Going back to school is a daunting proposition in and of itself. Factor in the high cost and associated qualms about rising student debt loads, and it’s enough to make your dreams of pursuing a degree and new career seem unreachable.

Don’t let yourself get discouraged. There are lots of ways to keep the cost of your education in check.

Here are 10 tips from U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Financial Aid that are tailor-made for folks who are eager to advance or change up their careers by going back to school:

• Enroll in a cooperative education program that lets you alternate between working full-time and studying full-time.
• Take fewer credits.
• Some colleges give credit for life experiences, reducing the number of credits needed for graduation. Check with your school for more information, write the Distance Education and Training Council at 1601 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009, or call (202) 234-5100.
• Take summer college courses at a less expensive school and transfer your credits. Before you do, check to make sure those credits will be transferable.
• If you work at a school, chances are good there’s program to reduce or waive your tuition.
• Some schools offer bargain tuition rates to older students.
• Some schools convert non-federal school loans into non-federal grants if students remain in school and graduate.
• If the main wage earner in your family is unemployed, you may be eligible for lower tuition.
• Some schools have special funds set aside for people who don’t qualify for federal or state funding.
• Check with the personnel office of the company your parents work for to see if they offer children of employees tuition assistance.

Bonus: If you have any burning financial aid questions, tweet them with the #AskFAFSA hashtag, and check back to see if they get answered during @FAFSA’s “office hours” on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 4:30 pm EST. The Twitter account is new, and will be available as a financial-aid forum after that date and time as well.

Source: “30 Ways to Reduce College Costs,” Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education