There’s getting in and then there’s paying for it. Applications are in, except for the few slowpoke procrastinators. The big question now is: How are you going to pay for this prized college education?

The best source of money is institutional aid — that’s money doled out by colleges and universities. Remember, there are two basic kinds of aid: need-based, determined by the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, and merit-based, based on a student’s academic profile, test scores and special talents.

There’s a close relationship between a college’s endowment and the amount of aid it provides. According to U.S. News & World Report, as of fiscal year 2014, the four colleges with the largest endowments were: Harvard, $36.4 billion; Yale, $23.9 billion; Stanford, $21.5 billion; and Princeton, $20.6 billion.

The great news is, if you can get in and you need money, these colleges are extremely generous. The bad news is that none of these colleges provide merit money, only need-based scholarships.

Some suggested questions to ask:

• Reciprocal relationships: Determine if your state has any reciprocal relationships with neighboring states where you might qualify for in-state tuition at an out-of-state university.

• Automatic aid: How do each of the colleges on your list award institution aid? In some cases, merit aid is based on a threshold test score, and so if you score about that number, you’re guaranteed aid.

• More than grades: Ask if there are departmental scholarships for musicians, theater, etc.

• Be realistic: Your dream school is not going to provide aid. Take a look at each school’s middle 50 percent test scores, and if your scores are below their middle 50, there’s probably little chance you’ll be accepted and an even smaller chance that you’ll receive merit aid.

• Length of aid: It’s really important to find out if your aid package is renewable or if it is just for freshman year.

• Getting the money: Find out what you need to do to receive the aid. In most cases, the total amount of aid is reduced from your bill, but find out if it is broken into semesters.