I read routinely on the news that given our current economic turmoil, that many people are returning to school in hopes of increasing their employability while they can’t find a job. While I find this interesting, it’s not a huge surprise. In light of this information, however, I thought I’d share some tips I’ve been picking up along the way. Today, I want to focus on affording tuition.
Tuition is a killer. Seriously. It goes up every year and in many colleges and universities, class offerings are simultaneously decreasing. Add that to the ever-increasing book costs, and it can become a little disheartening. Or maybe that’s just me.
One thing I recommend is to take all your basic courses at a community or junior college. The tuition averages about 1/5 the cost of a university and in many ways, the educational quality is better. Instructors seem to care more, and class sizes are small. This allows you to get personalized attention from your professors, which often results in better grades. Additionally, the tutoring centers are small and usually cost-free. The downside of attending a community college is that some classes don’t transfer. To resolve this potential issue, I consulted with the university I’d planned to transfer to in order to learn what would and would not transfer, then focused on courses that applied to my bachelor’s degree. In the end, you always lose a few credits, but by consulting the university first, you can mitigate the damage that might be done to your degree plan if you don’t consult them first.
Another thing I recently discovered is that there are a few schools in the nation that offer free tuition educations. The catch in most of them is that you have to do a job at the school. That job becomes part of your grade and if your performance slips, you can lose the free tuition. Here’s a link outlining 8 of these programs.
Similarly, there are work-study programs available in most colleges and universities. You do some kind of job at the school in return for reduced tuition plus a paycheck. This is a pretty awesome deal, though people I know who’ve taken advantage of this program have mentioned a few downsides. They say the hours are usually at odd times, often conflicting with the student’s ability to study at reasonable hours. Generally you’re not permitted to do homework while at work (though some have reported supervisors who were lax about maintaining this rule), so you really do need to be disciplined to make it work. Also, the pay is barely above minimum wage, which may be a problem for those living off-campus.
Many states also offer a reciprocity deal with their neighbouring states, offering in-state tuition to people who live “next door,” so to speak. I believe Idaho and Washington have one of these, as well as Arizona with Utah. This is a really useful thing if you want to attend a school in a state that borders the one you currently live in, since out of state tuition is one of the most painful things I’ve set eyes on. If you’re considering a near-by state, check to see if this is a program that’s offered. It has the potential to save thousands of dollars.
Lastly, I highly recommend making an appointment with a financial aid officer at the school you plan to attend. Although filling out the FAFSA can get you a Pell and/or student loans (and please, NEVER go with the privatized ones, if you wind up having to take out loans!), there’s a wealth of financial aid available to students which often goes unclaimed. Some are gender or ethnicity-specific, others are set up for non-traditional students (older people, single parents, etc.), often states have random grants available to people who qualify for a Pell. In addition to that many majors have grants specific to them as well. And as though that weren’t enough, there are always little grants hanging about that no one really knows about without talking to a financial aid officer first (many of which are awarded at the officer’s discretion). If you sit down and explain your situation to them, they may be able to work out a good financial aid program for you, thereby reducing or eliminating your need for loans. And having no loans is ALWAYS a great thing.
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May 19th, 2009 at 2:31 am
This is an excellent article. I think it should help a lot of people who are interested in higher education to save money. My husband went the route of community college first to save money and because they tended to offer classes at night so he could work more while taking classes, though that was before education costs became so outrageous. My husband left school with about $8,000 of debt in 1987. I left with $14,000 in 1986. Even with adjustments, we got off cheap by today’s standards where I frequently hear of people walking away with over $100,000 in debt.
Unfortunately, I’m somewhat skeptical of what more qualifications mightget one in the job market. One thing that tends to happen is that people choose a major based on what is necessary for a job when they enter school, and often it’s not what is necessary by the time they graduate. Things change faster than ever, and I think it’s hard to really know where the wind is blowing, particularly in a global economy.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:32 am
It’s been a long time since I’ve been in college, but I have to echo the sentiment about trying community college to get your GEs and other basics out of the way. I didn’t do it that way - but I often wish I did, even though the cost was not prohibitive for me at the 4 year college I attended at the time (early 90s).
At the time at my school, it was sort of understood that if you got into a 4-year University in your preferred major, you were one “step up” from those who had to transfer after 2 years from a community college. It had status. But I actually saw no difference in the end. If anything, being at a community college and having to go through the trouble of transfering (whether it was doing extra credit activities, or just having to take certain classes that did not transfer) actually made the person a better student and prepared them more for later employment. At least, that was what I saw in my friends who took that route.
Also, I agree with Orchid about the qualifications. A lot of times you don’t end up using the major you went in with. Just ask me how much I use my EE degree! Looking back, I would have switched halfway through to another major.
May 20th, 2009 at 8:35 am
Sometimes I wonder if college is worth it anymore. If you go in for something job related it’s a good idea, but it doesn’t seem that great for other stuff. I only went to community college, but I’ve worked with people who have graduate degrees, and we made the same money. I have a friend who has a philosophy masters, and he’s the only person at his job who has a degree. Meanwhile, he’s living in his parent’s basement until he can pay off his loans, which will take years.
May 21st, 2009 at 10:35 am
My youngest son will be a HS senior next year, so we are right in the throes of him taking multiple ACTs, planning to visit campuses, and figuring out where to apply, so I am collecting information for multiple sources.
Here in central Illinois, there are several schools that offer programs like you mentioned: Parkland JC (in Champaign) and Illinois State University in Bloomington both offer curriculum (curicculae?) with plans that offer total transference of credits to the U of I at the end of two years. The final degree will be from Illinois. Those going to Parkland actually get to take classes on Illinois’ campus, even. Win-win, in my opinion.
Thanks for this!
May 26th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Orchid,
I totally agree w/ you - there are so many people who hold degrees who don’t wind up working in their field. I guess for me, employability is only one of the many things that should be factored into whether or not to go to college. For some fields, there’s no choice (or even more so, no choice about going through grad school); others don’t really require it at all.
Bryan,
I think that status thing still exists, though certainly to a lesser extent. But I agree that a lot of people who go the CC route are in many ways much, much more determined about getting their education than those who went to uni straight-away and without any real consideration of what’s involved in procuring that degree.
Holly,
I’m with you, and I really think it just depends on the degree. Most of the people in my family hold liberal arts degrees, and none of them work in their fields. The people in my family who earned degrees in the sciences needed theirs to do the jobs they wanted, though. But then again, there’re always exceptions - even Bryan doesn’t use his EE one!
Peggasus,
Hopefully this provides some help! It’s super-stressful planning all these things and getting ready for school!