60+ Tuition Free At Calhoun CC

Lifelong Learners 60+ can now enroll at Calhoun tuition-free
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/careersandeducation/lifelong-learners-60-can-now-enroll-at-calhoun-tuition-free/ar-AA1vC0EF

“Calhoun Community College is giving adults 60 and older the chance to unlock new opportunities through its tuition waiver program.

The program allows eligible students to take courses without paying tuition, whether they’re looking to complete a long-delayed degree, explore a new career, or simply learn something new for personal enrichment.”

 

“The college offers a wide range of programs, from degrees to skill-building courses, all designed to help learners achieve their personal or professional aspirations.

To qualify for the waiver, applicants must:

• Be at least 60 years old
• Be Alabama residents
• Enroll in credit courses
• Meet Calhoun’s admission standards”

 

If I were a senior citizen, I would love to audit classes for free. I'm not sure of the value of offering tuition-free credits to people in or near retirement.

 

If university education is viewed only as a vocational endeavor, a way to get a degree to qualify for a job, then I can see how offering tuition-free education to someone about to retire might seem wasteful. But university education is more than that--and retirees often find ways to contribute to society (based on education gained late in life) long after their working days are over.

 

You don't need to attend courses for credit to receive an education. You can audit courses or utilize MOOCs. We have a society mostly run by old people who are against giving anything to younger generations. Imagine how much people could have contributed to society if they could have afforded a higher education decades ago instead of 15 to 20 years prior to dying. They'd probably also be in a better financial position in retirement.

 

Probably not. Most seem to offer it on a space-available basis. Conducting college classes is mostly made up of fixed costs. The variable costs are almost non-existent. Minimum enrollments are in effect to meet break-even levels (whether or not there's an actual profit motive, they need to make it worthwhile). Maximum levels are normally associated with the size of the room (or the workload of the grader).

Offering space-available instruction to seniors at a discounted price, even for free, is very inexpensive.

 

I'll add one more: Seniors, as a group, have earned it.

 

I'm not quite sure I would word it that way. I don't think you earn college education just by growing old. Some people pay a lot in taxes and others don't. Ask Mitt Romney, lol. It's just a nice public benefit to give to a group on a fixed income. I don't know how often they actually take advantage of this; this is probably mostly done to make the government look good without them having to do anything.

I received thousands of dollars-worth in IT certification vouchers and training for first responders transitioning to a new career. Even though I put myself at risk to protect the public, I'm not sure I would say that I earned free certifications and training. I knew the pay and benefits I signed up for, but it was nice of the federal government and taxpayers to pay for our career transitions.

 

I don't see older people being against giving anything to younger generations. Indeed, one of the reasons the elders don't have enough for their own retirement is because they spent it all taking care of their own and other people's kids, and again in caring for their own parents and grandparents. Both are major, expensive sacrifices.

I also don't know many elders taking advantage of these free/reduced tuition programs, but I suspect that a few do. Most of the programs are already for audits on a space available basis. Based on the state by state list, if an elder wants to put a capstone on their lifetime of work by studying for credit and earning a degree, they have to pay up just like the young people (in most of the states).

 

But they are. Just look at senior opinions on student loan forgiveness or universal healthcare:

A Pew poll found in 2019 that 50% of those 18-29 favored single payer healthcare, compared to just 34% of those 65+.

By 2020, 57% of those 18-29 favored it, while just 45% of those 65+ do.

 

They vote like they're against it, and they vote for people who propose cutting Social Security benefits for current seniors. They also vote for getting rid of pensions for younger generations. Having children is a choice. If you decide to have children, you're supposed to take care of them. Childless people have to pay taxes to take care of other people's children. One of the reasons why about half of Americans don't pay federal taxes is because of child tax credits.