Paying for college can be an expensive proposition. For the 2022–2023 academic year, average in-state tuition at four-year public institutions was $10,950, $190 higher than in 2021–22 (1.8% before adjusting for inflation), according to College Board. The average out-of-state tuition costs a little more than $28,240, and private schools averaged a sticker price of just above $39,400. And that doesn’t even include other costs associated with attending college, such as room and board.

So, how can you reduce your cost to attend school? Well, one way is to apply for free college aid. Many students overlook several sources of free college aid, much to their detriment.

Three Overlooked Sources of Free College Aid

As parents and prospective students begin to think about applying for scholarships, what they often don’t realize is that they may already qualify for free college aid, depending on where they live and their financial situation. Here are three sources of aid that you might be missing out on.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

One of the biggest overlooked sources of free college aid comes from filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). A report from the National College Attainment Network found that approximately $3.75 billion in Pell Grants went unclaimed by the high school class of 2021.

The FAFSA needs to be filled out once a year to qualify again for the following year. Students are already missing out on the opportunity to get free aid from the U.S. government in the form of Pell Grants, and on top of that, many states and schools use information from the FAFSA to determine whether students are eligible for additional free college aid programs. By filling out the FAFSA, even if you can’t get enough free aid to fully cover the cost of a higher education, it could still reduce your need for federal student loans.

Colleges offering free tuition

While the FAFSA can be a source of college financial aid, you might not need the tuition help if you’re able to attend a school that pays for the education that it’s providing you.

Some colleges have programs, such as Alice Lloyd College’s Appalachian Leaders Scholarship, designed to help attendees avoid the costs associated with higher education. As long as you live in the school’s service area and agree to any conditions of the program, your out-of-pocket tuition costs may be completely covered. Additional schools that offer free tuition include Berea College in Kentucky, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado (though you must commit to serve), and the University of New Hampshire.

In some cases, if you meet certain need-based requirements, you can even attend Ivy League schools for free. For example, for the 2022–2023 academic year, Harvard students from families making less than $75,000 per year will have their entire tuition covered. According to Harvard, about 20% of students don’t pay to attend.

State-sponsored free college aid

It’s not just colleges and universities offering access to free college aid. Your state government also might be an option.

In some states, like New Mexico and Oregon, there are programs that allow students to access free tuition without a lot of restrictions. There are some states, however, where a free education only applies to community colleges. Once you finish attending community college, you might have to transfer to another school to complete your education. But even with just two years of debt-free community schooling, you can still make a lot of progress without piling on debt.

Other states that offer free college aid, like New York, might have specific requirements for income or merit. Even so, checking with your state’s Department of Education can help you find out what programs are available to help cover some of your costs.

The Bottom Line

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, college enrollment continues to decline. One cause of this decline is rising college costs. As such, according to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly a third of surveyed students didn’t believe their family could afford to send them to college.

However, as a student, you might be surprised to learn that college is more affordable than you think. Opportunities for free college aid are out there, and taking advantage of them—especially by filling out the FAFSA—can help make college more affordable.