The price of higher education is skyrocketing, making it difficult for the average American family to put themselves through school. Avoiding college loans is the best thing you can do for your financial future once out of school – but it’s becoming almost impossible to go to college without using some form of student loans to help pay for it! Here are 4 often overlooked ways that you can pay for your education (and none of them are loans!)
1. Scholarships. This should be your first and most important search! While it’s easy to find and apply for big scholarships online, you don’t want to overlook your local sources for scholarships. Many companies in your hometown offer scholarships to graduating seniors and while the dollar amounts are smaller than the big nationally offered scholarship programs, they’re much easier to get because there is less competition for them. If you have great grades, look for academic scholarships- but if you’re lacking in high scores, don’t despair. There are many scholarships which have nothing to do with your test scores and report cards.
2. Study faster. Many colleges offer accelerated degree programs which allow you to complete your four year degree in half the time and at half the price. The classes are intense, but if you can keep up with the pace you can save a lot of money. Even if the college you want to attend doesn’t offer a specific accelerated program, just adding one or two extra courses onto your schedule each semester will help you graduate a year or more earlier than planned.
3. Transfer credits. Don’t forget the possibility of attending a local community college for two years at low prices and transferring your credits to the college you want to finish out your degree program in. You can also take classes through colleges online before or even at the same time as taking classes on campus – online courses are often less expensive but will give you the same number of credits and transfer into your college as a course you need to complete your degree program.
4. Tuition Free schools. Most people don’t know that tuition free colleges exist, but they do! The only catch is you are expected to work for 10-15 hours per week to help pay for your education. Most of the time, the job you have will even be related to your degree of study – so it will only help you when you graduate and begin looking for employment! Do a search for tuition free colleges and see what they have to offer. Some include: The Cooper Union in NYC, Webb Institute in NY, Berea College in Ky, College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO, and Alice Lloyd College in Ky.