College is expensive, right? The correct answer is usually, but it can be affordable! Below are some ideas on how to earn a bachelor's degree without breaking the bank!
***This post is primarily written for recent high school graduates, but there's advice in here for everyone!
First steps...
Pray and ask God:
What He wants you to do
If He wants you to attend college
Which college He wants you to attend
Keep your grades up as much as possible
Volunteer at your school, church, local community center, etc.
Go to college fairs and get to know what schools are out there
Utilize available resources from your high school
Guidance counselors and/or student services departments in your high school usually give advice, hold seminars, have webpages, etc., that will help you.
Set up meetings to talk to admissions counselors from various schools
Determine what you are looking for in a school:
Reputation, religious beliefs, location, family heritage (your family members are alumni), financial opportunities, etc.
Don't just choose a school for reasons like your friends or "significant other" will be attending that school
Be intentional with your personal finances
Create a budget
Budget every month
Review the budget every week
Open a savings and checking account
Don't open a credit card
Review your accounts on a daily basis
Tithe
God blesses those who trust Him
Save money before you start attending college
Free up as much money as possible
Sell stuff that you don't use anymore
Be intentional with textbooks
Rent your textbooks or buy used textbooks
Borrow textbooks from friends (and share them with friends)
Checkout required books from off-campus libraries or from online libraries
Sell any textbooks you don’t need or use anymore
Some textbooks are FREE on platforms like OpenStax, OERCommons, Open Textbook Library, etc.
Students can get some textbooks for up to 90% off through platforms like Book Outlet.
Student ID = student discounts
You can get discounts on laptops, movie tickets, cell phone plans, insurance, hotels, student checking accounts, streaming services, mental health services, US public transportation systems, etc.
You can get discounts from companies like Apple, Microsoft, Best Buy, Amazon, Amtrak, Adidas, Nike, J. Crew, Journeys, Pottery Barn, Samsung, HP, Book Outlet, Greyhound, Costco, FedEx, YouTube, Regal Movie Theatres, Cinemark, AMC Theaters, Zipcar, Goodwill, AT&T, Verizon, Adobe, Squarespace, etc.
Plan your meals
Use your meal plan
Don't eat out or rarely eat out
Dollar menus at fast food restaurants
Instant Ramen and the Taco Bell Bean Burrito... 'nuff said
With your student ID, you can get discounts at Kroger, McDonald's, Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Subway, etc.
Curb your entertainment
Spend more time hanging out on campus with people, using the gym at your school, attending matinee movies, eating during happy hours, etc.
Regularly check websites like StudentUniverse for travel and Student Beans that maintain a comprehensive list of student discounts and keep track of the newest discounts available.
Sell your car, or don’t park your car on campus (this can save A LOT of money)
Ask people to donate to your college fund
Ask your parents or guardians if they have money set aside for your college fund
Ask your parents or guardians if they will help pay for your college
If appropriate, ask grandparents and/or other family members if they can help pay for your college
In lieu of high school graduation, birthday, or Christmas gifts, ask people to donate to your college fund
Lower your housing costs
Live at home
In some cases, renting a residence in your school's area might convince the school to waive out-of-state tuition
Apply to become an RA in your dorm
Usually, such positions include free room & board and even a discount on tuition
Apply to several schools
You want to see which schools are more affordable and generous
Consider not attending your NUMBER 1 school choice, as these schools are more expensive
You can always transfer to your NUMBER 1 school later on
You can earn a graduate degree from your NUMBER 1 school
Think about attending a tuition-free college
Examples include University of the People (CA), Alice Lloyd College, Antioch College (OH), Berea College (KY), College of the Ozarks (MO), Moody Bible Institute (IL), Sattler College, The Webb Institute, Curtis Institute of Music, etc.
Attend a community college and then transfer to a 4-year school
Obviously, this option saves a lot of money, but may not be the most attractive to some students.
Earn your degree online
If you don't care about attending school in person, you can earn your degree online through asynchronous classes, LIVE online courses, independent/directed study, etc.
Keep in mind...
