Starting college this fall? These colleges may give financial aid

Higher education may improve your chances of getting employed and landing a stable career. However, financing college education does not come cheap, but the good news is some colleges may give financial aid to students. 

As the school year comes to an end, many students will be starting college this fall, I did a little research about which colleges may give financial aid to students. 

There is the student loan option, but that can leave you with a significant amount of debt, you will be paying it back from your salary for the next 5 – 7 years.

In this post, we will examine some of the ways that can help you pay for college without going broke or ending up with high student debt loans.

Research Your Education Options

• The first thing you should do before applying for a college is to research all the options you have. While it may be tempting to go for the most recognized college, you should also consider the fees you will be paying during and after the degree.

• An important consideration is whether you will be staying in your own home or moving to a different state. Going to study at a new location is usually much more expensive than getting an education while staying at home. 

• Search for colleges and schools in your own area to keep your accommodation costs as low as possible.

What is the best website for to apply for scholarships?

Scholly – Scholarship Search Tool

Fastweb – Find scholarships for college

Scholarship America – They have some great resources.

Cappex Has great resources as well.

Public Schools vs. Private Institutions

• Private education institutes are generally more expensive than publicly funded college and universities. If possible, consider going to community college for the first couple of years of your degree program.

• You usually study a general course during this time and you can transfer credits to your preferred institution in the last year.
• If cost is a significant factor, you may want to avoid Ivy League schools. Some of them are the most expensive education centers in the world.

Which schools offer best financial aid?

Alice Lloyd College

• Graduate debt free from Alice Lloyd College is a private liberal arts school located in Kentucky.  With small number of students every year. Which gives a good teacher-student ratio.

• The school is known for giving completely free tuition to central Appalachia counties. Students are expected to cover a few costs like books, fees etc.

• As school’s policy, students are expected to work jobs a minimum of 10 hours a week on or off campus. Check their website for more information.

Harvard University

Harvard University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world with a pristine reputation. However, studying there comes with a hefty price tag. Harvard offers financial aid to individuals coming from families with an annual income of $65,000. 

They also cover additional charges like room fees, board etc. According to their website 55% of undergraduate students receive need-based Harvard scholarships.

Webb Institute

Webb Institute, located in New York, caters to students studying naval architecture and marine engineering. At Webb, the curriculum is based on a systems approach to engineering with such quality and depth.

All U.S. citizens and permanent residents admitted to Webb receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship. Educational expenses are limited to room and board, books, software, and the laptop we require students to buy upon arrival.

The Webb also offers need-based aid to help cover additional costs of attending. All students in need of financial assistance must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Apply here. The Webb Institute Federal Code: 002900

What employers offer tuition assistance?

Some employers only reimburse your fees after proof of completion of the course with good grades. The course may also be directly related to your current job. 

You may also be required to stay with the same employer a certain period of time after completing your studies.

Walmart

• Walmart  announced in May 2018 that it will subsidize college education to its employees in some universities within the United States both on campus and online.  

Full-time and part time workers will be able to attend University of Florida, Brandman University in Irvine, California; and Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Wells Fargo

• Wells Fargo offers various scholarships to the children of their employees. They also offer  annual reimbursements of up to $ 5,000 for their employees. 

Starbucks

• Through the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, they pay for a bachelor’s degree at Arizona State University. Employees are required to work 20 hours a week.  

• There is no requirement to stay with the company after graduation. Although Starbucks would like their employees to stay with them. 

Fidelity

• At fidelity, they reimburse 90% of a some costs up to $10k a year for employees that have worked with the company for more than 6 months. 

• Your degree must be related to the current job, eligibility is subject to manager approval. Course work must done at an accredited university/college.

Verizon

Verizon offers its employees up to $8000 in reimbursements annually.  Their scholarship is available at Carroll Community College to full-time entering students majoring in computer graphics or computer information systems residing in Carroll County.

Consider Your Post Graduation Employ-ability

Since the 2008 recession, the economy has been in a crunch and the job market hasn’t been very good. Although the situation has recovered somewhat in the last five years, wages haven’t really increased and there is stiff competition for the few jobs that do open up in the market.

When you are looking to enroll for a degree, carefully consider what kind of job you will be able to get after finishing the degree. 

Consider the chances of you actually getting the degree and the income you can generate after getting it.

For example, if you enroll for a business degree or engineering course, your chances of employ-ability will be higher than a degree in social sciences and arts.

This is not to say that art degree holders don’t make a reasonable income, as many social sciences majors do get employed at private firms with good salaries.

However, the overall employ-ability is higher for more technical, business and law students. If college tuition fee is a major concern for you and your family, stick to a degree that offers higher employ-ability.

