I can't speak to the specific certifications you're going after, but can offer some broader financial advice.
First, I'd suggest applying for as many scholarships as you possibly can. A lot of schools will specific scholarships set-up by alumni for virtually every imaginable thing possible (e.g., a third year female physics student from XYZ state). Many of these go unclaimed, at least in Canada and I can'tspeak to the states but would imagine many schools have something similar? A couple of my friends paid their way through school by spending several hours looking through these list of scholarships, applying for 15-20 and receiving as many of them as possible.
Second, budgeting is a skill that you will have to learn as a student if you're trying not to go into debt. I'd enjoy school, but remember that there are plenty of ways to make things cheaper as a student and you should take advantage of all of them. I was one of the few people of my friends who left school without debt and lived frugally while at school -- most folks simply blew money like there was no tomorrow. I'd make a budget and stick to it as much as possible.
Third, I'd highly recommend looking into running a College Pro Painters Franchise if you have time off in the summers. I did this for 5 summers while I was in school and made a ridiculous amount of money as a student. It's phenomenally hard work and definitely not for the fainthearted (you will be working 80+ hours a week in the summer and stressed most days) but it is great life experience and fantastically wealth building. I bought my first condo with a 25% downpayment, paid for my tuition and all living expenses while at school, and invested ~50K by the time I had left university from running a franchise. While the rewards for those who are successful can be great, you can also end up spending a summer working exceptionally hard and only ending up with 5-10K to show for it if you aren't successful. It's a simple risk-reward proposition and you have to be aware of what you're getting yourself into to make it work.
Finally, don't worry too much about your financial independence while in school. University was some of the best years of my life and while I was frugal, I didn't stop myself from enjoying things, I simply found cheaper ways to do a lot of things (e.g., pre-drink the bar, buy food in bulk). I'd make sure you have fun and enjoy it while you're there. This is one of the times where I'd suggest remembering that you actually do have the rest of your life to work (or in this case... working life... of only a few years).