Everyone thinks it’s such a momentous occasion to don a graduation hat, robe, and maybe a bit of tears of joy once you’ve been freed with the big house that is high school.

However, there’s an even bigger house. It’s called college—and it is expensive.

Make no mistake, if your parents aren’t providing for your tuition, then you’re responsible to pursue your education all by yourself. In other words, not only are you going to have to study hard to get a degree, but you might actually have to pick up a job to pay for your tuition, dorm fees and other college-related expenses.

Aside from securing a job, there are other ways for you to get funding for your studies.

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Scholarships and Grants

A scholarship literally pays for most or all of your tuition for a year’s worth or even your whole time in college. You can obtain one, though, for any skill set you might have and simply by filling out applications for scholarship programs at your chosen school.

Grants work the same way, only on a smaller scale—and they are provided either by corporations or the government. Generally grants are for a smaller amount of money. However, like scholarships, grants are mostly free; hence you don’t have to repay it once you graduate from college.

Get an Advance on Your Paycheck

If you have a job, but your paycheck is still weeks away from the deadline to pay for your tuition, you can apply for payday installment loans. These loans are easy to obtain provided that you have the necessary qualifications. You can either apply online or offline to a lending company to secure a loan, and repay it using your next paycheck.

Consider Federal Loans

If you’d rather not get a job and focus on your studies, opt for this: federal loans. They’re simple to get. You need to just apply. Most loans through schools pay for your whole tuition and maybe even have a little leftover. Like most loans, you have to repay the federal loan back. That’s where forbearance and deferment come in. It allows you to wait on paying off the loan until you get your degree.

What Matters Is Your Education

When you are truly dedicated to finish your studies and get a bachelor’s degree, it’s important to get the money issue out of the way. Making it through college is a different ballgame. But with the number of ways to secure funding for your education, there is no reason for you to stop pursuing a good one that’ll help establish your future.