Applying to college will generally cost money. There is a chance of applications becoming free around the time seniors typically graduate. Partner with resources at your high school to apply for scholarships, and research if your state offers grants for maintaining decent grades.

There are often grants for members of households that make below a certain amount of income that cover up to and above the full cost of tuition, food, and/or commuting expenses, on top of the possible grants for good grades.

Colleges offer catalogues of what classes to expect to take to obtain a degree from them. Consider carefully if the degree actually best aligns with your capabilities and goals. For example, if you want to open a computer repair shop and already know everything about repairing them, you may want to consider a business degree instead to know how to get a business loan and successfully run a business. Alternatively, if you want to be a veterinarian but your favored college requires two years worth of math classes, which you struggle with, another institution may have a more balanced degree that teaches you more about the specific field.