Free Aid: Grants are awarded based on financial need and do NOT need to be repaid. One of the largest grant programs is the Federal Pell Grant. Federal and state governments, colleges, and individual organizations also award grants. Scholarships do NOT need to be repaid and are awarded for many reasons: Academic, financial need, ethnicity, organizational membership, private organizations, etc.
Work Aid: Better known as Work-Study programs, Work Aid provides part-time jobs so students can earn funds to pay for their education. These are offered by federal and state governments as well as individual schools.
Loan Aid: Loans are used to cover a portion of the college expenses and may come from federal and private sources. There are many types of loans; Federal Perkins, Federal Stafford, Subsidized Stafford, Direct Unsubsidized, Direct PLUS Parent Loans and Private Loans. Please be sure you do plenty of research and are well-educated in the types of loans you are considering.