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Step 1
Look for scholarships and grants. Schools and organizations give away billions of dollars in scholarships and grants each year, specifically for the purpose of helping people afford higher education. Most people receive scholarships and grants for academic merit, sports abilities or financial need, but there's a scholarship for every reason. Check websites like Scholarship.com to find a slew of excellent grants that match your academic and social profile.
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Step 2
Split your education in two. Earn a top notch degree without having to pay the full sticker price by attending a community or junior college for the first 2 years of school. After those first 2 years, for which tuition and fees are very low, you can transfer to a four-year college or university to earn a degree, and save a lot of money in doing so.
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Step 3
Take loans. You can borrow money at low interest rates from the government and your university. Ending your higher education with a load of debt is not exactly ideal, but if you plan on going into a lucrative field you can be relatively sure that the debt will get paid off over time. Speak with a financial aid officer at whatever learning institution you're interested in to find out about assistance and debt payment trends of that school's graduates.
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Step 4
Keep your job. Increasingly, people are keeping their day jobs as they continue to pursue higher education. The Internet has been a boon for people who need to work while they study. Online universities let students do coursework whenever it fits their schedule, allowing cash-strapped students to continue to pay their bills and afford the tuition as they work steadily toward a higher education.
