Pell grants are sweet. http://www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/StudentGuide/2002-3/pell.html So long as they know you're miserable and desperately need money.
not sure of any good deals per se - here in canada student loan interest rates are government regulated leaving no room for competitive rates. one area to look into is a student line of credit - these are good if you've got a summer job that pays enough to pay it down every year otherwise, stay away! go to the financial assistance office at your institution and apply for every single friggen grant you qualify for. i understand that a lot of times only one or two people apply for the most obscure grants (naturalists scholarship for those who like cherry trees etc.), look into it. one thing to keep in mind: YOU"LL HAVE TO PAY BACK EVERYTHING YOU BORROW!
It also depends on where you live. In Canada, there are loans that you can get from the government, and in Ontario, there is OSAP which is a provincial government student loans program. These types of government programs exist in many countries.
