7 ways to reduce college costs

College costs are rising, but it doesn’t mean there’s no way to avoid taking out excessive student debt in order to finance your education.

Here are 7 ways to reduce college costs from the Christian Science Monitor.

 1. Attend a zero-tuition college

Believe it or not, there are still a few colleges that charge nothing for students to attend. At many of these schools, students have to work on campus in order to receive free tuition.

Some free colleges include Alice Lloyd College (KY), Barclay College (KS), Berea College (KY), College of the Ozarks (MO), Saint Louis Christian College (MO), Webb Institute (NY), William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY (NY) and Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades (PA).

All of the Armed Forces colleges (the US Military Academy (West Point, NY), US Naval Academy (Annapolis, MD) and US Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point, NY)) also charge no tuition.

2. Choose a college that gives out full- or half- scholarships

There are several small colleges that offer large tuition scholarships for any student qualified enough to be accepted. These students do not have to work in order to attend college for free or half-price.

One such college is Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, where you have to pass an audition in order to be admitted. If you are, you’re awarded a full tuition scholarship. But you’d better be talented: less than 7 percent of applicants make the cut, according to US News and World Report.

For students interested in engineering or architecture, Cooper Union in Greenwich Village is a good choice. They charge for room and board, but every student gets an automatic scholarship that covers half of the $39,600 yearly tuition. (That change begins in the Fall of 2014; prior to that, Cooper Union offered full scholarships.)

Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass. also gives full-time beginning undergraduates grants and scholarships that cover at least half of tuition costs, which currently stand at $43,500 per year.

3. Eat off campus

As of 2011 (the most recent statistics available) the average unlimited student meal plan cost an average of $1600, according to statistics cited by the Money for College Project.

You can save major dough (and quite a few pounds) by going to the grocery store, making your own meals and eating off campus. Not only is the food cheaper, it’s also usually much healthier.

And if your college forces you to be on a meal plan (as many do for on-campus students), choose the lowest meal plan possible and supplement with cheaper off-campus food if necessary.

4. Compare financial aid offers

It’s not tacky to ask for more financial aid if you feel that your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is too high; it’s smart.

If you apply to many colleges, you’ll be in a better bargaining position to compare financial aid offers and ask the college of your choice for more aid if necessary.

Sometimes colleges don’t get the full picture of your finances when you apply for financial aid, and if you’re armed with better offers from comparable colleges, they may be will to adjust their offer to get you to attend.

For more tips, check out our 10 ways to get more financial aid.

5. Choose courses with low textbook costs

Most colleges have certain required courses for all students, as well as those within a specific major. But when choosing electives, students often have the opportunity to be more flexible.

Generally, liberal arts and literature course texts will cost you much less than a textbook for a science-based course.

You may have more books for a literature class than a science one, but you can often find them for free at your library or purchase cheap used copies online. But large science textbooks can cost you hundreds of dollars each and are harder to find used.

If you have a choice and want to save money on textbooks, literature-based courses are the way to go.

6. Find cheap housing

According to CollegeData, the average cost of room and board in 2013–2014 ranged from $9,500 at four-year public schools to $10,830 at private schools.

Taking out about $1,500 off for meal costs, housing comes to about $8,000 (for public schools) and about $9,300 (for private). When you consider on-campus housing only covers about 9 months of the year, the costs seem pretty ridiculous.

If you can, look for affordable off-campus housing to save money on costs. You may even be able to stay there through the summer, which could come in handy if you get a job or take classes during the summer too.

And if your college requires you to live on campus, choose the most affordable option available (such as a lower-cost dorm or rooming with more people). Not only will you save money, you’ll have the opportunity to develop more strong friendships.

 7. Work hard in high school

While it’s certainly not easy to get into a college like Yale or Princeton, students who are qualified enough to be admitted are usually offered generous financial aid packages thanks to their large endowments and ‘no loans’ financial aid policies. The average debt at graduation at Princeton, for example, is less than $6,000–much less than the $29,000 debt load for the average college student.

And the better your grades and transcript, the better your chance of winning scholarships, both from outside organizations and the colleges to which you apply. If you’re a strong student, you also have a better chance of being accepted to multiple colleges, which will give you more options when comparing financial aid offers.

Paying for college isn’t easy, but there are plenty of ways to reduce your costs. To learn how we can help make college more affordable for your family, call us at 1-888-234-3907 for a free consultation or contact us here.