With the fall-quarter catalogs circulating, many students are wondering how they will pay for next year's tuition. Filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the best place to start.

Using FAFSA, which can be completed at www.fafsa.ed.gov or through the mail, students apply for all federal, state and some institutional financial-aid programs. This also includes student loans and work-study programs.

Depending on eligibility, these funds may be enough to cover all tuition, books and some living expenses.

Many students leave this free money on the table because the application process seems too daunting, but experts advise: Gather the documents and take the time to fill out the FAFSA." This process is very fair and it's free," said counselor Gina Myers.

For a fee, financial aid preparers can help students complete the FAFSA. There are no requirements for being a professional financial aid preparer, so students who are willing to pay must use caution to chose a credible company.

Typing FAFSA or financial aid into a search engine brings up the websites of numerous companies competing to get your attention, information and money. These companies know that many potential students and parents are in a panic over how they are going to pay for school, and they target first-time college students, offering to assist with the FAFSA and scholarship applications.

One such company is Student Financial Aid Services Inc., a company that states on their website that they can file a FAFSA application "for as little as $79.99," also goes on to say in a written disclosure that "FAFSA can be filed for free, without professional assistance."

Myers does not recommend using a FAFSA preparer and says that filling out a FAFSA is self-explanatory and straightforward. She said students who fear the complexities of a FAFSA form should do what they can at home, and come to the financial aid office on campus to finish them off.

Students must be aware of financial aid scams as well as scholarship scams.

Scholarships- which can be bountiful and rewarding to the student who puts in the research to find them- are not part of the FAFSA process. But beware; this is where most of the scam artists wait to get into your pocketbook.

The Federal Trade Commission's consumer alert on scholarship scams suggests watching for any scholarship search company that offers; a scholarship that is guaranteed or your money back, any request for prepayment to hold the scholarship, any company that suggests you pay a good faith fee.

Many of these scholarship-finding companies promise to send you scholarship information and brochures, but may send worthless information or nothing at all.

Information regarding current scholarships offered can be accessed through your local library and the participating school's financial aid office for free.

If you suspect that a company might be trying to swindle you, it is a good idea to search for the company on the Better Business Bureau website, as well as the Federal Trade Commission's website for a listing of Consumer Redress Actions. Here you will find a listing of companies reported for a myriad of cons- including scholarship scams.

"If you have the extra money and want the security of having someone with experience to fill out the form for you, then it might be worth it," said Danette Carter, director of Financial Aid. "But again, free help from experienced people is available, so I wouldn't automatically recommend it."