Have your Education and Afford it Too

A few years ago, one of the speakers at a financial aid seminar at my then high school senior son’s high school, made a shocking statement, one that goes completely against public impression, something to the effect that College can be "inexpensive" However, the speaker went on to explain that the afore-mentioned statement is only applicable when available resources are utilized. However, the fact is, a high percentage of college bound students along with their families are oblivious to the majority of excellent but often obscure resources and programs.
Through extensive research into college programs and scholarship opportunities, I discovered that not only it is possible for college to be affordable; there in fact actually exist a handful of tuition free college tuition programs. While there are a limited number of these types of colleges and programs, with a limited number of spots, as well as many that have restrictions such as financial need, and educational backgrounds, the amount of enormous savings offered from a tuition free package is one of the little known college affordability options to investigate.
An article from Newsweekentilited"Tuition Free Colleges" lists several wonderful programs:http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/11/1114_tuitionfree/index_01.htm The NewsWeek article does not include links, so have included them here with an overview from some of the research and other tuition free college program info that I have found.
Some of the tuition free schools such Berea and Olin accept international students. Also, the Us does not include links to the colleges , so am here.However, keep in mind that College of the Ozarks:http://www.cofo.edu/region.asp accepts most applicants from limited geographical range:Alice Loyd accepts applicants from out of the region but the site states that tuition is guaranteed toto full-time students residing in Alice Lloyd College’s 108-county Central Appalachian service area.http://www.alc.edu/

Berea College: http://www.berea.edu located in Berea Kentucky, grants admitted students a 4 yr tuition free education. Tuition costs and education related expenses are offset through a work requirement of 10 –15 hours weekly in one of the school’s many labor depts. High academic achievement and financial need are two of the basic admission requirements. A preliminary financial aid calculator is offered at the website to prospect the students financial criteria eligibility:
http://www.berea.edu/prospectivestudents/qualify/default.asp
One of the many unique offerings at Berea is family housing (Ecovillage) for married couples or single parent families.

The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
http://www.curtis.edu/html/10000.shtml is a tuition free music college for all accepted applicants.

Deep Springs College: An all male student campus located on a cattle ranch in Deep Springs California offers a no cost tuition in a non-traditional setting. With 11-15 students accepted each year according to the website, equal emphasis on labor and academics http://www.deepsprings.edu/home


Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering: Located in Needham Mass. Students accepted into this highly selective college are granted tuition free coverage. Need based financial aid is available for additional expenses such as books, room and board:http://www.olin.edu/admission/costs.asp

Webb Institute: A highly select college in Glen Cove New York with a single major offering-Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Tuition costs for all 4 years are covered with costs limited to books, room and board ect.http://www.webb-institute.edu/index.html
There is also Quest Bridge College Match: http://www.questbridge.org/index.html is a college match program linking students to several select institution participants that provide 100 % need based tuition, room and board to accepted applicants with the majority covering college related expenses such as books and travel.