Ways to pay
How students actually pay for a U.S. degree
Most money for college comes from the college itself and from government grants, not from outside scholarships. Pick your situation for a plain-English guide with official links.
U.S. undergraduates
Pell Grants, FSEOG, work-study, your state's grants, and the college's own need-based and merit aid.
Read the guideInternational undergraduates
College need-based and merit aid, need-blind schools, the CSS Profile and ISFAA, and what you can't get (federal aid).
Read the guideGraduate students
Teaching, research and graduate assistantships, tuition waivers, university and departmental fellowships, and external fellowships.
Read the guide