With tuition rates reaching astronomical heights and budgets not prepared to strap in the shuttle, people have become willing to look into cheap universities. Granted, this isn’t a cheap pair of shoes you buy at the mall, this is education parents are paying for – education that will set the course of your destiny for the rest of a students life. You generally want the best for your child, but there are studies out there that show one of the reasons students drop-out is because of lack of affordability. They simply can’t keep up with the tuition payments so they pack up and leave. Others can push through that, finding part-time jobs and looking for student loans , but still end up taking longer than the standard four-years to complete, edging the costs up even higher. There are even businesses out there to help with the college process so that the amount of time spent at college is decreased in effect lowering costs. College education has a heavy pricetag that many aren’t willing to pay and so are looking for cheap universities.
Finding Cheap Universities
So what exactly are the cheapest universities? A good site to check out would have to be CollegeStats.org . They’ve done all the work for you with a nice list of universities, their prices, number of students and a website you can use to further your research. According to their list, a huge portion of the cheapest colleges reside in the state of California, mainly community colleges, with varying student population sizes. You can work your way up through the list and explore all the universities until you’ve found something that fits your price-range. They also have lists of Historically Black Colleges, College Sizes and a list of the Oldest Colleges. Using this site as a reference in your quest to find cheap universities wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Other College Costs
And since tuition isn’t the only expenditure associated with colleges, there are other areas that can be investigated into in order to save money. At many of the Ivy League colleges, tuition alone is in the thirty to forty grand price-range, but room and board carries it into the fifty range. Living on-campus is typically more expensive than finding an apartment, but it does help the student get accustomed to the college rather easily. Searching for a nearby furnished apartment can help you save loads money than living on-campus, and if you can find a roommate to split the rent even better.
Where to Find Books?
As far as books are concerned, head over to the
Campusbooks
site to find and compare book prices before you visit the pricey on-campus bookstore. You can also rent or sell books that you’re through with earning you a bit of extra discretionary spending money. Also, joining
Amazon Student
Unique Money-Saving Tips
There are other unique ways you can save money beyond just books and tuition. Use the technology you carry around with you everyday to earn it’s value by saving you money. If you’ve spent hundreds of dollars on a smartphone or a tablet device, finding money-saving apps can offer a return on such a huge investment. Apps like ShopSavvy that allow you to scan barcodes of items in order to show you the lowest price, whether on the Internet or at another store, can help curb your shopping costs. And if you’re big into loyalty cards but rather not have the physical card on you, just download the Key Ring reward cards app to store all your loyalty card barcodes on your device. Searching out general College Money Advice can help keep your head above water financially while at school.
