Guide to paying for community college
March 06, 2025 – 5 mins
How to get help paying for community college
Attending community college is becoming more popular than ever—but how do you pay for it? You’ve got a few options, from free money like grants and scholarships, to federal and private student loans.
Free money for community college
When paying for community college, always start with submitting the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Applying makes you eligible for some of the $150 billion in grants, scholarships, and work-study funds—all money for school that you don’t have to pay back.
- Grants: These are given out by federal and state governments and are usually need-based.
- Scholarships: Want free money for school? Students can get scholarships for merit, financial need, or for things like your hobbies and interests. One easy way to search for scholarships is with Scholly® Scholarships by SallieSM. You don’t have to register—and you can use filters to narrow down your search based on your background, major, the state you live in, and more.
- Work-study: Federal work-study is financial aid that lets you work part-time at a school-approved job, so you can earn money for your expenses. Your financial aid offer will let you know if you’re eligible for one.
Student loans to pay for community college
After federal financial aid, you may need more money to fill in any gaps—that’s where a student loan can help. There are two types of student loans: federal and private.
Federal student loans are provided by the federal government. Some benefits of federal student loans include:
- Flexible repayment options that can be changed
- No credit check
- Standard interest rate
How to apply: When you submit the FAFSA®, you apply for student loans, too. The amount you’re approved for will be in your financial aid offer. You’re able to decide if you want to accept the loan or not.
Private student loans are offered through banks, credit unions, and other financial institutions. The lender you choose will do a credit check to see if you’re eligible, so having a cosigner may help you get approved and potentially get a lower interest rate. Some benefits of getting a private student loan for community college include:
- A choice of fixed or variable interest rate
- Your choice of repayment option, like in-school or deferred
- You may be able to borrow a higher amount of money (up to the cost of attendance) than with federal loans
How to apply: You can apply for a private student loan that may cover a full year’s worth of expenses directly from the lender’s website.
Need money for college?
Consider a Sallie Mae® private student loan
- Available for online or on-campus study
- Competitive fixed and variable rates
- No origination fee or prepayment penaltyfootnote 1
- 95% of undergraduate students who’ve been approved with a cosigner were approved again when they returned with a cosigner the following yearfootnote 2

Finding the right private student loan
The right student loan will be able to help you cover all the things you need for school. Here are some things to think about as you explore taking out a private student loan:
- Know what you need: How much will each year of community college cost? Research the cost of attendance for the schools you’re interested in to see how much tuition, room and board (if you’re living on campus), supplies, and fees may cost. Once you know this, you’ll have a starting amount of how much money you’ll need.
- Research and compare: Private student loan lenders have different interest rates, repayment types, and fees. It’s important to weigh all your options to find the best loan for you. Think about making a spreadsheet of different loans to see which one makes sense for your goals.
- Learn the language: You might find new words and phrases in your research that you’re not familiar with. Before you take out a loan, make sure you understand common terms—this can help you with deciding what loan to go with.
- Get advice: Ask your friends, family members, counselors, or anyone else you trust about how they paid for college. Did they get any scholarships or work-study? How did they feel about taking out student loans?
Speaking of the right student loan… the Sallie Mae® Smart Option Student Loan® can help cover up to 100% of your eligible costs for community college—tuition, room and board, supplies, you name it.footnote 3 You can choose between interest rate types and repayment options to repay your way.footnote 4 Plus, get a 0.25 percentage point discount on your interest rate when you sign up for auto debit.footnote 5
Pay for community college without worries
Community college has so many benefits, so it’s no wonder that students choose to go. If you’re planning to apply and need to figure out how to pay for it, remember to start with federal financial aid, grants, and scholarships before researching the best private student loan for you.