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5 Ways to Go to College for Free
We all know that the cost of college is high, with the average private college costing over $40,000 per year. However, before you start worrying about the cost of college and potential student loan debt, you should know that there are ways to go to college for free.
Keep on reading to learn more about how to go to college for free (or at the least save some serious money!).
The top ways that students can to go college for free are:
Keep on reading to learn more about how you can get your degree free!
Scholarships
Scholarships are a way to pay for college that most students are familiar with. If you win a scholarship, you are essentially earning free money for educational expenses. On the high end, scholarships can be worth tens of thousands of dollars and even offer full rides to students. Full ride and full tuition scholarships are some of the most straight forward ways to receive a free education. These full ride scholarships can include scholarships from individual colleges, as well as scholarship programs like Questbridge and Posse.
The biggest downside to full ride scholarships is that they are among the most competitive scholarships. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try, but we don’t recommend counting on them.
Bottom line: There are different types of scholarships for every type of student. Full ride scholarships can make college free, but you shouldn’t ignore smaller awards that can really add up!
Need-based Grants
Need-based grants are another great source of free money for students. These grants can include awards like the Pell Grant, Federal SEOG Grant, and institutional awards from the colleges themselves.
Colleges will calculate need-based grants based on your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or the amount of money that they think your family can afford to spend on college. This means that if your EFC is $0, the college does not expect your family to contribute anything toward your college education. This can result in a very high need-based financial aid package.
Remember, though, that your need-based financial aid may not be 100% grants and could include student loans, like Federal Direct Student Loans, and federal work study.
Bottom line: To be considered for need-based financial aid, students will have to submit the FAFSA. Additionally, some colleges may require the CSS Profile. Need-based financial aid is an important way to pay for college and can be used in conjunction with merit scholarships.
Tuition-free colleges
Tuition-free colleges are a unique type of higher educational institution that do not require students to pay tuition, but instead require students to work at the college or serve afterwards. Note that many of these colleges will still require students to pay for housing and other living expenses.
Work colleges
Work colleges are a very specific type of tuition-free college. One of the most well-known tuition-free colleges is Berea College in Kentucky. All students admitted to Berea receive the “No-Tuition Promise” which covers up to $176,000 in tuition dollars over four years. Other work colleges include College of the Ozarks and Deep Spring College.
Service Academies
Other tuition-free colleges include all of the United States service academies including the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Ports. All of these service academies are tuition, room, and board-free, but require graduates to serve in their respective branch of the United States armed forces.
Tuition remission
Tuition remission is an educational benefit that is offered to employees of colleges and universities as well as their families. The specifics of tuition remission will vary from college-to-college, but generally they will provide free tuition for the employee, their spouse, and/or their dependent children.
This can be a huge perk if you are the child or spouse of someone who is employed by a college or university.
Tuition remission exchanges
Additionally, some colleges and universities may be part of tuition remission exchanges. This means that the colleges in the exchange agree to offer tuition remission to the employees of other colleges in the exchange (as well as their spouses and dependent children, if applicable).
Let’s use a real example: the Great Lakes Colleges Association Tuition Remission Exchange Program is an association that includes sixteen colleges, including Grinnell College in Iowa and Willamette College in Oregon. Let’s say your parent was an employee at Willamette, but you wanted to attend Grinnell. You would get free tuition if Grinnell accepts you through the tuition exchange program.
Bottom line: Tuition remission can be a great deal for students whose parents are employed at a college. Remember though, the tuition exchange will only apply to tuition and the eligibility requirements will be set by the college.
Attend college abroad
Why does study abroad have to happen during the fall semester of junior year? What would happen if a student spent their entire college experience abroad (or most of it)? The answer is that you could save a ton of money and even attend college for $0 in tuition.
In Germany all students, including international students, can attend university for free. Here is a great article from BBC which discusses a few American students who have taken advantage of this opportunity. Iceland and Norway also offer tuition-free college to international students.
Bottom line: If you are adventurous, a degree abroad can be free or very low cost. Remember, you will still be responsible for paying for housing, living expenses, and travel, but it can be a good deal nonetheless.