Your diploma won't say "online" if you earn a degree online
Online degrees usually cost much less than tuition for on-campus students
Typically, online degrees have more flexibility by allowing students to transfer in a maximum amount of units
Check out my posts about affordable online undergrad degrees and affordable online undergrad ministry degrees
Investigate related majors
Sometimes, different majors/departments have more scholarship money available than other departments
Engage different study modalities
Many schools offer classes in non-traditional study modalities for less tuition
Take summer school courses
Take some of your school’s online courses
Take independent study/directed study and/or reading courses
Take one or more internship courses
Test out of courses
Ask if you can "test out of" any courses
If you pass, schools will usually deduct the units from the total required units for your degree program
Example: testing out of a 3-unit class would reduce a 120-unit degree program to 117 units
Use your AP and/or advanced standing credits
Take courses from a community college in your home state
These courses are often VERY affordable
GE courses are good to take from a community college (e.g., a basic math class is a math class anywhere)
You can take online courses from a community college in your home state even if you are out of state
Try negotiating tuition
YES, it can be done and has been done with both public and private schools
Know who to contact… and send the letter to more than one person (consider sending a copy of the letter to the President, Provost, President, Chancellor, a board member--if you know the board member, etc.)
You can email, but a written or typed letter is more personal
Write a humble, well-planned letter
If you want, you can ask for a specific amount or a specific percentage
Make a strong case
Talk about your academic record, service to the community, what other schools have offered you, etc.
Tell them how much you want to attend the school
If the past 1-3 years have been difficult, be prepared to explain why and how such difficulty has impacted your life
Maybe your grades have fallen due to illness, a death in the family, parents losing jobs, etc.
Be honest about hardships because school administrators usually have more sympathy for challenging circumstances than you might assume...
What's the worst that can happen? The worst case scenario is the school tells you NO. Keep in mind that if the school refuses your request, they may want to see your academic progress and school involvement before making any decision… so ask again next year.
Apply for every possible grant and scholarship
Fill out your FASFA
Continually apply for scholarships
Utilize scholarship search engines
Look for scholarships based on merit, race, ethnicity, religion, location, financial need, etc.
Look for scholarships from service organizations, non-profits, churches, etc.
Visit your potential school on a campus tour day (some schools will offer a little scholarship money to students who make such visits)
If you want to attend the same college your parents or guardians attended, check to see if that school offers a scholarship for children of alumni
Christian universities and Christian colleges often have scholarships for students who are children of pastors, missionaries, Christian school teachers, etc.
Keep in continual touch with your school's Financial Aid office so that you are updated as to when new scholarships and grants become available
There might be scholarships available in the spring semester that weren't available in the fall semester
Focus on doing well in school if you were given a conditional or probationary acceptance due to lower grades... and scholarship money could be a possibility in the spring semester (definitely in your second year of college)
Investigate tuition-free college programs in different states
Ask your parents or guardians if their work offers scholarships
Many companies offer scholarships for children of employees
Examples include Federal employees (FEEA— Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund), State employees, US military, Walmart, American Airlines, CVS, Coca-Cola, Chevron-Phillips, PepsiCo, Home Depot (Orange Scholars), Wells Fargo, Burger King, Milken & Company, Siemens Company, Intel, Meijer, Thermo Fischer Scientific, etc.
If your parents or guardians work for a university or college, consider attending that school (for at least some classes)
Work… work... work...
Start a unique side hustle
Take all kinds of odd or short-term jobs
Work on campus during each semester
Ask if your school has a work-study program
Some schools will offer a tuition reduction or discount for students who become part-time employees of the school
Work off campus
Get a summer job or a summer internship
Get a job that offers scholarships for employees
Companies like Chick-fil-A often offer such scholarship programs
Participate in a service organization
Example: AmeriCorps is a national service organization that offers education scholarships and grants for those who do community work with their organization.
Enlist in the US military
Obviously, you can earn a lot of money for college with a Post-9/11 GI Bill
You can also enlist in the military after graduating from college (and have the option of going to officer boot camp)
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