Today, CollegeSurfing Insider welcomes writer and financial aid expert Christina Couch to offer some secrets to scoring financial aid…

If Uncle Sam left you high and dry, take heart!  There are literally millions of dollars in financial aid – including grants, scholarships, and alternative programs that won’t require a financial aid application at all – beyond awards administered by the federal government.  Here are seven ways to pay for school without getting a government hand-out.

#1. State Aid
If the feds won’t pony up the cash, maybe your state will.  Armed with both need and merit-based aid programs state-administered awards typically aren’t overwhelmingly large, but they can certainly defray tuition sticker shock.  In addition to offering traditional scholarship and grant programs, many states including California, Virginia, and Maryland also offer grant and loan forgiveness programs for students majoring in critical needs fields like nursing, teaching, and child care. Award programs vary tremendously from state to state.  For a list of what programs are available in both the state you live in as well as the state of the school you’re attending, contact each state’s higher education department.

#2: School-Based Aid
After checking with the feds and the state, it’s time to hit up your future school for free money.  From sports awards to memorial scholarships, schools, especially those with large endowments, frequently provide sizeable scholarships to students who wouldn’t qualify for aid anywhere else. Finding out what awards are available is as simple as a visit to your school’s financial aid office.

#3: Local Scholarships
After tapping out the feds, families searching for a reduced tuition tag frequently turn their attention to large national scholarship awards offered by well-known corporations and non-profit organizations.  While a select handful of students do land generous awards doled out by companies like Target and Coca-Cola, most students (especially those with less-than-perfect transcripts) have a significantly better shot of winning smaller local awards.  Before applying for awards given by national organizations, check out scholarships available through local civic, religious, and community organizations as well as your high school.

#4: Graduate Early
The easiest way to avoid debt is to graduate before getting into it. Thanks to AP, IB, dual enrollment classes, and placement tests, students can cut a semester or even a year off of their college tenure before they begin.  Adult students can test out of courses via CLEP exams or earn credit for their life and work experience through portfolio assessment programs. The trick to getting your college sentence reduced is to plan early (as in several years before you apply to college).

#5: Do Some Time
Specifically in federally funded programs that offer educational rewards.  Through Americorps, the Peacecorps, and Teach For America, students can earn up to $9,450 in financial aid after completing two years of service.  Students may also qualify for hefty loan forgiveness or loan reduction depending on the program and the amount of time served. This is especially helpful to adult students or career changers who wish to leave their jobs and start over in a new field.

#6: Make an Agreement
Students attending an out of state school may be able to score some fast cash simply by majoring in the right subject.  Enter the Academic Common Market – a conglomeration of 16 southern states that allow undergrad and graduate students to attend college outside their home state while paying in-state prices.  The catch is that the program is limited to students majoring in a subject that’s not offered in their home state.  Click here for more information on member states as well as what degree programs qualify.

#7:  Write It Off
If you do end up ponying up for school, don’t forget that you can write a portion of your educational expenses off when tax time rolls around. The US government currently offers two tax credits for tuition-paying families.  The Hope Scholarship provides up to a $1,650 tax break for students in their first two years of post-secondary education and the Lifetime Learning Credit allows families to deduct up to $2,000 a year for all education expenses (including undergraduate, graduate, and professional development classes) incurred in the household. Though each tax credit has income limitations and assumes that the student is spending a certain amount out of pocket for their education – $2,200 for the Hope Scholarship and $10,000 for the Lifetime Learning Credit – both tax credits are available to students of all ages.

Christina Couch is the author of Virginia Colleges 101: The Ultimate Guide for Students of All Ages.