You can also read:

During School Hour Jobs for Stay at Home Moms

Supplement your income with these side job ideas

How to apply for scholarships

• When you are applying for a school, look at the different scholarship programs offered by your institution. You should make use of these programs as well as financial aid.

• If you can get a full or part-time college scholarship, it could save you a significant amount of money.

• You can also secure a scholarship from sources other than your educational institution. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor offers free scholarship programs for deserving candidates every year.

• Your State may also offer grants or scholarships that you may qualify for, so make sure that you speak to the State’s Grants Agency.

How can you save money while studying?

• Many students tend to get carried away while socializing with their friends in college. While the college lifestyle can be fun, it can also be a burden on your wallet.

• The best thing you can do to keep expenses down is actively managing your finances.

• You can create a budget for this purpose, either on a notebook or an app on your mobile.

• The budget will let you know how much money you have coming in and going out each week.

• It will help you avoid expensive shopping and eating out when you see that you are low on money. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go out with friends once or twice every month.

• Overdoing this can put a dent in your budget and keeping track of your finances is how you will get a grip on expenses.

• If you have to move far from home for studies, you can save costs by avoiding the dorm. A room in the dormitory is significantly more expensive than renting an apartment and sharing it with friends. 

Try to find an apartment that is suitable for your needs and doesn’t cost a lot in rents. It is not a bad idea to live frugally.

• Remember that rent will be one of your major expenses during studies, apart from the fee. The lower you can keep it, the better it will be for your future.

• Travel fare cost is another major expense that can eat into your finances. You can keep commuting expenses down by riding a bicycle to college or taking public transport to the college. 

• Many cities offer discounted public transport prices for students, so you should look into it.

• Lastly, books are one of the major expenses that you are going to incur while studying. Books can cost thousands of dollars during a four-year study course. 

• However, you can save this cost if you buy used textbooks that can be found in your school’s bookstore or old bookshops. 

• You can also work with your classmates to buy a single book that you can all share. Another option is to rely on books in your library that you can photocopy for personal study.

What are the best jobs for college students?

• Find jobs to pay for college. Granted many jobs that you will find won’t pay very well but they will help you meet part of your expenses.

• For starters, try to get any job that is close to home and pays enough money for you to take care of some of your expenses. There are plenty of part-time jobs that students can take on for meeting their expenses without affecting their studies.

• You should also be on the lookout for summer internships in your chosen field. The downside to internships is that they don’t pay a lot of money. 

• The upside is that you would be getting valuable practical experience to improve your employ-ability after finishing school. The sooner you get hired after graduation, the sooner you can repay your debts.

List of jobs for college students

• You can take up different kinds of jobs including salesperson, retail clerk, delivery person, restaurant worker, and even take on a job as a teaching assistant. 

• The ideal job would be something related to the field you are hoping to get into.  However, this does not mean that you should avoid getting a job just because you cannot find work related to your choice. 

Some of the jobs that you can do while studying include the following;

Receptionist

This is usually a part-time job in which you have to attend to walk-in customers for professional firms. It could be at a medical office, legal/accounting firm or even at your college. You need good people skills to succeed here.

Data Entry

This can be anything from simple bookkeeping to accounts management. You need some technical skills for this kind of part-time work, but the pay is relatively good.

Delivery Service

You can pick up an order from one place and deliver it to another location. Pay is quite high for delivery personnel. You need a private means of transport and must know your way around town to do well here.

Tutor

This is another great source of income for students in higher education. They can tutor their classmates, juniors and younger students in school. You need good academic skills to do well here.

Restaurant Staff: This is another part-time job that pays well

Virtual Assistant

As a Virtual Assistant, you will provide services like content writing, graphic design services, book keeping, social media management etc. Your clientele is basically bloggers, home based workers and other small scale businesses. 

Make Sure You Complete Your Degree

Study research shows that up to 40% of students fail to finish their intended courses. Imagine spending all the money to get into a college degree program only to leave it halfway through and wasting the money.

When you don’t complete your degree, any student loan or debt that you have taken becomes much more difficult to pay off. This is why you should be absolutely certain about your intended course before starting the program. 

Make sure that the degree is in a course that you actually enjoy and gives you an advantage in the job market in the future. 

Students who dropout of school find it much more difficult to pay for college fee that they have submitted on loan, without going broke.

Given the rising cost of education and low employ-ability prospects after getting a degree, be smart about your education. Apply for as money scholarships as you can to increase your chances of getting accepted and reduce your tuition fee burden.

Be economical and monitor your expenses. You can find many ways to keep rent, commuting and studying costs low and keep the party lifestyle to a minimum. 

If you can get a decent paying job while studying, it can significantly reduce your expenses and help you pay for college without going broke.