Gas leaks are sometimes a way of life, as it may take you your whole life to fix them if you don't possess the monetary means to properly fix these noxious gremlins. I have been fighting the good fight with a substantial fuel tank leak for the past 3 months on my vintage 1988 Audi 5000 CS TQ. Might I suggest investing your time in finding religion before taking this one on. I have come across many fixes in my hours of searching and so I will bring them all to your attention. Some may fix your problem with minimal collateral damage (cash) or you may find yourself using ALL of them in unison.
Months back, my original attempt included purchasing a cheap set of wire-brushes, rust-converting coating spray, rubberized undercoating, and brake & parts cleaner. Permatex and Parts Master are awesome and cheap. You will also need a cardboard box, possibly donated by the scads of available empty beer cases laying around your dorm room or frat-house (mat-house for the women). Relax, its not for kindling the fire you'll want to set under your car, but for laying on to gain access to your fuel tank. Start out by getting yourself a cheap breathing mask (think brain cell loss and day-long physical headaches) and goggles. Gas can drip and splash off cement or black-top right into your eyes like it did to me once before going to class; yah i made that class, too. Be sure that the area leaking fuel on the tank is above your current fuel level - check by peeking under there and looking for dripping gasoline or looking at the spot for seepage. If its not low enough, don't bother and go for a drive (safely). Once that is out of the way, proceed to lightly scour the area with your wire-brush to remove any loose rust. If you don't have a hole then you can use this method. Spray the area with enough brake cleaner to wash away fuel residue then wipe down after evaporation with a lint-less rag. Next, spray with even coats of rust treatment spray. Hopefully this will seal it up well. Coat with several layers with adequate dry-time between - 2 minutes usually. Now, leave it for 24 hours (weekend if your gonna be getting trashed). Note that you will want to spray this on any spots beginning to rust on the tank for preventative measures. Use the rubberized undercoating spray to top it off. Do even layers again. Be warned that the undercoating will slop off like butter if it comes in contact with fuel or is within 10 inches of your exhaust piping. I lost this battle for those reasons.
If the leak is a small hole then consider using a screw with a gasket material suitable for gas. Try tapping the hole with an appropriately sized drill bit but be cautious as some drills create sparks within their vented housing towards the tip from electrical conduction. This is also a good way to drain your gas for an ongoing problem.
If you happen to hit something in the road on your way to a car show (haha your in college, theres no rules) and you spring a leak try rubbing the area with a bar of soap. I went to KMart and purchased a three-pack of Ivory soap for a buck and a half-ish. Ivory soap seems to be highly recommended on the net; it supposedly expands in the steel pockets of the tank. Sometimes this works.
JB Weld or a knock-off is another good approach but is the most messy of these fixes. Its also kind of jelly-like so might run a bit on vertical and horizontal fixes. Clean the surfaces well.
Another fix might be to stick some chewed gum - Bubble Yum - to the spot even if it is gushing out. This can prove to be a 5 minute fix if you're on a bumpy road.
My latest attempt included using Oatey Fix-it Stick to patch up several rusted leaks. Make sure you knead it extremely well and apply in a timely fashion to avoid it just drying up and falling off. Apply pressure until it begins to harden to ensure a proper seal. You'll feel the heat on your hand, but don't worry as the autoignition temp of gas is about 475 degrees. It is especially wise to apply on spots that currently don't have gas weeping through them since gas is extremely "sneaky" even if you did apply pressure throughout the cure process. This stuff is about 6 bucks and these products are some alternatives. I recomend this approach as it is the most permanent.
Unfortunately for me, my attempt with the putty didn't hold and seeped through the seems between lays because I was too lazy to drain my tank first. Good luck and learn from my mistakes.
Don't smoke for God's sake during these jobs.
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