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Writer's pictureCaleb Kaltenbach

How to Afford College



College is expensive, right? The correct answer is usually, but it can be affordable! Below are some ideas on how to earn a bachelor's degree without breaking the bank!

***This post is primarily written for recent high school graduates, but there's advice in here for everyone!


First steps...
  • Pray and ask God:

    • What He wants you to do

    • If He wants you to attend college

    • Which college He wants you to attend

  • Keep your grades up as much as possible

  • Volunteer at your school, church, local community center, etc.

  • Go to college fairs and get to know what schools are out there

  • Utilize available resources from your high school

    • Guidance counselors and/or student services departments in your high school usually give advice, hold seminars, have webpages, etc., that will help you.

  • Set up meetings to talk to admissions counselors from various schools

  • Determine what you are looking for in a school:

    • Reputation, religious beliefs, location, family heritage (your family members are alumni), financial opportunities, etc.

    • Don't just choose a school for reasons like your friends or "significant other" will be attending that school


Be intentional with your personal finances

  • Create a budget

    • Budget every month

    • Review the budget every week

  • Open a savings and checking account

    • Don't open a credit card

  • Review your accounts on a daily basis

  • Tithe

    • God blesses those who trust Him

  • Save money before you start attending college


Free up as much money as possible

  • Sell stuff that you don't use anymore

  • Be intentional with textbooks

    • Rent your textbooks or buy used textbooks

    • Borrow textbooks from friends (and share them with friends)

    • Checkout required books from off-campus libraries or from online libraries

    • Sell any textbooks you don’t need or use anymore

    • Some textbooks are FREE on platforms like OpenStax, OERCommons, Open Textbook Library, etc.

    • Students can get some textbooks for up to 90% off through platforms like Book Outlet.

  • Student ID = student discounts

    • You can get discounts on laptops, movie tickets, cell phone plans, insurance, hotels, student checking accounts, streaming services, mental health services, US public transportation systems, etc.

    • You can get discounts from companies like Apple, Microsoft, Best Buy, Amazon, Amtrak, Adidas, Nike, J. Crew, Journeys, Pottery Barn, Samsung, HP, Book Outlet, Greyhound, Costco, FedEx, YouTube, Regal Movie Theatres, Cinemark, AMC Theaters, Zipcar, Goodwill, AT&T, Verizon, Adobe, Squarespace, etc.

  • Plan your meals

    • Use your meal plan

    • Don't eat out or rarely eat out

    • Dollar menus at fast food restaurants

    • Instant Ramen and the Taco Bell Bean Burrito... 'nuff said

    • With your student ID, you can get discounts at Kroger, McDonald's, Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chick-fil-A, Subway, etc.

  • Curb your entertainment

    • Spend more time hanging out on campus with people, using the gym at your school, attending matinee movies, eating during happy hours, etc.

  • Regularly check websites like StudentUniverse for travel and Student Beans that maintain a comprehensive list of student discounts and keep track of the newest discounts available.

  • Sell your car, or don’t park your car on campus (this can save A LOT of money)


Ask people to donate to your college fund

  • Ask your parents or guardians if they have money set aside for your college fund

  • Ask your parents or guardians if they will help pay for your college

  • If appropriate, ask grandparents and/or other family members if they can help pay for your college

  • In lieu of high school graduation, birthday, or Christmas gifts, ask people to donate to your college fund


Lower your housing costs

  • Live at home

  • In some cases, renting a residence in your school's area might convince the school to waive out-of-state tuition

  • Apply to become an RA in your dorm

    • Usually, such positions include free room & board and even a discount on tuition


Apply to several schools 

  • You want to see which schools are more affordable and generous


Consider not attending your NUMBER 1 school choice, as these schools are more expensive

  • You can always transfer to your NUMBER 1 school later on

  • You can earn a graduate degree from your NUMBER 1 school


Think about attending a tuition-free college

  • Examples include University of the People (CA), Alice Lloyd College, Antioch College (OH), Berea College (KY), College of the Ozarks (MO), Moody Bible Institute (IL), Sattler College, The Webb Institute, Curtis Institute of Music, etc.


Attend a community college and then transfer to a 4-year school

  • Obviously, this option saves a lot of money, but may not be the most attractive to some students.


Earn your degree online

  • If you don't care about attending school in person, you can earn your degree online through asynchronous classes, LIVE online courses, independent/directed study, etc.

