I been hearing that there are accredited/licensed Colleges with degrees that are free. Is this true or is it some kind of "educational legend"? If it is true, what schools do this (names/links)? Thanks!
It's not all that uncommon for accredited seminaries, schools of religion/divinity/theology to offer a few special students a free ride all the way through. But I suppose that's more along the line of a scholarship. Click here for an example. Regular (non-religious) institutions offer those, too... so I don't think that's really what you're looking for. I believe I've seen completely tuition-free degree programs open to anyone from unaccredited (but nevertheless credible... or at least reasonably so) seminaries and bible colleges. I think you have to agree to some stuff, but from what I remember, it really is free, with no gimmicks. Of course, you asked for "accredited/licensed," so that's probably not helpful, either. Also unhelpful in that same way, but worthy of note anyway, is Nations University... another unaccredited seminary-of-sorts that most folks seem to think is real and credible and rigorous... and free. For an entertaining take on the notion of free tuition at MIT, click here. (Warning: The linked-to page contains partial nudity.)
If you are an Australian citizen, there is the Research Training Scheme (RTS). If one is enrolled in a research post-graduate degree (this excludes DBAs and other "professional doctorates", as well as any degree with a more than a minimal coursework requirement), the government will pay for one's tuition for up two years full time (in the case of a masters) or four years full time (in the case of a doctorate). Note that student fees and other expenses (books, travel etc) are not included.
I know that this isn't what you meant but I thought it might be of interest. http://www.lu.se/o.o.i.s/610 Jack
"Ten Treasure Colleges" http://www.sparknotes.com/college/admissions/page8.html http://www.deepsprings.edu/ The only all-male and the only two-year college in this list, Deep Springs might very well be the most unconventional school in the country. With an average class size of four (yes, four), perhaps no college in the land can match the depth of discussion students have with their teachers and classmates. Located on a remote ranch in the Nevada desert, students must work in exchange for the free tuition; they only pay for travel, books, and incidental costs. What they get in return is an intense two-year education. www.berea.edu Berea College provides evidence that the best things in life are free. Students at this unique liberal arts school receive full-tuition scholarships in exchange for 10–15 hours per week of work. They also receive a superior education from faculty who are consistently regarded as among the best and most committed in the nation. Combine this with a philosophy dedicated to serving the community and the result is graduates with both the tools and drive to change the world
Many B&M graduate programs, typically the more expensive higher prestige ones, can be free in practice. Columbia University, for example, is proud of the fact that they offer all of their doctoral students full-ride financial aid. I guess that it often takes the form of research and teaching assistantships, so the students are really working for the university. Of course this only works for full-time on-campus students and it doesn't take opportunity costs into consideration. Moving to the other end of the spectrum, lots of non-degree educational opportunities are free. Public libraries, plus those academic and specialized libraries where admission is possible, contain more information than a person can possibly absorb in a lifetime. There are often free speakers series, there are groups to join, even some free non-degree DL offerings. And in some states, community colleges are extremely inexpensive. I took about 60 units (introductory classes in all kinds of things just for personal interest) at City College of San Francisco in the 1980's. It didn't cost me anything, except used books, often older editions that were almost being given away. (There are worse ways to spend one or two evenings a week.) Now they have added a tuition charge, but for in-state students it's still pretty token.
Heck, if your UGPA and LSAT scores are high enough, there are private, ABA accredited law schools who will pay up to 100% of your tuition and fees just for the privilege of having you attend. I think Thomas Jefferson in San Diego is an example. m-m-m-m-m Wouldn't that be sweet? Three full time years in SAN DIEGO in a CHEAP, ACCREDITED law school? Sigh... And say what you will, California girls really are something special...
Moody Bible Institute undergraduate BA and BMus students pay no tuition for Moody courses during the fall and spring semesters.
Olin College in Massachusetts provides full-tuition scholarships for all of its undergrads. www.olin.edu Cooley Law has full scholarships for people who exceed a certain LSAT score or LSAT/GPA combo. www.cooley.edu
Re: Re: Free Degrees? When I was a PhD candidate I paid no tuition whatsoever, and received a small stipend for the first three years. It was the same for most everyone else. Even though it seemed like the university was getting a lot of work out of us for free, some people said the candidates actually cost money. I'm sure the economics are extremely complicated. In any case, the stipend was great but keep in mind that FT grad students usually don't get any kind of health insurance or benefits, cannot work FT jobs (unless they are meth-heads that is) and generally have to go deeply into debt in order to graduate.
There is the Intercontinental Masters Programme in Adult Learning and Global Change at Linköpings universitet in Sweden. It is a totally distance Master's degree, and jointly administrated by (and can be taken through) 3 other universities besides Linköpings: University of Technology Sydney in Australia, University of British Columbia in Canada, and University of the Western Cape in South Africa; though of those I believe only Linköpings offers the course tuition-free, as I get the impression that that is the norm in Sweden (please correct this if I'm wrong on that). Hope someone finds this useful. Anybody out there ever done the Linköpings program? Peace, Matt
