Everyone knows that in today’s society, the first step toward getting a decent job is furthering your education. Like most good things though, attending college can be very expensive and cause a great deal of stress for students and parents alike. Fortunately, there are some fantastic alternatives that not only offer a convenient way to learn, but are also free. That’s right- free! With a price tag like that, you’ll have to come up with some new reasons for not going to school.
For those of you pursuing full-time studies, there are programs out there that offer completely free tuition, as long as you are willing to work. One example is at the
College of the Ozarks , which is located in Point Lookout, MO. Going by the name “Hard Work U,” College of the Ozarks allows full-time students to work rather than pay for their education. This university completely discourages debt and prohibits any drugs or alcohol from its campus. Students work about 15 hours per week in a
work-study program in order to make up a portion of their tuition costs. The remainder is covered though
grants,
scholarships, and the generous donations of supporters. This combination program allows students to graduate without debt, yet still gain a valuable education.
If you are interested in a career in art, engineering or architecture,
The Cooper Union School offers completely free tuition to all students admitted. While students here get to attend for free, it’s no walk in the park. Students at this all-honors university must adhere to an extremely intense curriculum, and competition is high. However, if you are passionate and willing to work hard, the Cooper Union School offers an excellent opportunity to receive a BA or BS degree without the burden of loans or high tuition fees looming overhead.
If you are like me and already have a bachelor’s degree, there are some really cool options for free online courses available to help further the education you’ve already received. Personally, there is no way I could afford to take courses at any Ivy League-caliber school at this point, but I CAN afford to
watch online courses from MIT or
Stanford . Both schools offer a large variety of lectures, notes, and other supplemental resources for anyone willing to download them. This is ideal for someone who’s still determining which courses they may be interested in majoring in, or for those of us who want to enhance our knowledge base on subjects we have already studied. Another cool feature of these courses is that it is often possible to arrange to receive credit for them if you are currently enrolled in college.
With the
options available at tuition-free colleges , and free online courses/study materials, all you need is the desire to learn and a hard-working attitude to be successful in advancing your education at no cost. While it is obvious that in today’s world an education is paramount when it comes to improving one’s career, now you know that it doesn’t have to cost an arm and two legs.