When San Antonio native Greg lost his scholarship while he was in college, he was absolutely determined that he would still graduate. So he turned to student loans to cover his costs…with more than a little trepidation. But even though the idea of going into debt scared him, he saw it as an investment in himself. And Greg was very strategic about handling his loan funds so he could get that coveted degree into his hands.

So you've got a lot of first-gen students on your hands without too much in the way of college savings, and some may be close to giving up hope on pursuing higher education all together. Happily, Angelica's story can show them just how wrong they are to drop the dream—she's graduating with $0.00 in debt thanks to a rigorous schedule of turning in one scholarship application per week.

What happens when you blow through your grant money in the first year of college? You have to get real creative, real fast—as Kevin found out through firsthand experience. After doing some last-minute maneuvering to get into college and secure the funds to pay for it, poor money management put him in danger of not being able to continue past his freshman year. But he put his nose to the grindstone in a big way and managed to get a degree that completely reshaped his future. His story is a powerful cautionary tale for students who are about to handle real money on their own for the first time.

Who doesn’t want more money? This handy packet provides plenty of info on how to maximize your funds for college.

This guide walks you through what you need to know in order to complete the FAFSA/TASFA and score the most money possible for school.

This site is geared toward guidance counselors and teachers, and is a huge resource for financial aid—so you might as well take advantage of it. It’s likely you’ll be filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and this site will give you lots of help, as well as steer you in the direction of other valuable ways to get money for college.

This handy guide was created to help students  understand the real price of college by examining what’s included in the price (tuition and fees) and what’s not (books and transportation). The guide also offers up tips and tricks to help lower the costs so students can start planning for their future today.

Under Programs on the Texas Comptroller’s page is this list of government-driven initiatives to help users explore financial aid opportunities for Texas colleges. The main focus is on starting early and putting away funds (and growing them) for tuition and expenses—both the College Savings Plans and Texas ABLE Program (for individuals with disabilities) sections provide a wealth of knowledge in this area. 

Essentially, this is a one-page portal launching exploration of three college tuition savings programs. The Texas Tuition Promise Fund helps families pay for some or all college tuition fees upfront by purchasing Tuition Units—unit prices are locked in, equating to semester hours, and don’t change with fluctuations in the market. The Texas College Savings Plan is a qualified 529 plan offered through the state—there are 20 different investment portfolios (mutual funds, money market accounts, etc.) to choose from, with tax-free growth and no withdrawal penalties. And the Texas Guaranteed Tuition Plan allows up to 160 credit hours to be purchased in advance for any public university or college.

 Directly focused on making it easy for students to complete the FAFSA, this site offers up no-hassle pages informing them of deadlines and options for filing.

Figure out all the basics of education loans with this easy-to-understand guide, which also provides useful strategies, tips, and potential pitfalls to watch out for.

The good news: There’s loads of money out there to help your child pay for college. The bad news: It can be pretty confusing to figure out how to actually access that money. Learn where all the money is and how your teen can snag some to help cover those college costs.