How do you pay for your tuition

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by cantafforedit, Sep 18, 2008.

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  1. cantafforedit

    cantafforedit New Member

    I notice a lot of you have a substantial amount of credentials under your belt. You all must have good paying jobs to afford all this education. But for me it's a struggle i want to go to school so bad!! Have any of you taken out loans, or just had monet saved up?

    Now i see why so many people but those fake degrees because a real one for us poor people is hell to obtain. well i just have to keep trying. but the fakes are very tempting. But i really would like to go to school instead.

    good luck to all of you that are able to.
     
  2. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    My employer paid for most of my education.

    Many colleges have fee waiver programs - here is info from my local college:
    http://www.collegeofthedesert.edu/students/ss/fa/Pages/default.aspx
     
  3. cantafforedit

    cantafforedit New Member

    Thank you. i wish my employed did. but since i'm contracted they most likely- won't.
     
  4. airtorn

    airtorn Moderator

    My associate's degrees, bachelor's degree, and first master's degree were employer funded. My second master's degree was funded through the GI Bill and subsidized loans.

    My wife's undergraduate work was funded through federal loans and grants. Her graduate work is funded by a combination of subsidized loans and me.
     
  5. cantafforedit

    cantafforedit New Member

    SEE thats the thing. By me being a contaract worker- (thru a temp service which i been at 5yrs in january) I don't think that they would pay for my tuition. But i will try student aid. I want to get another job so bad. But it's hard.
     
  6. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    So,

    How much can you afford?
     
  7. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    And what is your state of residence (assuming you live in the USA)?
     
  8. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I paid for my Associate's and Bachelor's degrees out-of-pocket, which I was able to do because it was before I had children and bought a house. :D My Master's degree was free, thanks to veteran's benefits.

    For a "clearinghouse" on student loans and financial aid, check out;

    http://www.finaid.com
     
  9. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    Most of mine was paid by my employer. My wife paid $0 for her AA degree. She got a talent grant for acting for a year then became the SGA President for a semester (free school), then worked at the writing lab for almost a year (free school plus a small salary - $100/wk).

    If you want it for free, you could get it but it will cost you time. I don't like students loans. I would rather pay as you go.
     
  10. cantafforedit

    cantafforedit New Member

    Yes i live in the usa and, i just applied for student aid online but not quit sure as to how long it will be before i know if i'm approved or not? Thomas edison state college is my pick so, does anyone know first hand if they accept finincial aid?
     
  11. -kevin-

    -kevin- Resident Redneck

    Mine was a combination of Viet Nam era GI bill, employer, and out of pocket. If you do a search on the forums you will see some real bargains for classes.

    San Juan College:

    http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/1.asp
    http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/4384.asp
    http://www.sanjuancollege.edu/pages/139.asp

    Out of State Resident
    $40/credit hour
    $480/semester (12+credits)

    The cost for courses in the Associate of Arts or the Associate of Science degree programs are listed above. Some of the certificate programs and Associate of Applied Science degrees may have additional fees--examples include aviation, industrial water treatment, and dental hygiene. Contact the specific department or the Business Office for the most current information regarding costs.

    LSU independent study:

    http://www.is.lsu.edu/home.asp?level=CO&online=0&nid=101

    FEMA-free classes which can be transcripted via a community college (anybody have the link?)

    Check here for a take on using standardized tests:

    www.bain4weeks.com

    Keep in mind that a bachelors degree can take a long time but take a class here and there and they will add up quickly.

    Despite working for a contract position you might want to check into any internship positions that are available. Often temp/contract workers are hired and in actuality the company is looking for a test fit. Meaning that if the person works out the position might lead to a direct hire.

    Take a look at your state provisions for scholarships. Most states have scholarships of some amount for just scoring well on an entrance exam. If you need help finding the state scholarships let us know where you live and we (I) will do the research.

    If you are interested in Federal work look here:

    http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/

    http://www.studentjobs.gov/

    http://www.studentjobs.gov/e-scholar.asp

    Regards,
     
  12. Vinipink

    Vinipink Accounting Monster

    I don't have a good paying job.
    For my BBA was obtained via a grant.
    For my MBA in accounting and finance student loans (still paying).
    For one MBA and DBA payments plan with the school $100 a month until pay in full(done long time ago).
    DBA in accounting(in progress) part with a loan then got some money(got lucky) paid in full and got a 40% discount for law enforcement tuition.
    For one MBA in progress via sponsor program with Andrew Jackson University.
    Change the I cannot afford it to the How I can afford it mentality.


    Finally, I am on a budget and stick to it, I don't over spend. You will save a bunch money. Cut expenses for unnecessary but necessary things such as cable and phone. For example my phone bill is only $19.99 a year(yes a year) and my cable internet is only $38.00 a month. Cellphone is $7.00 a month (prepaid and only use it for emergency and when is necessary). With all this cuts, I was able to come up with some money to buy books(international version) and afford to pay for the MBA in Health Services (in progress). And I don't have credit card debts.


    Best of Luck because it takes discipline to find the money and to finish your education, but it can be done.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 18, 2008
  13. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef


    Unlike most people, I love to talk about money and saving money. I take a great deal of pride in my budgeting skills, but that's for another day. Anyway, I'd love to show you that you can pay for school if you just take a step back and plan it well.

    My husband and I both earned a face to face associate's degree in culinary arts back in 1990. Total combined price tag was well over $60,000 and we worked 50+ hours per week for the next 10 years to pay that off.


