There’s no denial that we are enduring one tough economy. It so tough it’s made many reconsider whether they should further their education or not. They should think again.

The simple truth is relief, in the forms of grant online, such as the Pell grant, is out there. What most people lack is the knowledge to access those funds. True, there are others professional grant writers will warn are frauds. So how can you get your hands on some of those legitimate grants for college?

The process is actually straightforward. It takes is share of  patience, stamina and resourcefulness. Yet if you have your share of all three qualities, there very well could be a grants for college or something similar with your name on it. Here are five tips to you in the hunt:

* Take a hard look at yourself. Are you a single parent? Do you have a physical impediment? Were you a head chair your high school orchestra or captain of the glee club? Have you done community service? Be extremely self-critical. List the positives and the negatives. Many negatives become positives when it comes to financial aid, particularly if the goal is self-improvement.

Now do research. A good place to start is on the Internet. Whether from home or wherever you can get your hands on a computer, services such as Google, Bing and Yahoo are crammed with information. You’ll find over 14 million different listings on Google by just typing “online grants”. They range from full service academic institutions, online degrees to trade school assistance. A good place to start is with the Federal government itself. The U.S. Department of Education has a site devoted to this issue.

Third, sift the chaff. When there are many different organizations offering “free” money, one can bet a number of them are looking to “free” the money out of you. A handy tip is if they want to be paid up front, get back on the net and double check. Type the individual/organization’s name and followed by the word “scam.” If that search ends up with a lot of scam alerts, think twice.

From there, you should talk to financial aid officers. Just about every institution of higher learning employ a number of them these days These people are paid to help you find the cash to study at their place of employment. The more students they help, the more money they bring to their school…and in these days of 10% national unemployment, that helps them keep their jobs. Cynical? Yes, but also true. Use them.

5) Go For As Many Grants As You Can – Not every institution is going to give you money. At the same time, the deeper the pool, the better your chances of scoring those grants. So if you find ten different institutions that fit you, go for all of them, no matter how much paperwork it means filling out.