Getting an education is not cheap these days. Not only have the costs for tuition risen, but you also have to pay for room and meals if you want to live on campus, and text books will set you back another couple hundred dollars. Add that to the costs to get to the school, and for things like school supplies, and you’re suddenly spending more money than you can afford. If you want to get an education, but are looking for a few ways to make it a little more affordable, here are a few things to try.
Go To A Community College
Before jumping right in to a 4-year college, and seeking your Bachelor’s Degree, consider going to a smaller community college in your area first. These schools are much cheaper, and you can work on getting your Associate’s Degree first. Once you have finished this, you can transfer the credits over to a 4-year school, and complete the rest of your education there. This way you are only spending half the amount of time at the more expensive school, and saving yourself some money. Not only that, but you give yourself some more time to figure out what you want to study before committing to a school.
Take Online Classes
Another option is to take classes online. Online classes have the benefit of allowing you to complete them on your own time, and for a fraction of the cost. The downside is that you don’t get the same level of instruction that you would in a classroom, and you may have to figure out a lot of things on your own. You also need to be sure that the credits you get for the online classes will transfer over to whatever school you want to go to next. If you’re not after a degree however, and simply want to learn about a certain subject matter, online classes are a great way to go.
Financial Aid
Many schools will offer their students financial aid in order to make attending more affordable. The amount of aid you receive can depend on things like your income and your grades, and the best way to find out how much you can get is by talking directly to the financial aid department at your school. While you likely won’t be able to attend the school for free, you may be able to save a few hundred dollars on tuition each semester, and every little bit helps.
Scholarships
Besides getting aid from the school, there are other organizations that offer scholarships to make school more affordable. Sometimes you can get a few hundred dollars just for being active in your community, while others will give you a full-ride if you plan on playing sports for that school’s team. Scholarships come from all sorts of organizations – such as churches, charities, companies and schools. For example, scholarships offered by Vector Marketing give their top sales performer money towards school. It’s always a good idea to look at what scholarship programs are available to you, as you never know what you might be eligible for.
Find Cheaper Textbooks
One of the hardest parts about paying for college is getting the textbooks. Loans and financial aid may pay for the tuition, but once the semester starts and you need to buy several textbooks, suddenly you are in trouble. There have been more options recently for getting textbooks cheaper – such as renting them, buying them used, or getting digital versions of the book – but you’ll still be paying a decent amount. The best thing to do is explore all of your options, and do whatever you can to not buy the book new. Also keep in mind any money you might get for selling the book once you are done with it, and factor this into the cost.
See If Your Job Will Help You
Our last recommendation is to see if your current employer has a program for helping employees go back to school. Many companies have a program in which they will reimburse you some of the cost of tuition if you are attending school. Companies like having smart employees, and helping you to further your education is a wise investment for them.
Look Into All Of Your Options
Before you decide that getting an education is just too expensive, look at all of your options. There may be a way for you to go to school, and for less money than you originally thought. Don’t give up the dream of furthering your education – look at the options available to you, and make it happen.