How can an 18-year-old pay for college by themself?

There are a few things you can do but it will be difficult just because of how old you are, but that is completely okay. Now, the first few options will have probably come to you like taking out loans, getting a job and saving, and/or filling out the FAFSA. You can also apply to scholarships and some colleges might even give you merit and/or need-based scholarships. So, if you have received scholarships from schools, you could choose the school that will give you the most money. You can also take a gap year, work, and apply for scholarships during that time.

Scholarship Finders:

https://www.unigo.com/

https://bold.org/

https://www.cappex.com/scholarships

It can be hard to find scholarships but you can apply for scholarships throughout your undergraduate education, so if you work hard enough you'll be able to find things to help. But, hoped this helped!

Something that is always highly recommended: Filling out FAFSA. Look into federal grants, work-study programs, state aid, and school aid (such as need-based or merit-based).

Scholarships are a big part of avoiding student loans as well so apply for as many as you possibly can (I apply to 2-4 a week). Sources below are useful.

https://www.tuitionfundingsources.com/

https://www.niche.com/colleges/scholarships/

https://www.fastweb.com/college-scholarships/

https://www.scholarships.com/

https://www.scholarshippoints.com/

You can also go to community college first, getting 1-2 years of classes (mostly core classes) out the way for much cheaper than a public or private university. You can also look to schools that will allow you to live off of campus (if you