Interest in Tuition Free Colleges Jumps

Economic times are particularly tight in America right now. The terminology used by economists for this sort of upward trend in prices coupled with no increase in wages is "stagflation." Jobs are particularly difficult to find, with record high unemployment ratings reported around the country. In order to find a job, a college degree is nearly a necessity these days. However, with tight financial times, the cost of college is impossible for many families.

Bleak news, to say the least. But now you don't have to be a stellar athlete-or even a stellar student-to go to college tuition free. Some universities have rallied behind the student to provide tuition free colleges and programs to allow students to obtain a degree without having to pay tuition. These tuition free colleges differ from ordinary loan programs in that they don't need to be paid back. In my area, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill started offering a 'free ride' to students whose families earned less than a certain cut off point. In essence, this became the first sort of tuition free college available to many students, because these sorts of programs don't require the student to pay back loans after graduation. According to US News , other universities also offer this sort of tuition free program, including the University of Virginia, Michigan State University, Miami University in Ohio, University of Pennsylvania, and Rice University.

Other programs depend on a student's age. Wesleyan offers tuition free college to students who are older than 60. So do many community colleges for particular programs. This increases the incentive of non-traditional students to return to school.

Some colleges offer students the ability to work in place of tuition, something that graduate students have been using to get tuition free college or tuition reduced college for many, many years. College of the Ozarks is among these colleges that give students work-study programs in the place of tuition, as is Cooper Union.

Many community colleges also offer tuition free college, allowing students to knock out two years of their education before having to pay big bucks at a four year university.

Of course, there are always the tried and true methods. Fastweb.com offers a personalized listing of scholarships. Admissions specialists at both UNC-CH and UNC-Greensboro encourage students to look into scholarships with deadlines between January and May, as many students have already applied to all the scholarships that they will be applying for or have not yet started applying, meaning fewer candidates. Although not precisely a tuition free college, scholarships allow students to go to college tuition free nonetheless. Not all scholarships require a high GPA or athletic ability. In fact, there is one rather famous scholarship that offers money for going to prom wearing duct tape!