition to state schools?
Do your parents/guardian/relative claim you on their taxes? because if they do, the financial aid dept will have to look at the income of whomever claims you.
If you have a few schools in mind, go on their website and look at the financial aid and see if they list any grants that you could apply for.
You can also check their cost per credit for a class. Be aware that 1 class could have 2, 3, or 4 credits etc so, for example, if their cost was $200 per credit, a class might cost you $800... like... just 1 class. Private schools are more expensive than state schools, but some private schools have special grants from alum or donations etc.
I'm just going to throw a number out there and say that if you went to a local uni near me, i'd budged for about $3000 a semester and that's just class fees, books, administrative fees... not including dorm, food or transportation.
I'm sure you might not want to count on a grant or loan, but it's hard for a single person to pay for college unless you have funds or a good paying job. Also, going to a junior college for core classes (english, science, math, history) can be cheaper OR find an online class ( but make sure in both cases that your credits will transfer).
Usually a school guidance counselor will help you through all of this stuff.
OH! there's also work-study where you can get a job on campus that goes towards paying your tuition.
Really there are many options.
