Work for the school

Work for the school: Research and teaching assistantships generally cover at least part of tuition and pay a periodic stipend in exchange for research or classroom instruction. Like scholarships, assistantships are often presented by individual departments.

Being proactive is key; once you know a specific topic you want to study, zero in on relevant programs and find faculty members in the field who might be willing to take you on as an assistant. Doctoral students typically have a better shot than master's candidates, since they're presumably considering a professorial career.