When you're thinking about paying for college, the two things that probably come to mind are financial aid and scholarships. Depending on your family's circumstances, you may qualify for up 100% financial aid. Unfortunately, most people do not.
The next step is to look for scholarships. There are literally thousands of scholarships you can apply for. Some are merit-based, others need-based. Many are both. There are scholarships for specific majors, scholarships for employees of certain companies, scholarships for women, scholarships for Hispanics, scholarships for older students, etc. You couldn't possibly apply for them all. You'll need to choose a handful that you think you can win and focus your energy on those.
Some of the best scholarships are local scholarships that help people from the area go to college. The competition usually isn't as tough as for national scholarships. The best place to look for local scholarships is at your school. Counselors usually have a list of local scholarships, along with the eligibility criteria. They can help you fill in the form. If you're lucky, the counselor will be familiar with the organization that's offering the scholarship, so you can tailor the application to their values.
The next step would be to sign up with a scholarship search website like FastWeb.com or Scholarships.com. It's free and easy. Once you've set up your account, enter your personal information, including your age, gender, location, intended major and whether you belong to an ethnic minority. The website will search thousands of possible scholarships to find ones that fit your profile. This includes local and minority scholarships.
Most local scholarships will be listed on the major scholarship websites, as well in your school counselor's records. You can also do a basic google search for the words “scholarship” and the name of your state or town. That way you'll catch any sources of funding that may have fallen through the cracks.