4 Ways to Pay for College without Breaking the Bank
| brokeGIRLrich
The average cost of attending a four-year, out-of-state university has reached a jaw-dropping $32,762 per year, according to College Board. While in-state tuition is substantially lower, a year of tuition and expenses will still set you back approximately $19,000.
With figures like these, it’s no wonder why financial concerns deter so many prospective students from enrolling in higher education. Fortunately, there are several ways to pay for college without entering insurmountable debt. Here are four of them:
1. Take Advanced Placement Courses
One of the best ways to reduce college expenses is to take advanced placement courses. Performing well in these classes can help you attain free college credits prior to entering a university.
When choosing which AP courses to take, give priority to the ones that you think you can pass. It also helps to choose classes that relate to your prospective major.
2. Start Your Education at a Community College
From a financial perspective, it is much wiser to start your journey to a diploma at a community isotretinoinonlinebuy.com college. The tuition cost at these institutions is much lower than that of state colleges and private universities, but the credits can transfer to more prestigious schools.
Finding the right community college is relatively easy thanks to the Internet. First, it is important that you create a detailed plan of action that ends with you graduating from your university of choice. Then, use the Web to find a community college that offers transferable credits in your target major. For example, if you want a career in law enforcement, you can look on GMercyU.
3. Cook Your Own Food
The benefits of cooking your own food continue well after you graduate. U.S. News & World Report reminds readers that preparing their own meals can reduce unnecessary food costs. And while many people are intimated by the idea of cooking, there are now thousands of websites that provide simple recipes that are nutritious, delicious and budget friendly.
4. Meet with Your Advisor Regularly
One final strategy that you should consider is meeting with your academic advisor regularly. Advisors can help you construct a class schedule that allows you to graduate early.
Many colleges allow students to take an unlimited number of credit hours, though they only charge for 15. If you have the time to handle the course load, then ask your advisor if taking extra classes would be a smart idea.
Ultimately, your finances should not be the only factor that prevents you from pursuing higher education. There are a number of proven strategies to reduce the cost of tuition and nonessential expenses.
Taking advanced placement courses, starting with a community college, making your own food and meeting with your advisor can all lower your college expenses. By implementing some or all of these techniques, you’ll be in a position to pay off student loans and start building wealth much quicker than other graduates.
All four of these are fantastic! I talk to my 8th graders about AP courses all the time. I know it’s a bit early, but helping them think long term is key (since they’re pretty much programmed NOT to do that). If there’s a way to shave costs, I think teens and their families should start preparing for it well in advance. The savings can be considerable.
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Absolutely! I started college with an entire semester already under my belt from taking AP classes my junior and senior year of high school. The $100 AP test fee was certainly less than tuition AND the school supplied the textbooks.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…4 Ways to Pay for College without Breaking the Bank
The only thing I have to add to this, is to choose volunteerism over sports (unless you will attend college on a sports scholarship). Private liberal arts schools love to award hefty scholarships to people who have a commitment to the community.
I joined the military, which is a little extreme, haha. But another tip would be to take CLEP tests to test out of college classes.
I’d also add to look for privately funded or departmental scholarships. A lot of people don’t know these exist, and so there is little competition (comparatively). I was able to get independent scholarships almost every semester I was in college, and they helped a lot!
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Great ideas! Starting your courses at a community college is a huge one. What makes this one interesting is how effective it is (cost and educationally) but also how taboo it is. I think people have this belief that if you go to a community college then you must be dumb…or poor…or both!!!! “I can’t do that, better go to this private school – its an investment.” 🙂
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I agree, there is definitely a really stupid stigma attached to community college. I actually took a few classes at our local one my freshman year of college and loved being able to get ahead while I was home during a winter or spring break.
Another one is go to a public/state college versus a private school. One has to weight the benefits and even if you can come out with a slightly better job or alumni network, will that increase pay-off with the interest and time it takes to pay a student loan. Evaluate your major to the cost of the school. Don’t go to a top private university and drop $200k in debt for an undergrad in Psychology. Great major but pay is so low without a Graduate degree that it will take your whole life to pay back.
1) Start at a community college and speak with the future university you want to go to. Find out which classes will transfer and which one’s won’t. I know many friends who went for 2 years and only got 1 to 1.5 years worth of credits transfered.
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You should definitely have a plan for where you want to go in the long run if you’re attending community college for two years. It’s the only way to really maximize the credits for the classes you take.
I know that universities, especially private ones, can be very expensive. I currently have a friend who is going to a privately owned university. It’s hard for him to come up with the money to pay for tuition. I really like your tip to cook your own food. I’m going to tell my friend to do that. He eats out way too much as well.
I joined the military, which is a little extreme, haha. But another tip would be to take CLEP tests to test out of college classes.
I’m all about the extreme ways!
And thanks for your service!
Thanks for the tips on how to save money when planning for college. I think that taking advanced placement tests is a good way to skip the classes that you already know everything in. I plan on getting a degree in computer science, and I already know a lot about it. I bet I would be able to skip a lot of the introductory courses that are required. Hopefully this will save a little bit of time and money on my education.
Excellent Blog! As an AP teacher, Many parents comes to me with lots of confusing questions, asking about cost saving while their children’s education. Now this blog will be helpful for me to give all the details so that they can have cost reduction while educating their child. Thanks for sharing!
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