Tuition Free PHD in Education

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by bass4art, Jan 14, 2012.

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  1. bass4art

    bass4art New Member

    Does anyone know of tuition free PHD in Education, for economical reasons I would like to finish the PHD in Education that I start years ago, but with out spending any addition loans or money.

    if any one can help me please let me know when you find out anything.

    Kirk
     
  2. Steve King

    Steve King Member

    The closest I've seen is William Howard Taft University's annual scholarship program, which provides free tuition for their Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program, which is nationally accredited. The scholarship application will likely open in September or October of 2012. Books and some fees will still have to be paid by the student, but it looks like a pretty phenomenal deal for an accredited doctorate. More information is available at: Ed.D. Scholarship Application

    Depending on your financial need, some traditional universities offer full scholarships to students who otherwise couldn't afford to attend school. Last night, I heard the dean of the Harvard Divinity School speak and he mentioned that the majority of Harvard students receive scholarships and nearly half of all Harvard undergraduates receive a full scholarship (i.e., pay no tuition whatsoever).
     
  3. Hotdillon

    Hotdillon New Member

    I am looking for a tuition free Master's in just about anything, but the school either needs to be accredited or seeking accreditation. I have an RA Bachelor's but money is definitely an issue!!

    Does anyone know of such a school?????
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    If you search around a bit you'll find another thread on this forum that is about free education from German universities. It might be worth a few minutes of your time to read it through.
     
  5. Hotdillon

    Hotdillon New Member

    Ten four, thanks!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 14, 2012
  6. PilgrimPastor

    PilgrimPastor New Member

    Free PhD??? I'm looking for a free boat and the time to use it! :)
     
  7. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    It's quite common to find on-campus PhD programs that offer "free" tuition and an annual stipend for the entire program. In return, the student is usually required to be a TA and/or a research assistant. Not a bad gig for those who can live on 15-20k/year for 4-6 years...

    Unfortunately, I don't believe that anything like this exists online.
     
  8. Steve King

    Steve King Member

    Getting something for nothing isn't easy, which is why the approaches I took to earn two "free" graduate degrees may not seem worth the effort to you. Here are some ideas to consider:

    Military Tuition Assistance
    For my first masters, I joined the Army National Guard. Admittedly, tuition assistance wasn't the only reason I joined the military. Not by a long shot! But, it was a strong incentive and it was a strong incentive for many people with whom I served. I paid nothing for my first masters degree thanks to the military Tuition Assistance program. (See: FinAid | Military Aid | US Armed Forces Recruiting Programs) Tuition assistance is even more generous today than ever before with the addition of the Montgomery GI Bill "kicker" and the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The military Reserves will pay for your college. (See: Welcome to the GI Bill Web Site | The Home for All Educational Benefits Provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs)

    Employer Tuition Assistance
    For my second masters, I found an employer willing to pay my tuition. You may be able to negotiate this with your current employer or at a new job. A few companies include a generous tuition assistance package for all of their employees, as a matter of routine, while many others will negotiate generous tuition assistance for individual employees on a case-by-case basis. If graduate school is important to you then you should consider these tuition assistance packages when looking at future jobs. In my area, there is a large disparity among local fire and police departments, with some paying all tuition for higher education and other departments refusing to reimburse tuition or even support employees' time off to attend classes. The same holds true for other fields, like the nearby government contracting firms and even inside different parts of the federal government.

    Student Loan Repayment
    Others I know accepted a lower paying job with the federal government because they negotiated to have the Government pay their student loan debt in three years -- one third every year for the first three years of employment. The Government offers several different kinds of student loan repayment programs. Some are designed as a recruitment or retention incentive for federal employees. Other federal programs are for non-federal employees who work in many types of public service. For example, healthcare professionals who agree to work in underserved communities have many options available. (See lots of loan forgiveness programs at: FinAid | Loans | Loan Forgiveness)

    Another example is the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which allows many public service employees to have their remaining federal student loan balances forgiven after 10 years in qualifying employment and 10 years of qualifying payments. (See: FinAid | Loans | Public Service Loan Forgiveness)

    Some schools offer their own student loan repayment programs for their graduates. Georgetown University offers a student loan repayment program for any of their law school graduates who work in the public sector for at least ten years. (See: Georgetown Law - Loan Repayment Assistance Program | Financial Aid) This is the kind of benefit you might find at other schools, assuming you're not interested in a law degree from Georgetown.

    Inexpensive Degree Programs
    You mentioned an interest in schools seeking accreditation. This is, obviously, a risky approach since there's no guarantee that any school will obtain accreditation simply because they apply for it. Many schools that have applied for accreditation have not received it even after paying the application fee and hosting a visit. If you're willing to take this gamble then you can find a list of schools that have applied for, but not yet received, accreditation through DETC at: Distance Education and Training Council: Applicant Schools.

    Speaking of DETC, if national accreditation (NA), as opposed to regional accreditation, will meet your needs then you will find less expensive NA graduate degree programs everywhere. This board is a good place to start looking for NA schools that meet your educational and fiscal requirements.

    Foreign universities, especially in South Africa, offer some of the least expensive degree programs available. The University of South Africa (Unisa) is popular on this board. Unisa offers many good degree programs at surprisingly low costs. (See: Unisa Online)

    It's not easy finding a free masters degree that won't be an embarrassment on your resume. If it was, everyone would do it. Hopefully, one of these suggestions will work for you or help you think of an entirely different approach to funding graduate school, one that fits your unique circumstances. Best of luck!
     

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