Due to the rising cost of a college education, many government-funded agencies and private organizations are stepping up to help students reduce their total debt. Even so, many candidates face the chilling option of taking out enormous college loans. That doesn’t mean students shouldn’t do their own homework on the assistance needed to aid in obtaining their college degrees. If anything, financial aid recipients have to work even harder before deciding on one program or another.

Due to the recession, more undergraduates than ever are pursuing degrees or returning to school in order to improve their position in life and make a career change. Former dropouts are returning to class. Others are going back to improve their position inside the workplace. This makes many federal aid programs – which are usually awarded on a first come, first served basis – become very competitive.

Put these situations together and it’s becoming a whole new world for college students. If they are high school student sourcing their first college, the best advice is to start the hunt during the second half of their high school junior year. While those who already have some college experience, even going for post-graduate work, have a more open time frame, with all the options now available these older students should take a bit more time before making a final decision.

For instance, some students may want to get a college grant from private institutions ranging from the United Negro College Fund to Microsoft. Not only can they be more accessible than government-funded aid, but could actually have a higher payout with less strings attached. For instance, Apple has a competition every year where it selects winners based on major or professional goals, in this case the best new app. This could give them additional motivation to do well in their classroom-based or online courses. The winners get a straight-up check.

Potential students who should really take this advice to heart are single parents. It makes incredible good sense that they want to improve their status to better care for their families, and the government has “single mom” grants, which could cover anything from tuition and fees to childcare and housing. Still, single parents should read the fine print. Make a mistake and they can lose other important programs like Medicaid.

A good place to start one’s research is with one’s campus-based or online college of choice. Many of them host college fairs or resource nights with financial aid advisors on hand. They’ll explain federal and private sources of funding.

Another thing to watch for is some schools will reduce their own assistance if applicants receive aid from non-traditional sources; even family. The thing a student should therefore do is gather all the acceptance letters they get, then sit down and determine which plan works best.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to calculate the option that reduces the amount of money they will owe after obtaining their college degrees. The goal is to get enough grant money so they will not have to take college loans. It may also be that attending college online fits better with the student’s lifestyle, in which case grant for online school should be explored.

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