Paying $0 for College and Graduating Debt Free

Alberto Rovanski May 12, 2023

0 1,082 14 minutes read

Paying $0 for College and Graduating Debt Free – Today, we are going to discuss some facts or secrets which will be helpful for college students who are not able to pay their college fees. Even we all know that education is most important for everyone. Without education one is useless and they did not achieve things in their life.

But we also know that in today’s time education is too much expensive, one cannot easily get the education, because the colleges have the high fees for a single course even it is of one or two-year degree program or four-year degree program. The cost of the course is too much and if a student belongs to a low-income or moderate-income family then for them it is almost impossible to pursue the course and achieve their dreams. But they do not need to worry about this, they can look for the scholarships that they get from the colleges, state and federal government, and other sources.

In this article today, we are going to discuss the topmost secrets that help you to pay $0 for your college and you can graduate your college debt-free.

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The Secret to Paying $0 for College and Graduating Debt Free

We know that it sounds crazy to pay the college fee of $0, where the average total cost of a four-year degree program has a total cost of $122,000.

But if you are read about my experience paying $0 for college and also the stories of countless others who also pay $0 for college fees, then you can be understood and feel that it is in reach to pay within $0. Truly, my experience of paying $0 inspired me to make something from where others can also get help and that’s why I create buchananreform from where lots of students can get help to pay $0.

There is no doubt that scholarships are an important piece of the $0 college puzzle. But this is not only one puzzle here. Here you see that with a bit of hard work and planning, you can pay $0 for college, or at very least $0, and you can graduate with $0 in debt.

You have to take for one goal in your mind that if you don’t want to pay for the college fees or are unable to pay it. Here we recommended you some of the top secrets that will help you to pay your college fees and also help you to handle your other educational expenses. These are:

Compare financial aid packages from public and private colleges
Take advantage of community colleges and in-state free tuition Promise Programs
Apply for as many scholarships as you can
Submit the FAFSA early every year
Cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit
Work part-time for a company that offers tuition reimbursement
Develop a budget you can stick to

If you want to know why these points or secrets are shares with you and how they are helpful for you then continue to read and get a solution.

Financial Assistance packages from public and private colleges

We all know that study is much important for everyone. It is the key to success and when we are graduated or have knowledge about something we can do anything, and that’s why in every area study plays a vital role. But many times we see that students who are ambitious for their dreams did not get the platform to get the knowledge. That means on one side education is important for everyone and on another side, education is too much costly.

If a student wants to continue their study and for that, they are taking admission in college then it is very hard for them to pay the fees of the course. For low-income students, it is almost impossible to study in private colleges or universities, because of their high fees and that’s why they are compelled to take debt for giving their college fees.

But if you want to study and do something in your life, then you can choose the path of Public Colleges. Public colleges have fewer fees than Private colleges. There is a big difference in the fees of both the colleges. So, you do not need to take debt for paying the college fees and you can study peacefully in public colleges and graduate debt-free.

Public vs. Private colleges

Let us compare the average cost of tuition, fees, room, and board for the academic year:

Private college: $49,870

Public College: $21,950

Hence, we all know that private colleges have a higher price tag on average, but also they provide different scholarships and grants which will be helpful for you. They offer grants and scholarships as a generous financial aid package and with this, you will get a big relax to pay the chunk of costs. It will cover a large part of the total cost, and you get a concession. So, you can continue your study with private colleges.

Let us take an example and know about the public, private and non-profit public/private colleges.

According to the report of the National Center for Education Statistics, the public colleges also give grants to the students. In an academic year, an average of 50% of students at the public college gets an institutional grant with an average grant of $6,200 per year.

Even, we find that non-profit private colleges also give many grants and scholarships to the students. We find that an average of 83% of students gets institutional grants with the average grant being $21,300 per year. Not only this but they cannot include any other form of financial aid such as federal scholarship, grant, and work-study. And it is a big achievement for the students who are unable to pay the fees and other expenses for the college and they get the relaxation in the form of an institutional grant from the college and they did not need to take any debt for their education.

Let us start to see what we mean about private colleges being able to offer more financial aid?

Of course, this is true, but only in the condition if you are qualified for financial aid. And according to Princeton Review, it is found that 85% of students receive some form of financial aid for their study or college fees.

