Want a shortcut to getting your kid through college debt-free?
If one of these colleges is a good fit for your son or daughter, you may have just struck gold.
The 11 colleges and universities below are known for lavishing astounding amounts of financial aid and scholarships on accepted students.
At College of the Ozarks your son will pay for room and board, but thanks to a $350 million endowment his tuition will be free as long as he’s willing to work while he learns. Students work on campus 15 hours per week during the academic year and two additional 40-hour work weeks each year. Students may mow lawns, do receptionist work, or process paperwork in the college’s administrative offices, or they may work on a dairy farm or do custodial work. Any scholarship or grant money students receive from outside sources also goes to cover tuition costs at College of the Ozarks. Students may also work off the cost of College of the Ozarks’ room and board through the college’s Summer Work Program.
Colleges such as Alice Lloyd College, Berea College, Blackburn College, and Warren Wilson College, have similar “work and learn” programs, though Berea College and Alice Lloyd College are the only other institutions I know of that offer students totally free tuition.
Deep Springs College in Inyo County, California, also deserves a mention here as it is the United States’ only two-year work college. Deep Springs students are awarded free tuition in exchange for work on the school’s cattle ranch and alfalfa farm.
The Webb Institute is an engineering college that provides free tuition valued at $41,500 per year to just 80 admitted U.S. citizens and green card holders. Students pay only for room and board. The school is able to do this because it provides only two select majors: Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture. All students double major in both and complete an internship each year that provides them invaluable hands-on experience in the maritime industry. 100% of Webb’s graduating seniors land jobs after graduation.
MaCaulay Honors College (part of the larger City University of New York network) provides a laptop, $7,500 in “opportunity funds,” and free tuition valued at $5,730 a year to highly academically accomplished residents of the state of New York. The greatest benefit of being selected as a MaCaulay Honors College student is not financial, however. It’s being granted the privilege of taking courses with the top professors at any of the eight CUNY institutions in New York City.
Southwestern University offers full scholarships to students ranked in the top 5 percent of their high school classes, provided they can pass a personal interview and have scored 1400 or more on the math and critical reading sections of the SAT. (Or, alternatively, have scored a 31 on the ACT.)
Barclay College is a small (think 200 −300 students) Christian college that educates students who know in advance that they want to work in pastoral care or other Christian-based professions. Students complete 96 service hours before graduation, and the small, close-knit, cohesive nature of the student body often leads to deep and long-lasting friendships. In addition, if you attend Barclay as an on-campus, full-time resident, your tuition is free.
Admission to the Curtis Institute of Music requires an audition. Students who are accepted receive full-tuition scholarships.
U.S. Coast Guard Academy (CT), U.S. Naval Academy (MD), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (NY), U.S. Air Force Academy (CO), U.S. Military Academy West Point (NY)
These five United States service institutions are funded by the United States government. Tuition valued at $72,000.00 per year is free, though in some cases students are asked to pay certain fees. After students graduate they serve in their branch of the military for between five and eight years.
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Read just one chapter of LAUNCH every 1–3 months while your child’s in middle school and high school, and you’ll know every viable strategy for debt-free college at exactly the right time to implement it.
And if your child’s already well past middle school? That’s OK; you can run to catch up. But the process of getting your kids through college debt-free goes more smoothly the earlier you start it—especially if you’re not planning to save up any money to pay for college.
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Who is Jeannie Burlowski?
Jeannie is a full-time academic strategist, podcast host, and sought-after speaker for students ages 12–26, their parents, and the professionals who serve them. Her writing, speaking, and podcasting help parents set their kids up to graduate college debt-free, ready to jump directly into careers they excel at and love. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Huffington Post, USA Today, Parents Magazine, and US News & World Report, and on CBS News.
Jeannie also helps students apply to law, medical, business, and grad school at her website GetIntoMedSchool.com. You can follow her on Bluesky @jburlowski.bsky.social.
No part of this article was written using AI.