How to Make College Cheaper
While universities traditionally have no issue with filling programs, student retention is another story. Of the 15.4 million undergraduate students enrolled in fall 2019, 鈥� and many of those who drop out will need to begin repaying their student loans.
Students cite financial issues as the top factor for leaving college. Without financial aid, tuition fees alone can set in-state students back on average, and this is only part of the costs associated with higher education. Room and board, equipment fees, and textbooks all figure into the overall total.
It鈥檚 no wonder, then, that students want to know how to make higher education more affordable. While tuition fees are unlikely to budge much, students can cut costs through online study, financial aid, transfer credits, and even negotiations with universities.
Online Courses & Flexible Study Cut Costs
UU直播 education is transparently more affordable than traditional education. Attending college classes online means you will not incur additional living expenses or pay to commute to campus. Some college courses also charge steep fees for computers, lab equipment, and other learning materials, so you’ll save on additional on-campus costs.
Online courses also open up flexible learning outcomes. Most students have other commitments to juggle, including jobs, families, and extracurricular activities. You may have a very targeted plan for what you want to learn (such as pursuing specific qualifications instead of a general four-year degree). For these instances, many online courses offer part-time options. Part-time online learning can also potentially allow you to pay less for college 鈥� for example, by allowing you to pay on a per-credit basis for exactly the classes you want.
Online = Less Money, Same Quality of Education
Many schools offer online programs at a discounted price. Out-of-state students at the University of Florida pay nearly twice as much per credit as their online peers. Some schools also offer all online students in-state tuition, regardless of where they live.
Full-time undergraduates will need to complete 120 credits to graduate from the University of Florida, whether on-campus or not. That means online students will save on tuition per credit hour and incur no additional expenses from online study. Students who transfer existing credits will save even more.
Students can also take advantage of non-degree programs to cut both time and the cost of college. You can take courses for credit or audit classes at many institutions, without enrolling as a student or paying full tuition.
The Condensed and Blended Options
If you have the time and energy to focus on your studies intensely, it’s possible to earn a degree in fewer semesters. Many students do this by taking extra classes over the summer months or utilizing competency-based learning, which often charges in blocks of time rather than per credit.
Many online programs are competency-based, meaning that students who demonstrate a level of knowledge in a subject can skip coursework and advance to the final test. Students with prior skills and knowledge can utilize this method to finish their degrees in a much shorter time frame.
Summer classes are often cheaper than those offered during the regular school year. Taking courses over the summer allows students to complete full courses in a shorter amount of time, sometimes for less than half the regular cost. The pandemic has resulted in some universities program can be a useful way to reduce tuition costs. This program allows students to turn work experience and prior knowledge into college credits. After all, if you have professional experience in basic accounting or programming, you could be saving time and money in your MBA or computer science degree by turning that knowledge base into credits.
The same goes for former military members. The