10 Free Colleges

With college costs reaching insurmountable levels, tuition-free colleges are more important than ever. But even they are not immune to volatile economic climes. Perhaps the most famous free college, Cooper Union, announced recently that it might consider charging tuition to bridge its $16.5 million budget deficit.

Below, read about Cooper and nine other tuition-free schools of many different stripes -- work colleges, service academies and burgeoning online institutions.

Has the cost of your college affected your standard of living? Would you consider going to a tuition-free college? Weigh in below.

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Comments

[mpstivers]

07:40 PM on 11/04/2011

Um...Macaulay Honors College anyone? No work study required, but a full tuition scholarship. www.macaulay.cuny.edu

[pflickner]

06:23 PM on 11/02/2011

I see 8 free colleges. Where are the other 2?

[CAPTK]

07:16 PM on 11/02/2011

3 listed under the service academies (and should be 5 with USMMA and USCGA)

[xrepublican]

09:17 PM on 11/02/2011

Service Academies aren't exactly 'free' - you owe the military 5 years of your life (or more if they really need you) on top of the pretty much the f/t 4 years you spend getting your degree.

Think of it as indentured servitude - with the risk of death or injury. And while things have improved immensely (I was dumbfounded to see litter pick up as a form of punishment in lieu of walking the area) don't expect much individual 'latitude' in your college experience.

Might be worth it to you, just know what you're in for.

[ricchh]

05:32 PM on 11/02/2011

The ivy league schools are free is you make under $80,000 per year. Also many other schools are free to low income students.

[xrepublican]

09:24 PM on 11/02/2011

'Top' schools with large endowments are often a better option for those that qualify - they give out more aid. Brown will pay full freight for qualified students courtesy of one alum (who parlayed a year there into a career).

I suspect my wife - first gen in college - made that mistake, applying only to small schools locally.

[kwsuscc]

07:54 PM on 11/18/2011

You are wrong. My family made under 80,000 PY and I got a partial academic scholarship to Yale and I still couldn't afford tuition. Research before speaking...

[bmora]

04:46 PM on 11/02/2011

Go Runners! Beep, beep!

[OutOfLeftField]

02:10 PM on 11/02/2011

Try the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webb_Institute

"A unique feature of Webb is that students who are US citizens are not charged tuition, thanks to an endowment from its founder. Students must pay for other costs, such as room and board, books, and various fees. The Bachelor of Science degree is awarded after four years of "total immersion" study, which includes several months of job experience through internship periods."

[DanSc]

12:55 PM on 11/02/2011

If you're poor, many of the best universities are free.

If you're not poor, pay your fair share already.

[Boobuzuela]

12:43 PM on 11/02/2011

They forgot the School of Hard NOx.

[pflickner]

06:31 PM on 11/02/2011

Sorry, bubba. That school ain't free and it doesn't tell you what it's teaching you. Been there, done that, highly recommend against it. My mother thought that teens don't listen so why bother talking, so I spent a lot of time in that school. And it costs. And costs. When you finally figure out what it's teaching you, it changes the rules and the subject. If you're going through a hard time, find someone to talk to who understands what it's like. You might be able to avoid that particular curriculum.

[RIKARIKA]

09:07 AM on 11/18/2011

I AGREE 100%.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

12:23 PM on 11/02/2011

Time has value. If you attend a college with low academic standards for four years and the degree conferred by that college is not valued by employers and graduate schools then you lost four years of your life and of earning power. Saying that, Cooper Union is a wonderful college and top art and engineering school.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

12:20 PM on 11/02/2011

At the Academies you pay deferred tuition in the form of military service and depressed wages.  If you drop out of an Academy you have to pay them back immediately.

[WoBuYaoTweet]

12:38 PM on 11/02/2011

Only after the first 2 years. If you decide to quit before the 1st day of class your junior year, you owe nothing & can walk away with 2 free years of undergraduate education (plus some physical & psychological bruises and interesting stories). After that point you may have to pay cash or enlist.

[you live in fantasy land]

12:51 PM on 11/02/2011

The wages for an officer are above that of the average college graduate.

[Bat Wrangler]

11:48 AM on 11/02/2011

Why doesn't the Justice Department investigate and crack crack down on universities and colleges who gouge the public with ever-increasing tuition? What value are the university foundations?

[MMRDO]

11:27 AM on 11/02/2011

The academies aren't free, you commit yourself to orders right after, they should include USMMA.

[exponential function]

01:40 PM on 11/02/2011

You also outrank 80% of the world's most powerful military the day you graduate, and you have guaranteed work and benefits that exceed just about anything in the private sector. Hardly a bad deal.