  • Keep in mind...

    • Your diploma won't say "online" if you earn a degree online

    • Online degrees usually cost much less than tuition for on-campus students

    • Typically, online degrees have more flexibility by allowing students to transfer in a maximum amount of units

  • Check out my posts about affordable online undergrad degrees and affordable online undergrad ministry degrees


Investigate related majors

  • Sometimes, different majors/departments have more scholarship money available than other departments


Engage different study modalities

Many schools offer classes in non-traditional study modalities for less tuition

  • Take summer school courses

  • Take some of your school’s online courses

  • Take independent study/directed study and/or reading courses

  • Take one or more internship courses


Test out of courses

  • Ask if you can "test out of" any courses

  • If you pass, schools will usually deduct the units from the total required units for your degree program

    • Example: testing out of a 3-unit class would reduce a 120-unit degree program to 117 units

  • Use your AP and/or advanced standing credits


Take courses from a community college in your home state

  • These courses are often VERY affordable

  • GE courses are good to take from a community college (e.g., a basic math class is a math class anywhere)

  • You can take online courses from a community college in your home state even if you are out of state


Try negotiating tuition

YES, it can be done and has been done with both public and private schools

  • Know who to contact… and send the letter to more than one person (consider sending a copy of the letter to the President, Provost, President, Chancellor, a board member--if you know the board member, etc.)

  • You can email, but a written or typed letter is more personal

  • Write a humble, well-planned letter

  • If you want, you can ask for a specific amount or a specific percentage

  • Make a strong case

    • Talk about your academic record, service to the community, what other schools have offered you, etc.

  • Tell them how much you want to attend the school

  • If the past 1-3 years have been difficult, be prepared to explain why and how such difficulty has impacted your life

    • Maybe your grades have fallen due to illness, a death in the family, parents losing jobs, etc.

    • Be honest about hardships because school administrators usually have more sympathy for challenging circumstances than you might assume...


What's the worst that can happen? The worst case scenario is the school tells you NO. Keep in mind that if the school refuses your request, they may want to see your academic progress and school involvement before making any decision… so ask again next year. 


Apply for every possible grant and scholarship

  • Fill out your FASFA

  • Continually apply for scholarships

  • Utilize scholarship search engines

  • Look for scholarships based on merit, race, ethnicity, religion, location, financial need, etc.

  • Look for scholarships from service organizations, non-profits, churches, etc.

  • Visit your potential school on a campus tour day (some schools will offer a little scholarship money to students who make such visits)

  • If you want to attend the same college your parents or guardians attended, check to see if that school offers a scholarship for children of alumni

  • Christian universities and Christian colleges often have scholarships for students who are children of pastors, missionaries, Christian school teachers, etc.

  • Keep in continual touch with your school's Financial Aid office so that you are updated as to when new scholarships and grants become available

    • There might be scholarships available in the spring semester that weren't available in the fall semester

    • Focus on doing well in school if you were given a conditional or probationary acceptance due to lower grades... and scholarship money could be a possibility in the spring semester (definitely in your second year of college)

  • Investigate tuition-free college programs in different states


Ask your parents or guardians if their work offers scholarships

  • Many companies offer scholarships for children of employees

    • Examples include Federal employees (FEEA— Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund), State employees, US military, Walmart, American Airlines, CVS, Coca-Cola, Chevron-Phillips, PepsiCo, Home Depot (Orange Scholars), Wells Fargo, Burger King, Milken & Company, Siemens Company, Intel, Meijer, Thermo Fischer Scientific, etc.

  • If your parents or guardians work for a university or college, consider attending that school (for at least some classes)


Work… work... work...

  • Start a unique side hustle

  • Take all kinds of odd or short-term jobs

  • Work on campus during each semester

    • Ask if your school has a work-study program

    • Some schools will offer a tuition reduction or discount for students who become part-time employees of the school

  • Work off campus

  • Get a summer job or a summer internship


Get a job that offers scholarships for employees

  • Companies like Chick-fil-A often offer such scholarship programs


Participate in a service organization

  • Example: AmeriCorps is a national service organization that offers education scholarships and grants for those who do community work with their organization.


Enlist in the US military

  • Obviously, you can earn a lot of money for college with a Post-9/11 GI Bill

  • You can also enlist in the military after graduating from college (and have the option of going to officer boot camp)



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WebAsha Technologies
WebAsha Technologies
5 days ago

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