    Currently, we both are back to school. I earned $7,000 last year and he earned $37,000. That's up from the previous year. I used to be embarrassed by that, but I've taken a new attitude this past decade. I'm quite proud at being able to turn a profit for my family with minimal resources... and make no mistake, education can be an appreciable asset.

    My husband has a partial tuition reimbursement plan at work, and will use the sponsored tuition at Andrew Jackson as the next step for his MBA (if it's still available next year). I tested out of 1/2 my bachelor degree and picked up an associates in the process. I'm planning a very affordable master's program, but may jump ship and go with a little more expensive one...not totally sure. Anyway, this time around, we are both acting much smarter. We used pell grants for our undergrad, a single student loan each of us, pooled our resources, and don't waste a penny of the tuition reimbursement on plasma tvs. (ex. I received an overage check of $350, but it went for my husband's books)
    We spent (spend) a lot of time doing our research and figuring out how to make this work on a cook's budget. Here is what we are "buying"

    1ea AA degree (me, Thomas Edison State College)
    2ea BA degrees (me, TESC - husband, New England Culinary)
    1ea MBA degree (husband, Andrew Jackson)
    1ea MA degree (me, Western New Mexico or Harvard Extension)

    between the two of us, out grad total out of pocket for all of those credentials will be under $20,000 with a maximum possible $30,000 when all decisions are made. ($11,000 is a subsidized student loan that will be deferred for at least the next 3 years) So far, that number includes books- but who knows how that will turn out. Anyway, that's 5 degrees. You can certainly earn 1 for around $4000 or much much less. (Andrew Jackson will only set you back half that for a bachelor's) The reward is the result of a lot of researching, a lot of planning, and a willingness to be flexible. Good Luck to you!
     
  14. cantafforedit

    cantafforedit New Member

    Thanl you all for your comments and suggestions. I will try hard to come up with the finances. Thanks a lot guys.-
     
  15. Ian Anderson

    Ian Anderson Active Member

    I believe (but I could be wrong) that TESC is the most expensive of the big three (unless you live in NJ).

    Before you enroll in one of the big three (Excelsior, COSC, and TESC), determine which degree you want to earn, determine what courses are needed for that degree, then start taking courses at any college that you can afford (the big three accept most credit from regionally accreditedcolleges). Lots of info on this site. I would suggest not enrolling in college for the degree until you have around 90 semester units of credit.

    Taking exams such as CLEP and DSST is a low cost way of earning credit. Start with CLEP english, download the contents from here, study and practice, then take the CLEP exam
    http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html

    Take your time initially until you get used to the process of earning credits.

    Wanting to learn is the first step and it looks like you passed that step.

    Good luck with your pursuit of a degree.
     
  16. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    >.

    Yes, that's where I attended. See my previous reply. If you qualify for a Pell Grant (you probably will) you will be given $4500 per year. There are hoops, but it's worth it to jump through them. You can earn your bachelor's degree through TESC, and spend very little out of pocket.
     
  17. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Even if you could afford to enroll in TESC today, I would suggest waiting. The reason for this is that you pay TESC an annual enrollment fee. If you don't complete all of your degree requirements in this year, you will be charged an additional fee. I would sugges that you carefully review the requirements for the degree you are interested in and start taking the following courses and exams:

    FEMA ISP courses (free, 1 credit online courses). TESC will accept up to 25 of these towards your degree (free electives category). You could start taking these courses today. Search "FEMA" on this forum for a wealth of information regarding this process.

    CLEP and DSST exams. You could knock out all 5 of the six-credit general exams and have most of your gen. ed requirements met for a BA/BS. Now, take another 2 or 3 of the six-credit subject CLEPS (e.g. Analyzing & Interpreting Literature, American Literature, etc). These exams combined with your FEMA courses will put you more than half way towards you Bachelor degree! Actually, you could completely test out of some majors by just taking FEMA, CLEP and DSST exams. However, I would recommend speaking with a TESC advisor before you go too far down this road.

    Depending upon which major you wish to pursue, you could also knock out some DSST and CLEP exams for this area as well. Just be sure to check the TESC degree requirements page first (and preferably, TESC themselves, if they'll answer your questions prior to enrollment).

    I believe that you can submit the FEMA courses, CLEP and DSST exams to TESC before you enroll as a student. A student from TESC may be able to verify this for you. Jennifer?

    Good Luck!

    Tom
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 18, 2008
  18. makana793

    makana793 New Member

    I rely heavily on military tuition assistance. I've taken out a small loan in the past but nothing substantial.
     
  19. kayausa

    kayausa New Member

    I did half of my degree in college in England
    51 credits were thorough ACE there was a $1000 fee if you were getting American credits
    24 were graphics courses I got evaluated through ECE for $270
    2 were NFA- FREE! I got them added to my ace transcripts
    31 were from NYU language 2 exams $720 (proctored in the library FREE :))
    3 were excelsior English exam... can't remember exact amount but somewhere around $240
    9 will be from Dantes $70 per exam + $30 proctor fee
    and 6 more for social science???
    than $75 application
    $875 enrollment
    $495 graduation fee

    TOTAL COST: SOMEWHERE AROUND $4,000

    ... this is just to give you an estimate of how much it can cost, my direction is very unique and it doesn't include the actual tuition my studies in the UK (my parents payed for that)...
    hope this helps...
     
  20. Randell1234

    Randell1234 Moderator

    You are too hard core for me. I just write a check. I finance most of what I have to pay out of pocket by the money I make adjuncting.
     

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