The Top Tuition-Free Colleges
Tuition-free colleges fall into four primary categories: undergraduate, graduate, military, and international. Of these, undergraduate are typically the hardest to get into because of the sheer number of people seeking undergraduate degrees without having to join the military or leave the country.
Undergraduate College
Some of the most well-known and free undergraduate programs in the United States include the following schools:
• College of the Ozarks—This Christian college in Missouri provides a four-year degree to students who demonstrate substantial need. All students are required to work throughout their time at the college, often in agricultural jobs tied to the school’s programs.
• Cooper Union—This historic college in the center of New York City offers degrees in engineering, architecture, and fine arts, as well as graduate degrees in engineering and fine arts. Admissions are based on a student’s academic performance during her high school years.
• Deep Springs—Located in the Nevada desert, this all-men’s college offers a general studies education in a unique and small self-governing community.
• F. W. Olin College of Engineering—This Massachusetts college offers four-year engineering degrees valued at over $80,000 to all students accepted. Admissions are very competitive and based on academic merit.
• Curtis Institute—Located in historic Philadelphia, this highly selective music academy accepts students based on the needs of its orchestra and music programs.
• Alice Lloyd College—A co-ed educational institution in the Appalachia region of Kentucky, it offers a variety of degrees and requires a minimum of 10 to 20 hours of work-study each week.
• Berea College—Also located in Kentucky, Berea College offers a number of degrees to lower-income students who rank in the top 20 percent of their high school classes.
• CUNY William Macaulay Honors College—A program within the large, multi-campus City University of New York (CUNY), it awards free tuition and special advising to top high school students.
• CUNY Teacher’s Academy—Another program offered by the City University of New York (CUNY), it educates future teachers at no cost.
• Webb Institute—Located in a gigantic mansion on the Long Island Sound in New York, this exclusive school offers free tuition to all its students who earn degrees in marine engineering.
• Barclay College—This private Christian college in Kansas offers more than a dozen degrees and minors.
In addition to these colleges offering free tuition to all students, a number of colleges around the United States offer tuition waivers to students who meet certain criteria, even though not all students at those colleges will receive free tuition. The schools offering these programs usually require students to be National Merit Scholarship Finalists, their class valedictorian, or be in a predetermined top percentage of their class, or have household incomes of less than a certain dollar amount.
DEFINITION
A tuition waiver is when a college waives tuition for a certain class of students, such as National Merit Scholarship Finalists or people with incomes below a certain dollar amount. A National Merit Scholarship Finalist is one of approximately 15,000 students who demonstrates exceptional academic ability on the PSAT exam taken by high school students. With this title comes many offers for free or discounted educations around the country.
Before you get too excited, don’t think this means that you get a free pass into Harvard, Stanford, or Dartmouth just because you meet their criteria for a tuition waiver. Tuition waivers have nothing to do with getting into these schools; they only have to do with helping you pay for them once you’re there. Whether you’re a low-income family, your child is valedictorian of his or her class, or your child is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, you still have to beat out everyone else who is competing for admission. Further, virtually every school reserves the right to retract its tuition waiver program for the upcoming year if they get overwhelmed with applicants.
Some of the most popular schools offering tuition waivers are …
• Harvard—The best-known college in the United States is free for students whose families earn under $60,000 per year.
• Stanford University—Yes, the same Stanford. Tuition is free for accepted students whose families make under $100,000 per year.
• Dartmouth—Families making less than $75,000 per year receive free tuition.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)—Famed MIT allows students from families making under $75,000 to attend for free.
• University of Pennsylvania—Tuition is waived for all families earning under $90,000. Free room and board is also awarded for families earning under $40,000 per year.
• SOKA University—This Southern California school with Buddhist roots offers free tuition to all students whose families earn less than $60,000 per year.
• Texas A&M—This school offers free tuition for families earning under $60,000 per year.
• Texas Tech—This school offers free tuition for families earning under $40,000 per year.
Of the more than 100 colleges offering free tuition for National Merit Scholarship Finalists, some of the top-name colleges include:
• Arizona State
• Auburn
• Ball State
• Baylor
• Florida A&M
• Mississippi State
• Memphis State
• Nebraska State
• Oklahoma State
• Purdue
• University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire
Military Colleges
Although most Americans are familiar with the concept of someone “graduating from West Point,” many do not know exactly where it is or what exactly happens there. It is, in fact, one of a number of service academies (military colleges) that offers a free education to all those who attend, as part of preparing them to serve in the U.S. military.
West Point, located in New York, admits more than 1,000 students per year, offering them a free college education on the road to becoming an officer in the Army. As with all the U.S. service academies, the cost of attendance is free but service in the U.S. military is required after graduation.
In addition to West Point, four other service academies offer a tuition-free, four-year college degree to future military personnel:
• The U.S. Naval Academy(Annapolis, MD)
• The U.S. Air Force Academy(Colorado Springs, CO)
• The U.S. Coast Guard Academy(New London, CT)
• U.S. Merchant Marine Academy(Kings Point, NY)
CHEAT SHEET
If you’re interested in a free education without leaving the comfort of your home, you’ll need to check out the University of the People, headquartered in Pasadena, California. Their degrees in business and computer science aren’t accredited yet, but thousands of students have chosen the “UoPeople” as an alternative way to educate themselves. To learn more, visit uopeople.org.
Graduate Schools
Most graduate schools charge tuition to many of their students, but almost all graduate schools offer a free education to a certain portion of students. Many times, virtually all the students in a school’s Ph.D. program receive free tuition, room, board, and even a spending allowance, in exchange for performing research duties and teaching classes to undergraduates.
Although there is no definitive list of the thousands of colleges that offer a free graduate education to a select portion of their student body, an Internet search of schools offering the degree you’re interested in will turn up plenty of results. As a general rule, the more exclusive the school and recognized the program, the more likely that a student will receive a free graduate education.
International Colleges
Many countries outside the United States offer free or low-cost college educations to their citizens. But before you ask, no, American citizens can’t just move there overnight and get a free education. But, if they have dual citizenship or have lived in a country long enough to apply for citizenship or to become a certified resident, a tuition-free education might be attainable. Although this might seem a little far-fetched, this can be a very good option for footloose and fancy-free students who are willing to take a few years off prior to starting their schooling. It might take a long time in some countries to qualify for citizenship and a free education.
Countries that offer free (or very low-cost) college educations to their citizens and residents include:
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• Portugal
• Spain
• Sweden
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