Ways To Attend College For Free Or Without Paying In 2023/2024
It is no secret to anyone that the cost of college is getting more and more expensive. But did you know that sometimes it can be free? There are a few ways you can lower the cost of college or go to college for free if you need help. We show you several ways to go to college for free, although they require some work and sacrifice.
Best ways to go to college for free in 2023/2024
Is it possible to go to university without paying? Actually yes. Although we have already talked about how to get scholarships that help you pay for your education, there are new alternatives to getting a free college education. Believe it, it is completely true. In this article, we tell you how you can save a lot of money in a university and have free training that allows you to work in many professions.
Apply for university scholarships
College scholarships are the best resource for going to college for free. This is free money that you can only get at this stage of your life.
There are so many annual scholarships for which you surely qualify, that you should not miss this opportunity.
You can find college scholarships based on your academic achievements, athletic performance, hobbies, major in the study, sexual orientation, and even which hand you write with (yes, there are scholarships exclusively for lefties).
Apply for financial aid (FAFSA)
The Free Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program allows you to get help from the government to pay for college. If your family has very little income, it is possible to attend college for free through this program.
To get started, you need to fill out an application with financial details and you will usually need:
- Have a Social Security number (they do not accept an ITIN or Tax ID)
- Your parents’ Social Security number (if you are a dependent student )
- Driver’s license, if applicable
- Alien registration number, if you are not a citizen
- Federal tax data or tax returns ( income tax ). You must include information from your IRS W-2 form for you and your parents
- IRS tax forms 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ
- Tax return abroad (if applicable)
Apply for a free university ( free tuition )
Many people do not know that there are completely free universities that you can attend if you meet certain requirements. Although the number of these colleges is very limited, thanks to initiatives like FreeCollegeNow.org, it is possible to attend college without paying.
More and more the states in the United States offer options for free education. Take this map, for example:
To date, these free universities have their doors open:
- Alice Lloyd College (KY)
- Barclay College (KS)
- Berea College (KY)
- College of the Ozarks (MO)
- Curtis Institute of Music (PA)
- Deep Springs College (CA)
- Louis Christian College (MO) (residents only)
- Webb Institute (NY)
- William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY (NY)
- Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades (PA)
Attend a community college or community college one of the best ways to go to college without paying is to go to community college. This is especially true if you are a college-bound DREAMer or a young immigrant living in the United States.
Yes, these get an unfair reputation, but it’s a pretty smart way to save money on college expenses.
Going to a community college not only allows you to continue living at home with your parents (either rent-free or paying less than living on your own), there are a growing number of options for tuition-free community college.
If you don’t live in an area with free colleges or universities and can prove you have financial aid needs, the federal government will likely cover all or at least a good portion of your college tuition, which typically averages around $3,500 a year.
Families making less than $180,000 can also get up to $2,500 off their tax bill by claiming the American Opportunity Tax Credit.
Going to a community college will save you money in the long run, since introductory college courses are often the most basic. Once you’ve finished your first two years, you can apply for transfer scholarships to four-year schools and continue to go to college for free.
Apply for a government grant
Students from families earning less than $50,000 have a good chance of qualifying for a federal grant of up to $5,815.
This is a good help to go to college for free since you can get the government to pay for your education.
To achieve this, it is necessary to complete a financial aid application (FAFSA) and attend a qualified university.
Work for a company with scholarships and education reimbursement
Many large employers and companies have tuition reimbursement policies, capped at around $5,000 a year.
For example, the CVS pharmacy network offers exclusive scholarships to its employees (they even have a scholarship for Hispanics every year).
The most important thing is to start working with a company related to the career you want to study. For example, an electricity company is unlikely to pay for your communication studies, so keep this in mind when choosing a job.
Many supermarkets and local businesses also have exclusive incentive programs for their employees, so check with your human resources department to see what options are available to you through your employer.
Join the army
If you’re ready to serve your country, there are several paths to free college. The military and all its branches in the United States will pay you a stipend while you study in exchange for the time you serve the country. This does not exclusively mean that you will go to war.
