Cut College Costs- Part 2

Cut College Costs- 32 Possibilities to Explore

Part 2 of Article

15. If you aren’t going to get much help covering college costs from your parents, you might want to consider going to a community college or a junior college for your first one or two years. If you lived at home your savings would be much greater. Be very careful to make sure that the credits you earn will be transferrable to the school you ultimately wish to attend. Don’t put yourself in a

position to be surprised and find out the credits you took end up being worthless.

16. If your parents can afford to purchase a house in or near the town where you attend college, they can rent out rooms to other students. Often the rent will pay the mortgage and the value of the home will increase during your college years. This strategy has obvious risks when housing prices fluctuate.

17. You might be able to get credits for life experiences and thus validate some classes. Write to the Distance Education and Training Council at 1601 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, or call (202) 234-5100.

18. Some schools charge the same price for a certain amount of credits taken each semester. If you can handle the study load, try to take the maximum number of credits in this case, as it will reduce the amount of time you need to spend at school.

19. Sometimes you can take summer classes at a community college or a junior college, and these could be less expensive than your regular school, especially if you are living at home in the summer. Just make sure the classes you take are transferrable.

20. Check into employment opportunities offered at your school. Most schools have placement offices to help students find part-time employment on campus.

21. If one of your parents is employed at a college or university you may be in luck. Many institutions allow children of employees to attend the school at greatly reduced tuition, sometimes even at no cost. These types of programs are not need based so they are open to everyone who qualifies.

22. Look for work as an RA (Resident Advisor). Older students can get reduced or even free room and board for supervising younger students. Room and board is a major college expense, so thousands of dollars per year can be saved in this way.

23. If you are open to serving in the military after graduation, look into ROTC scholarships or an appointment to one of the military academies such as West Pt., Annapolis, the Air Force Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, or the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. You need to be looking into these types of scholarships early, even in your junior year of high school. There are lots of tests to be taken, as these appointments are highly sought after and are competitive.

24. Look for a low cost school. Periodically there are lists published of schools that provide good value, that is, they have a good reputation and are lower priced than other schools. Try a search for “high quality affordable college” and start your research there.

25. If you are thinking about attending a school of which one of your parents is an alumnus, you may be able to get a lower tuition.

26. If you have a sibling who attends the same school as you, you might be entitled to lower tuition.

27. If you are enrolled in a school and you can get credit for recruiting another student, you might be entitled to a discount. Check into whether your school offers such benefits.

28. Find out if your school offers tuition discounts to student government participants or to people who work of school newspapers and yearbooks.

29. Some schools offer tuition discounts to older students.

30. Some colleges will convert non-federal loans into non-federal grants to students who stay in school and graduate.

31. Some schools will offer lower tuition if the main income earner in a student’s family is unemployed.

32. Some schools have special funds for families who do not qualify for state or federal funding.

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