Tuition Costs Aren’t Always Set in Stone
With the growing cost of attendance each year, one way to spend less is through tuition discounts. But most families don’t realize is possible, college aid experts say. In fact, last year the average tuition price among 411 private was discounted by around 49 percent for the 2016-2017 school year, according to a by the National Association of College and University Business Officers.
Here are 10 areas where students and their families may discover a discount or waiver.
1. Attend a tuition-free school.
There are a handful of schools that offer to admitted students, but usually these schools require on-campus work. Students at the in Missouri, for example, must work on campus 15 hours a week in addition to two 40-hour work weeks during semester breaks.
Other tuition-free colleges, such as the and the , require service in the U.S. armed forces after graduation.
2. Get a tuition waiver based on income level.
While families with low income will qualify for federal , some colleges chip in extra cash in the form of tuition waivers. in New Jersey and California’s , to name a couple, both offer free tuition to households who fall below a certain income threshold.
To qualify for the waiver at Stanford, as an example, the student’s parents must have less than $125,000 in both income and assets, according to the .
3. Obtain a discount through a family member’s workplace.
Oftentimes, the spouse, child or grandchild of a university employee will qualify for a tuition discount at some schools. “It’s usually about some organization that is affiliated with some college in some form or another,” says Joseph Orsolini, founder of Chicago-based College Aid Planners.
In some cases, a school will offer discounts to children of federal employees. offers a 25 percent “Federal tuition discount” to out-of-state families with a federal employee.
4. Work at the school.
While is one way to , there are other that can help reduce the cost. Working as an employee at a prospective school before attending there as a student is another way to offset tuition. Some institutions, experts say, may waive or reduce tuition for an an employee who is attending classes.
Working in the public sector in some states may also be enough for a tuition waiver. That’s the case at .
5. Qualify for a hardship tuition waiver.
If a hardship occurs, such as a parent losing his or her job or there’s a death in the family, college experts recommend asking a school about a hardship tuition waiver. But usually colleges have certain criteria for these waivers.
At the , for example, a student must attend full time and be eligible among other criteria to qualify.
6. Apply through a regional exchange program.
can also save money on tuition through . These regional programs, such as the Western Undergraduate Exchange, the Midwest Student Exchange, the New England Regional Student Program and the Academic Common Market in the South, offer qualifying students a tuition break.
“These are programs where colleges and states have agreed to play nice with each other. If you attend one of these schools in another state, it’s up to 150 percent of their in-state rate,” says Orsolini from College Aid Planners. “You get some tremendous value without having to pay the full out-of-state rate.”
7. Check whether the school offers a legacy program.
“I’m a big fan of legacy . Nothing like trading in your college stories for cold, hard cash,” says Orsolini. “I always encourage kids to look at where their parents went.”
The, as an example, offers a legacy discount through its . Legacy students with stellar academic records can receive more than $50,000 over four years if a qualifying family member graduated from KU.
8. Negotiate with the school for a discount.
Not all families pay the full sticker price, experts say. An estimated 78.5 percent of all undergraduates received some form of in 2016-2017 among private colleges, according to a NACUBO study.
“If you don’t ask, you’re not going to get one. So at least ask and try to negotiate with the the colleges,” says Ronald Ramsdell, founder and president of Minneapolis-based College Aid Consulting Services who has advised families for more than 26 years.
9. See if your school offers a discount on summer courses.
Some schools offer reduced tuition prices for attending . , for example, offers 25 percent off for attending a class during the 12-week summer term compared with its tuition prices for the spring and fall semesters.
“It varies from school to school. It could be 20 percent all the way up to 100 percent,” says Ramsdell from College Aid Consulting. “Every year is different for colleges, and it will vary year to year.”
10. Receive a military discount.
In addition to being able to use , some schools will also cut the price of tuition for student veterans. At the , for example, active or reserve members of the U.S. armed forces who are residents can receive up to 50 percent off the in-state rate.
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