Whether it is a community college or a university, most high schoolers are looking down the barrel of college. Now, most students have some idea of how they will persevere despite the tuition cost that any college graduate complains about costing an arm and a leg for.

But unfortunately, this is not the case for all those planning to go through higher education. Some are first generation college attendees and have no clue how they will afford such an opportunity.

Thankfully, not every part of a college degree requires students to sell their souls. There are ways incoming students could take to lighten the proverbial load.

High School students who are interested in the basic public, four-year, in-state and on-campus college experience can expect to pay about $25,290 according to College Board.

This cost includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation and other expenses.

A common way that graduating seniors save some cash while still getting their college degree is by attending a two-year community college first.

According to CollegeSimply.com, the in-district cost to attend Lansing Community College lands at $12,870 and the in district cost to attend Jackson College totals to $17,146. Now, to the average mind you might think ‘wow that’s a lot of money,’ but in the mind of a college student, those prices look more like a contract into indentured servitude; so the need so save money is crucial to a happy lifestyle.

After completing prerequisite classes at a lower cost, students can later chose to transfer to a four-year college.

However, if students intend to transfer, it is important that the attendee makes sure the credits they earn will be accepted at the four-year college. Furthermore, once they have that foot in the door at their desired college the next step is first semester books.

One of the most annoying costs including in the college experience can be books and materials.

For many, it feels ridiculous to spend up to $300 on a single book. To avoid that cost, students can opt for used books or choose to rent them on sites like Amazon or BookFinder.