The National Guard and ROTC also offer programs that cover tuition and pay small stipends.
Additionally, many soldiers can get a jump start on their college career by earning academic credit for their military training. The Air Force, for example, has its own accredited community college and awards college credit for much of its training.
Research colleges with work programs
Some universities allow you to attend and get an education in exchange for you working for them. They are known as work colleges, and they allow you to trade work for tuition.
At least two ( Berea and the College of the Ozarks ) provide enough scholarships and job opportunities for students to fully cover their tuition.
While it’s a good alternative to going to college for free, you may have to work extra to finance other expenses.
Try to get full-ride scholarships
While most private scholarships (those awarded by companies or foundations) fund only a portion of typical college costs, full-ride scholarships cover all of your educational expenses and some even pay you a stipend for attending a certain university.
The detail: they are only available to students with the best academic merits.
You’ll have the best chance of winning the smaller local scholarships, but if you’re a good student with strong extracurricular activities, it’s worth trying to get high-value scholarships.
If your family is in dire need or has very little income, you can also take a look at helping strong students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the Posse Foundation and Questbridge, which help winning students get full scholarships to top universities.
Learn online
There are professions in which your experience speaks louder than your diploma. If you just want to learn and don’t mind earning official credits, there are thousands of free online courses available through sites like iTunes U and YouTube.
Also, you can take massive open courses online using:
Many of these courses are the same as what you would get by attending a university. Many of them are recordings of lectures and classes given by university professors.
Free University: Where to go to university without paying a dime
We believe that a college degree should be within everyone’s reach, so we’ve focused on colleges that offer a college degree without paying. Although it has not been easy to find these institutions, we have found some.
Yes, it’s correct. You can go to college for free. These are some of the universities in the United States that allow you to obtain a degree without paying anything:
Udemy
Udemy’s mission is to bring free or low-cost courses that many people can take to gain skills or experience in many areas.
They have many courses in Spanish and English (from autoresponder courses to Excel courses) that will help you increase your knowledge in your favorite area.
They also offer a course completion certificate that you can earn by passing an exam, which you can add to your resume or resume. This site comes highly recommended as its instructors are subject matter experts and fully qualified to train others.
Coursera
Coursera is a site that aims to educate people through free courses or programs. Its courses are taught by professors from various famous universities in America.
Although education is free, you can get a certificate by paying a low price that doesn’t compare to the price of a university.
Coursera’s training courses cover various subjects: from cooking and nutrition to an Android app design course.
The Free University of New York City
This is one of the best free universities in New York. This organization offers a free education in English and its purpose is to help people in need who live in New York get a free college education.
University of the People
The first university in English with the mission of offering a completely free education. Its name translates to “The University of the People.”
This university has one of the best training programs on the Internet and although you need to fill out an application to attend (just like any other university), it is worth it.
If you want to save on education costs and attend a university for free, you should visit this page.
Online College Classes
One of the most recommended ways to attend college for free is by going to college online. Although this form of education is relatively new, it can save you a lot.
Online College Classes is a search engine (in English) for free college courses. You can find courses from universities like Harvard and other famous universities in the United States.
Free courses from Yale University
This page offers free college courses made by Yale University. You can get a wide variety of training courses completely free.
iTunes University
One of the best resources that the Apple company has collected.
In the iTunes program, you have an open door to completely free university courses that allow you to obtain a high-end education from several recognized universities in the United States. You can also download its application for iPad or iPhone.
TED
These conferences are recognized worldwide for their high performance in higher education and we assure you that there is always something to learn. In addition, they are subtitled in Spanish so you do not miss a single detail. You can also subscribe to his YouTube channel.
Free college: Is it possible?
Is it possible to go to college for free? Yes, it is!
Although you will have to make some sacrifices and spend a lot of time applying for college scholarships and financial aid to get there, this can be a perfect way to attend college without paying.
You can also take free college courses, which have helped many people get or further their education on their schedule and thus have an education that opens many doors of opportunity.
With these Internet tools, it is possible to go to university for free
If you have questions about how to go to college for free or if you need more information about these courses, leave us a comment below.
