file a fafsa. http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Financial aid eligibility and resources vary from school to school. You won't know what you are eligible for until you apply. Filing a FAFSA will not tell you how much aid you are eligible for. It will tell you what the federal government has determined your expected family contribution (EFC) to be, but this does not mean that any and every school is obligated to make up the difference. Many schools require more than just the FAFSA. Those schools want to see a CSS Profile and tax documents for you and your parents. They then determine their own EFC. Some schools have the resources to meet full need (Cost of Attendance minus EFC = Need), while others don't, thus two schools may come up with the same EFC for you, but offer vastly different financial aid packages. Most schools have a loan and work-study component in their financial aid package. Keep in mind that all of the above refers to "need-based" financial aid. "Merit-based" financial aid (and how it impacts "need-based" financial aid) is a whole other world unto itself. Ultimately, I refer back to my second sentence: You won't know until you apply. Check with your prospective school(s) financial aid office for instructions on how to apply for financial aid.

FinanciaLiteracy – The ability to process your personal financial information and make informed decisions about your personal finance.