Yes, even it is also possible that you students will get some good financial aid package from the public college as well. These financial aid packages help them to cut down on their total costs, and it will possible if you are eligible for the in-state tuition. So, if you found yourself eligible for this then you will get financial aid package in a public college.

But it does not mean that private colleges are not good and they have high fees. We did not make the mistake of disqualifying the private colleges from the good colleges, as it shows that they have the high fees tag at the first glance. So, you can apply to both private and public colleges.

It is your choice in which you want to take admission, but in whichever college you take admission first compare the financial aid offers to find the best one for you. Even you can contact both colleges and check in detail from where you will get the best offer and make sense to you.

Free tuition Promise Programs community colleges and in-state

There is another route on that you can walk and think about using it if you don’t want to pay high fees for your college. You can consider getting your starting cost for college as close to $0. But for this, you have to attend the community college for the first two years.

It depends on your study plans, you can earn your four-year degree in your field or credits that can be transferrable to a four-year college degree. Even you could potentially knock out all of your prerequisites classes at a fraction of the cost.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the Academic Year, it is found that the students who are pursuing two-year degree programs their per year average cost at the community college are $3,700. This is the cost that makes it way cheaper than two years at private or public colleges. And students can attend their degree program with ease with this cheaper amount for their two years.

We see that some states are also providing Promise Programs. This program is a statewide program, that helps the students who are residents of the state. They offer free tuition for the first time, full-time college students, and attend the community college. So, in your state, you can look for those programs and get benefits from the program, but it is possible in the condition if you attend the community college.

Till now, these states have tuition-free Promise Programs for the students who attend the community college, even not every community college is eligible. So students make sure which community colleges are eligible for that they will get the benefit of this promising program. Here are the name of some states are given which provide the Promise Program to the students. These are:

So, now you see the list of the states who provide the tuition-free promise program to their resident students. If you are a resident of any above-mentioned state and looking for saving money in reality, then you want to know more about those programs. And you can also check for their programs and information about the program.

Apply for scholarships

When you are unable to pay your college fees but you want to continue your study then you can look for scholarships which will be helpful for you to reduce your course fee and you can continue your study.

While you are getting the best financial aid package from your college, the very first important step is to make sure that your college is reduced or the costs for college are very low. It may be possible that it does not let you go down to $0.

But securing the outside scholarship is just a trick. There are some full-ride scholarships are present which help you to cover other expenses such as the total cost of tuition, room, and board, fees, and as well as the cost of books. So you have to look for those types of scholarships which are helpful for you in different ways and make sure burden free from the education cost.

There is only one problem, that if you like a lot of students then there are chances that you will lose the scholarship opportunity. Even here are some reasons given below which answers why?

Well, there are different reasons, but these all seem to be most common which are asked and these are:

You have no idea where to find a scholarship.
You have mistakenly thought that you did not get or are eligible or don’t have a good chance to get the scholarship. This is because you are not a science nerd, A+ student, star athlete, etc.
You are applying for the scholarship, but you don’t know how to collect all the information and put together an application to get the scholarship.

If it sounds similar, then you are in luck!

Because at our place you will get all the information on how you can apply for the scholarship and get help to reduce your college fees. We aim to help college students who are unable to pay their college fees. We have developed several tools & resources such as buchananreform, this will help you to find, apply and get a scholarship to pay for your college.

We highly recommended you apply for the scholarships, for that you are qualifying. We find the scholarships which are best and helpful for you and will qualify for them with ease. Along with this, it is one of the best ways to get your costs for college which is as close to $0 as possible. So, you can take help and get the best way to increase your chances to be qualified for the scholarship.

Submit the FAFSA early every year

There is one more way by which you can save your money and get a grant for the college fees. You can fill out and apply for Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Every year FAFSA comes and opens up in October with their forms with a very non-urgent deadline, but over half a year later in June. But it does not mean that you have to wait for that too long time, it is not true. It is quite the contrary.

But you have to try to apply as soon as possible because it is good for you. Even according to U.S. News and World Report, the student who apply early, they are eligible to get the best financial aid packages. Even it means that the eligible students get more aid in the form of scholarships and grants instead of federal loans.

That’s why if you want to get the financial aid package for your study then you have to try to submit the application form early.

So, to get your starting cost as close to $0 as possible and try your best so that you will be debt-free and you have no tension of repaying any debt. That’s why it is more important for you to submit the FAFSA application as soon as possible.

