There are many colleges and universities for each state. Please pick your state first, then choose college by name and location.

College Board College Search

Average Published Charges for Undergraduates 2012 - 2013
Sector 2012 - 2013Tuition and Fees  /  Room and Board

Public Two-Year    $2,690.00   /    None
Public Four-Year (In state)   $8,240.00 /  $8,240.00
Public Four -Year (out of state) 20,770.00  /  8,240.00
Private Nonprofit Four-Year $28,500.00   /  $9,037.00

Average costs for books / supplies  $1,168.00

SOURCE: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.

There are thousands of scholarships available; do some research and send in for as many as you possibly can. It might be time consuming, but it can really help out with college expenses. Every little bit of effort  put towards education is a learning experience, and you might get lucky and receive some scholarship money. Always remember to not get discouraged and to just keep trying.

"How to go to College Almost for free" is a good book on scholarship coaching. I found this to be a very helpful book.

Places to look for scholarships:

• Websites
• Local community groups
• Local businesses
• Your high school local Government sources
• Library
• Websites:
     www.fastweb.com
     www.collegeboard.org
     www.scholarships.com
     www.scholarshipexperts.com

Many of the websites require a lot of information, so it may be a bit time consuming, but it is worth it. You might want to set up an email address just for scholarship and college search information. This way you won't get your personal email address flooded with emails from schools, and potential spam.

Here are some websites, books and links that I have found to be very helpful and a great resource in researching colleges, scholarships and savings ideas.

• www.savingforcollege.com
• www.studentloannetwork.com
• www.finaid.org
• www.allaboutcollege.com
• www.collegeview.com
• www.collegeanswers.com
• www.moneyasyougrow.org
• www.smartmoney.com
• www.americasaves.org
• www.suzeorman.com

Suze Orman has some wonderful books and websites that are extremely helpful in a college savings plan. I have read many of her books and always found them to be helpful and honest.

• Action Plan - Suze Orman
• The Money Class Book - Suze Orman - I personally loved the "Class 3" section. Very enlightening.
• Countdown to College: 21 "To Do" lists for High School - Valerie Pierce with Cheryl Rilly
• What High Schools Don't Tell You - Elizabeth Wissner-Gross
• How to Go to College Almost for Free - Ben Kaplan
• Family Guide to College Savings - Joseph F. Hurley
• The Best Way to Save for College - Joseph F. Hurley
• Cut College Cost Now! - Corey Sandler

Visit your local library and select the books you think will help you prepare for college. You can read them for free instead of buying them.