3 Ways to Find the Most Affordable Colleges for You

College-girl-with-money-in-class-000052995342_Small Sixty-two million six hundred thousand. That’s how many entries you find when you Google search “most affordable colleges." Many of the listings are PR pieces for various colleges, or lists put together without any real knowledge about the true costs of a college education. There are better ways than Google to find the most affordable colleges that fit your needs. Let’s look at three of them:

1. Search the Comprehensive List of State Colleges

Leaving home and going far away to college may be a sought after adventure for some. However, if you are looking for affordable colleges, that may not be the best idea. Instead, search for state colleges within your state of residence. You will find that they are almost always a cheaper alternative to private schools, and they are generally much cheaper for in-state applicants. You can find a comprehensive list of state schools on Wikipedia. Potential drawbacks to home state universities would be that your particular field of study may not be offered, the state schools may not meet the standards of outside schools, or the college may not offer online options that can lower the cost.

A similar list of state schools that offer accredited nursing programs can be found on the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) search page.

2. Check Average Student Debt

Once you’ve narrowed your selections to a short list, contact your choices to ask about their average student debt. This will be different from tuition costs, because there are other factors, such as financial aid, online classes and credit-by-exam, and other options that can reduce listed costs for the school significantly. Some of the schools with the lowest student loan debt on graduation may surprise you. The average student loan debt for 2013 graduates was $27,000. Nearly a fourth of the 2013 Princeton graduates only had $5,558 in debt on average. One reason for that is Princeton replaces loans with grants in financial aid packages. Other schools like the College of the Ozarks pay all tuition costs for all admitted students. Information like this can help you find the most affordable colleges.

3. Get a Script Analysis from Achieve Test Prep

Achieve is not a college, nor are we a lead generation company getting paid by colleges for referrals and rankings. What Achieve does do is make it easier for you to get an accelerated degree. Finding a school that allows you to test out of more classes by taking $80 exams can make a seemingly more expensive school much more affordable than a school with limited credit policies. We do that for you in a three step process:

o We evaluate your past college and professional experience to find which credits you may already have that can be transferred towards your degree.

o We do an extensive search to find colleges that match what is important to you and find the ones with the most generous credit transfer policies. We prepare a report and work with you to find the best option for you.

o We find out which courses you may get credit-by-exam for at your school of choice, and offer prep courses that can be as little as four weeks in length that will allow you to pass a single exam to get the same credit you would for a traditional semester of work. You are able to take the prep sessions at one of our many campuses, or you may take the prep course in our live online virtual classroom, where you are taught by the same qualified instructors, but in the convenience and comfort of your home.

Download our FREE Guide: Testing Out Of College

For more information on the program Contact Achieve Test Prep today!

Topics: College Affordability

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