How to go to College for Free
Get a scholarship.
A scholarship is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of how to get through college for free. Whether based on your academic merits, your proficiency at a certain sport, or your devotion to public service, a scholarship can almost guarantee you a free ride through a university. These aren’t the only areas where scholarships are available either; there are literally hundreds of different programs out there that award scholarships for a variety of things. Ignoring scholarships that are dependent on race or gender, we will review the ones that anybody has a chance to qualify for.
Writing an essay is one way to start out. There are a ton of scholarships out there that only ask for short original works. They can range from poem, to short story, to full out essay and everything in between. These tend to be a bit low in awarded money and to the number of people they are offered, but can add up as they do not have any restrictions on other scholarships you can apply for.
Enrolling in a private university is another way that some can get started. While this method is obviously not for everyone, people who were already thinking of attending a private university will find there are some very well paying scholarships available only to private school students.
Enter a sweepstakes? Believe it or not there are scholarships out there that only require you to register with their site to be eligible to win. These are typically held in lottery fashion, with winners being chosen at random. Now of course your chances to win these are slimmer and the awarded money is not often a great deal, but free money is free money.
Returning students can cut into a niche part of the scholarship program. Any adult, young or old who already has some college credits vested can apply for a Returning Student Scholarship. While these can be further broken down into age, sex, race etc; most offer a sizable amount of renewable money, anywhere from 5-10k per year.
Sports scholarships are offered for basically every sport our there that competes at a college level. You needn’t be the top player in your state or even in your school to receive them. With a little effort you can find scholarships that cater to the above average player, not just the best ones. These sports scholarships can offer up to 75% of your total 4 year tuition, not a full ride but coupled with a few others you can easily make it work. If you are the best in your state, chances colleges are already beating down your door ready to give you money.
Too poor to buy dinner? Well that could help get you through college as well. Of all the ideas listed above none encompass as many "free money" offers as just being kind of poor does. Whether scholarship or grant there are hundreds of programs designed specifically for a lower income bracket that you can use to help pay your way. Now these are just a few broad general areas that money is awarded for, there are of course dozens of sub categories in each of the main ones I talked about above. To see how easy it was to track down any number of offers, I made a dummy account on a scholarship search website in about 15 minutes, and got back five pages worth of scholarship offers I had qualified for. Just takes a little time and effort on your part.
Get a grant.
The major difference between a grant and a scholarship is that while scholarships are awarded on personal merit and/or need basis, a grant is only given on a need basis. For the most part a grant is supplied by the government and requires you to keep a certain GPA throughout your college career. Aside from the government, grants may also be obtained through some private sources that do not require a set GPA, though few and far between. Similar to scholarships, grants do not need to be paid back, and you may apply for, and receive several at once.
Join the armed services. The main way all armed forces put their recruits through college is using the Active Duty M.G.I.B ( Montgomery G. I. Bill ) or the Reserve M.G.I.B. The Active duty bill allows for up to 37k dollars per enlisted person to use towards their education needs. The reserve bill will only allow for 10k dollars. This program may be used while you are still enlisted or after you have been discharged, though if used while still in service it will only cover your tuition costs, nothing else. Obviously most people opt to use the money after there enlistment ends, as you can use the whole sum of money for the various expenses related to a college education. Now, while that is the main way most people in the armed forces get their college education it is not the only way. All main branches offer 100% Tuition Assistance for college classes taken while on active duty, up to $4,500 per year. The tuition assistance from the various Reserves will differ depending on where you enlist, but is offered by all except the Marine Reserve and the Navy Reserve. The National Guard is separate from the all military branches and the financial help offered there will vary from state to state. The Air Force is the only branch of the service where you can actually get college credits, and a college degree while serving. They do this through a community college program within the Air Force. While not actually offering classes, your credits are gained through training and experience.
Get Tuition Reimbursement. This is another way to get you through college with out having to pay a huge amount out of pocket. Many larger companies such as Blockbuster, Discover Card, and Aflac, offer a 100% tuition reimbursement program. Now the requirements for the reimbursement will differ from company to company so this is something you will want to look into. Some places will ask you to keep a certain GPA throughout, or they will refuse payment. Other companies may only pay for courses that are work-related. The other major difference you can run into is when the tuition is actually paid by the company. Again, some place may pay the entire semester up front, while others will wait until after the semester is over, or in some cases up to one year afterwards. Regardless of when or how you get your tuition money back, this is a great benefit and not offered by many companies. If you’re fortunate to get a job where they offer full tuition reimbursement make sure you stick it out there, at least until you finish your schooling and get a better job.
Co-Ops and Internships exist. are ways that you can get money to pay for college while not actually paying for it. A Co-op for the most part is treated as a real job, you gain credits towards your degree while you work and your salary would be paid by an outside company that has interests in the field of your study. You alternate between class and work on a bi-weekly, monthly, or every 6 months in most cases, and the pay can range from decent to good depending on what you do. Now since you are getting real world experience in your field while still in school, the money you make usually goes right towards your tuition. An Internship on the other hand is more of a part-time thing that you do a few days per week. The hours are usually shorter then in a Co-op, and the pay for the most part is not as good. Internships usually run concurrent with classes so they tend to not be as demanding or structured. Using the same pay model though, most will dictate that a majority of your pay goes right towards tuition. While this alone will not get you through college for free, coupled with a grant or scholarship it can definitely help.
Live, breathe, and eat North Dakota. Along with a few other states ND is in the middle of passing a program that will pay 100% tuition of any qualified individual who attends K-12th grade in state, and attends a ND college. The plan would also allow for 65% paid tuition for anyone who goes 9th-12th in state. While not scheduled to start taking effect until 2008, other states already have programs like this in place. The requirements to receive this full ride will vary from state to state of course, but it is a great program nonetheless, one that all states should think of implementing. If it’s not too late for you or you children and you don’t have plans of moving anytime soon, this may be just what you’re looking for.
Master your Job. As the previous point was geared more towards the younger audience, this is directed towards those who have already completed their 4 year degree and wish to return for more. Just as some companies offer tuition reimbursement some will offer to pay for you to return to school to get your Master’s Degree or PhD. These companies or institutes may seem few and far between as they are usually well established businesses, and are in constant need of employees with a great wealth of knowledge in their related field of expertise. You can expect a fair amount of time invested with a company before they offer to pay for what can be up to eight more years of schooling.
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