[Jelliott]

01:55 PM on 11/02/2011

But they also get to spend Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, the 4th of July, Easter etc in a tent w/ 10 other people in the Middle East. Hardly a good deal. Military Academy grads DO get a good deal but we EARN it in the long run. There's a trade-off here. We get a great education, learn valuable leadership skills, get a good salary and a pension but we put in many years of hard work. And YOU get to enjoy the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to practice religion, the right to..........

[indiecratublican]

11:22 AM on 11/02/2011

The only free accredited school on here that has any prestige is West Point. West Point also isn't really free since physical commitment and service after graduation is being given in exchange.

[MMRDO]

11:27 AM on 11/02/2011

USNA has a good rep too.

[CelticMajic]

12:21 PM on 11/02/2011

You may wish to do some research on your statement. USMA is a great school however USAFA and USNA are also top notch. e.g. USAFA is the number 5 engineering school in the nation. http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/united-states-air-force-academy-128328/overall-rankings . Absolutely agree that in reality it is not free as the commitment to any military academy lasts long after graduation and carries an unlimited liability clause. For truth in lending, I am a USAFA grad.

[CAPTK]

07:18 PM on 11/02/2011

The alums of Castle Greyskull don't acknowledge anything, to include ratings systems, developed after 1803. 200 years of tradition unhampered by progress.

[CamRodan]

11:15 AM on 11/02/2011

The Saylor Foundation (www.saylor.org) is another tuition-free organization that could be added to this list. Saylor.org offers free, automated, self-paced courses in twelve popular disciplines -
chosen based on high-enrollment majors in U.S. colleges. We've hired over 170 credentialed professors to create course outlines and to locate, vet and organize open educational
resources (e.g. MIT OCW, Yale Open Courses, etc.) into a structured and intuitive
format to enable asynchronous learning. Each course culminates with a final
exam. While, like Khan Academy and the University of the People, we do not currently offer degrees, we do offer the content equivalent to a U.S. college.

We presented at the 2011 Open Education conference this past week. A video shown during our presentation - which provides a comprehensive look at the work we've done in the Open Ed space - can be found here: http://bit.ly/vKB7vf

[drsolo]

10:46 AM on 11/02/2011

School should be free or let students do work/study. Most civilized societies offer free education thru college or university.

[MMRDO]

11:28 AM on 11/02/2011

That just cheapens the value of the degree. If it was given to students who performed well, that'd be a different story.

[WoBuYaoTweet]

12:35 PM on 11/02/2011

You DO still have to perform well to graduate - you just don't pay tuition.
Many countries provide cheap or free education through university, and the gov't pays fairly well for faculty & facilities to attract/retain good teachers. It's the exact opposite of the States.

Many countries even offer specific tracks for academic & vocational schooling. German "high school" graduates on an academic track wind up w/essentially the equivalent of an Associates Degree. Bachelor students in the sciences must conduct independent research & defend a thesis, much like a Master's Degree in the States.

[LateDave]

11:50 AM on 11/02/2011

This is really very complicated. The examples I've heard about are Britain and Europe, which have merit-based admission to colleges up through Oxbridge and equivalent, with the national budget picking up the cost. There's something in Japan and Korea, but I don't know the rules for that.

On the other hand, Germany at least is heavily into apprenticeship programs. In the US, "anybody can succeed" and there is no "track" system, but that puts lots of mediocre high school grads at loose ends with no skills, and abandons kids who are hand-smart and not book-smart. "Anybody can succeed" also means "most people won't succeed."

And don't get me started about making neighborhoods pay for K-12 education, which in reality guarantees that most kids are handicapped by their parents' income level.

[exponential function]

01:42 PM on 11/02/2011

Absolutely spot on.

[Dakotadude]

10:44 AM on 11/02/2011

They forgot about Texas. All one needs to do is go to Mexico become a Mexican citizen, sneak back into America, preferably Texas, have a baby to anchor and receive a free education.

[drsolo]

10:47 AM on 11/02/2011

Actually, they just pay the same instate fees as anyone else.

[CAPTK]

11:02 AM on 11/02/2011

Don't let facts get in the way of a good ignorant rant.

[Dakotadude]

07:56 PM on 11/03/2011

Many who do well receive Grants for free education. grants that could be used by citizens.

[adanhzgz]

12:30 PM on 11/02/2011

Look you ignorant. It is harder to become a Mexican citizen than American, fact. No such thing as an anchor baby, a citizen baby will not keep you in the country, you will get deported regardless, fact. Stupidity never seizes to amaze me, read a book get educated, information is free you know.

[pflickner]

06:36 PM on 11/02/2011

Honey, ignore the trolls. If you ignore them, they just go back to their bridges.