Colleges Your Children Can Attend . . . for Free
By Dr. Kuni Beasley
Printed in Practical Homeschooling #110, 2013.
College doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact some colleges cost nothing at all!
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are several ways you can get through college with little or no cost. The
two basic ways are to go to a college that costs you nothing or find a way to
pay little or no money for the college you wish to attend. Here are some
ideas:
Colleges with FREE Tuition
Alice Lloyd College, Pippa Passes, KY (
www.alc.edu)
Full scholarships are awarded to students in the 108 counties of the Central
Appalachians. Other students are awarded a combination of federal grants and
institutional funding to cover costs. Few students take on loans. Students are
required to work on campus as part of their costs.
Barclay College, Haviland, KS (
www.barclaycollege.edu)
This is a Christian college where full-time students who live on campus
receive full tuition. Students are also eligible for government grants and
loans.
Berea College, Berea, KY (
www.berea.edu)
From their website: “At Berea, we provide students with a remarkable
educational opportunity. We award a 4-year, tuition scholarship to every
admitted student. This scholarship works in conjunction with any other grants
or scholarships students receive to completely cover the cost of tuition.
Additional costs, such as room, board, and fees, may also be covered by the
College, depending upon your financial need. Nearly all of our students
receive additional aid for these costs.”
Students are required to work a minimum of 10 hours a week in campus jobs.
Berea has been ranked as one of the top liberal-arts college in the country.
College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO (
www.cofo.edu)
From their website: “Each student participates in the on-campus work
program for 15 hours per week and two forty-hour work weeks. Earnings from
participation in the work program, plus any federal and/or state aid for which
students qualify, plus a College of the Ozarks Cost of Education Scholarship
combine to meet each student’s full tuition charge.” College of
the Ozarks has been ranked as one of the top liberal-arts college in the
country.
Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA (
www.curtis.edu)
From their website: “Since 1928 Curtis has maintained an all-scholarship
policy. The Curtis Institute of Music provides merit-based full-tuition
scholarships to all undergraduate and graduate, students, regardless of their
financial situation.” Very tough to get into!
Deep Springs College, Big Pine, CA (
www.deepsprings.edu)
This is the only two-year college on this list. From their website:
“Each student attends for two years and receives a full scholarship
valued at over $50,000 per year. Afterwards, most complete their degrees at
the world’s most prestigious four year institutions.”
Macaulay Honors College, City University of New York (CUNY), NYC, NY (
macaulay.cuny.edu)
From their website: “All Macaulay students receive a Full Undergraduate
Tuition Scholarship (excludes fees), a laptop computer, $7500 Opportunities
Fund to pursue global research, study, service, and internships, and Cultural
Passport to NY arts and cultural venues. Many students also receive housing
support.” This free program is limited to New York residents.
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL (
www.moody.edu)
From the Moody website: “While tuition is covered by the combination of
Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants and the Moody
Grant, it is the responsibility of the student to pay for other costs and
fees, such as room and board.” What this means is that after you get the
maximum amount in Federal grants, Moody will cover the rest of the tuition and
you cover your room, board, books, and other expenses.
Webb Institute, Glen Cove, NY (
www.webb.edu)
This is the only college in the country devoted to ship-design engineering.
From their website: “Full-tuition scholarships, covering all four years,
are awarded to all accepted students who are U.S. citizens or Green Card
holders.” Webb is highly selective and students still have to cover
their living expenses.
Something we’re still checking:
Cooper Union, NYC, NY (
cooper.edu)
There are still conflicting stories on whether Copper Union will continue to
be free. Some accounts state that students now will have to pay half of the
annual fee. To quote their website, “The Cooper Union tuition charge for
undergraduate students for 2012-2013 is $19,275 per semester. Each registered
undergraduate student receives a full ?tuition scholarship.” Cooper
Union has schools of Architecture, Art, and Engineering, and is considered
among the best in each of those areas. Located in Manhattan and students still
have to pay for their room, board, and other living expenses.
For a limited time….
Antioch College, Yellow Springs, OH (
antiochcollege.edu)
This is the last year for student to get this opportunity for a full ride at
Antioch. From their website: “The Horace Mann Fellowship: This
scholarship is valued at up to four consecutive years of full-time tuition and
will be awarded to all admitted students entering in the 2013 and 2014
academic years. It is offered to incoming students based on their academic
achievements and community service. An interview is required as part of the
selection process. This is a merit-based award.”
Honorable Mention:
Olin College of Engineering, Needham, MA (
www.olin.edu)
Olin used to provide a full scholarship, but economic factors have forced it
to offer half scholarships—$80,000 over four years. It’s still not
a bad deal.
Work Colleges
The Work College Consortium (www.workcolleges.org) is comprised of colleges that require some form of work from their students. Alice Lloyd, Berea, and College of the Ozarks are members along with the following colleges:
Although these colleges do not offer a full free-tuition package, they work
hard to find funding sources, offer a lot of scholarships, and allow you to
work to pay a significant portion of your college costs.
Service Academies
At these institutions, students receive full tuition, fees, books, uniforms,
room and board, plus a stipend for personal expenses. In addition, all these
academies are highly ranked academically. They provide some of the best
educational experiences in the country.
Items of special note: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Merchant Marine require a
congressional nomination or other sponsoring admission; Coast Guard does not.
All of the military academies (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) require
an active-duty commitment; Merchant Marine does not. In addition, at the
Merchant Marine Academy, you get to spend nine months sailing around the world
for free!
Contact the Academies directly for more information.
- United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO (
www.usafa.af.mil)
- United States Military Academy (Army), West Point, NY (
www.usma.edu)
- United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (
www.usna.edu)
- United States Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT (
uscga.edu)
- United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, NY (
www.usmma.edu)
ROTC Scholarships
Another way to get a free college education is through the Reserve Officers Training Programs (ROTC) offered at many colleges. High-school students can qualify for these competitive scholarships, and these scholarships are “portable,” meaning they can be used at any college with an ROTC program as long as the student is otherwise admitted. Virtually every public college and a large number of private colleges offer ROTC, including many of the top colleges in the country: Harvard, MIT, Berkeley, Stanford, Notre Dame, etc. Many colleges also offer supplemental scholarships to cover room and board, in order to attract ROTC scholarship winners. These include recognized schools like the University of Southern California (USC), Texas Christian University (TCU), and the Citadel. In addition, scholarship cadets receive a monthly stipend of $300–$500 per month.
By the way, I received an Army ROTC Scholarship that paid my way through Texas
Christian University. One of my academy’s 2013 graduates was awarded all
three ROTC scholarships, and will be attending Berkeley this fall via his Air
Force ROTC Scholarship.
