Can you earn a college degree without having to pay a lot of money? Many would say that is crazy. Before you turn the page or close your browser, give me a few sentences to introduce what I mean.
Obtaining a college degree is not cheap on any terms. It could cost as much as a house and engulf all your family savings or put you in debt for years. Many feel it is out of reach for most Americans.
So why is it so crazy that one may obtain a college level education without overextending yourself, going into debt or chasing your degree with the conviction you can earn it without spending a fortune? Maybe it is because you need to know the secrets on how to do it, and most are not exposed to the methods soon enough in their career. There is no course on how to enroll in college or how to navigate all the secret passages. This page will provide you a short list of things to consider.
Here are ten methods to reduce the cost and time of earning a college degree you should strongly consider:
1. Take online FREE courses from leading universities like MIT or 200 other world class universities who are committed to Open Courseware.
Study the material and content online. Go through all the coursework for subjects you find interesting. Once you feel you have mastered one or more subjects, find a university that will assess your learning by exam. For example, Pennsylvania State University will assess your knowledge on any subject by exam. Excelsior University has prepared examinations as well. If you pass, the course will be credited as if you took it. Other institutions do this as well. They may charge you an assessment fee, but it won't be at the credit hour rate saving you thousands of dollars.
2. If you work for a corporation that has tuition assistance for employees and possibly their family members, take advantage of them. Even if you only take one course a semester, you can save a ton of money leveraging your employer's interest in helping you obtain your degree. Even if your employer does not offer a tuition plan, approach your supervisor or manager. Discuss how the company can help you pay for your college education, which in turn will help you become a more valuable employee. Many corporations have policies like you must work for at least one year before applying for tuition assistance benefits or you must stay one or two years after taking courses. Some require grades B or better for full reimbursement. These are small risks and sacrifices to cover the cost of tuition and fees. There are over 1,000 companies who sponsor or subsidize employee tuition and fees. Over $10Billion is paid by employers every year to colleges and universities. Take advantage of tuition assistance and payment plans your employer offers.
3. If you are an adult who has been in the workforce for five, ten or more years, it is very likely you have taken corporate training classes and learned on the job. Many jobs teach you computer, processes and management tasks that will relate to college level courses. Some universities and colleges offer special programs to help learners that have years of experience apply for credit through what is called prior experiential learning assessment. This involves preparing a portfolio either on paper or online, assembling the evidence of learning and knowledge gathered from life's events. It may take a month or two, but once you complete the PLA Course and process, you can earn two or more semester worth of college level credits, obviously saving a ton of money in tuition and fees, let alone all the time taking coursework you already know.
4. There are a growing number of corporate universities that are working hard to develop acceptance of their courses with regional and national colleges and universities. Be proactive and take as many courses and training classes as you can with your employer offered programs. Many of these courses and training programs may be credit worthy. Check with your Corporate University or search their program course offerings. Many will note they have ACE credit recommendations developed by faculty and paid for by the corporation or education provider. ACE stands for the
American Council on Education. They represent over a thousand leading public and private universities and colleges in the United States.
5. If you have learned and mastered languages such as Spanish living overseas for example, you can take the CLEP exam for the course that will count at least for elective credit. There are over 40 CLEP examinations that some employers will pay for. Military learners and veterans can get their CLEP examinations paid for through the GI Bill.
Check with the College Board for testing sites near you. Once you take the test, remember to get your transcript and enter your test scores in your Student Passport. Retaining a record will go a long way in claiming credit later on when you try and assemble and apply the credits you have earned to finish your degree.
6. One of the most effective ways to earn a college degree for almost no cost is to attend your local public community college and complete a two-year degree. Most community college costs are subsidized, and are very cheap compared to four-year institutions. In addition, a community college offers exposure to a diversity of people by age and career, enabling the opportunity to meet others who may or may not share your circumstances, but who can share life experiences and paths all the same. If you are considering progressing to a 4-year degree, select and follow
transfer agreements prepared and published by your community college. This is the best way to safeguard getting the maximum amount of credits applied toward your eventual degree requirements. In other words, it is best to avoid the course by course mapping most transfers fall into because the assessment will ultimately be less than if you transferred the associate degree as a block.
9. Bone up on financial aid. There are billions of dollars set aside each year to help students pay for college. There are need based programs, and there are academic targeted programs. Start with some overviews like
College Cash 101 from US News. You can also find free resources on
www.college.gov in your search for options to pay for college.
10. Take
online courses from StraighterLine. These courses are self paced, include tutoring and assistance and will save thousands compared to the cost and time of attending a traditional college or university. StraighterLine courses have been reviewed by the ACE credit review process and approved for college credit recommendations similar to other forms of training and online learning.