But if you are never filled any FAFSA form or you are a fresher and need to get help for filling the form then you can check for the details How to Apply for FAFSA and then you will get all the complete information and can apply with ease.

Cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit

If you want to earn some money during your college time then you need to think like an entrepreneur. Now, it does not mean that you have to develop a product to sell or invent the next social media platform in between the classes. But it means that it is your thing and you have interest in it then you have to do it.

What we mean by this, we meant that you have to need to look for the gigs which are helpful for you and they did not require any specialized degree, fixed schedules, and huge upfront costs to get started.

Here we are talking about the things which are mentioned below. These are:

Dog walking
Tutoring in person or online
Becoming a virtual assistant
Babysitting
House sitting
Freelance writing or social media counseling
Rideshare driving for Uber or Lyft

These are only a just few ideas. But there are hundreds of ideas that are also present. You can see and choose one which is good for you.

The best part about these jobs is that they are good for anyone even when you are a college student, you can fix your time as you want and depending on what you do and how much time you put into it. It all depends on you and you can choose the job that is perfect for you and you can do it with ease. Even it could lead to you earning some serious cash and this will help you to pursue your study without any debt.

It is really good for you when you need help with money and wants to earn it yourself. It will give you experience as well and you can manage your schedule in a good manner. The most important thing is that you understand the value of time and money and use it in a good manner.

Work part-time for a company that offers tuition reimbursement

If you are not able to pay for your college course fee but you can do something then you can do a job with any company. In this way, you will get extra money and you can pay for your college fees.

You can do a part-time job in college or any other place, with this you will get help to cover the cost of books, leisure activities, and other miscellaneous expenses. You earn some extra money which is helpful for you and also you can utilize your time with this way.

If this is your condition that you need to manage your other expenses related to your study then you can work with such companies that provide tuition reimbursement for their employees. Because these types of companies provide this offer to the employees who are enrolled in college and still work to earn money.

What this means is that you can earn money to handle your study expenses and as well as earn money for your college fees in addition to your regular salary. We call it a win-win for you because you can handle the situation of your life and want something in your life. Won’t you say?

In the below, there are 12 companies are mentioned which provide tuition reimbursement for the employees who are enrolled in college and are approved for college programs. These are:

These are the twelve companies that help the employees who are enrolled in colleges. So, you can apply to one of those companies as a part-time or full-time job as you want and earn money and help yourself through them.

Develop a realistic budget you can stick to

When a student wants to pursue their college course, the first look for the budget that they can handle or not. Even budgeting may not seem directly related to going to college for free. But if you follow the different tips which are mentioned in this article which can be helpful for you, then it may be possible that you graduate with $0 debt and you have no need to take any loan or credit cards for paying your college fee. And this is the main and real goal for the students here.

But we see that students understand budgeting in the wrong way. And this is because they think that budget means vowing to cut out on spending on all the things which may include occasional coffee, eating at restaurants, and all other expenses which they can do on the fun. What’s wrong with that? It is not sustainable in the long term.

So try to do a favor for yourself and develop a realistic budget that you can stick to. Because it will good for you and helps you to manage your expenses which are for anything. The better you understand this when you write down all the things for your budget in detail.

You have to take time to think and write down the budget like how you can manage the costs of your expenses on different things. Such as you have to spend on your fixed costs like rent for off-campus housings, bills as well as variable costs for things which you enjoy like going out for a movie, going out to eat, and many other things.

And when you are trying to start your first budget, then you have to need to take help and for this, you can consider using an app to track your expenses. With this, you can understand where you make more expenses and where you need to control your expenses to balance your budget.

All these are the topmost secrets which are helpful for the students that they can study with paying $0 for their college course or they can study debt-free. They do not need to take any debt and can study continuously without any stress of paying fees.

Final Thoughts

As we all know that college fees are too high and one cannot pay the fees with ease when they don’t have enough sources for the income. But in this article, as you see that there are some secrets are mentioned which will be helpful for you and gives you the idea to pay $0 for college fee or stay debt-free with $0. And you can graduate with ease without any debt.

If you want to get more advice for this then you can visit the buchananreform website and here you can find more options for the scholarships and grants that are helpful for you and gives you more secrets to pay $0 for college fees. You can see that there are several scholarships and different forms from where you can get a discount or reduce your college fees.

Alberto Rovanski May 12, 2023

0 1,082 14 minutes read