Saturday, September 26, 2009

Economical Ways of Getting a Degree

By David Young

A good professional degree along with a steady job is the formula for success in a persons professional life. But most often people need to pursue certain specialized courses to ensure they are able to stay ahead of their peers. There are some simple steps to reduce the cost of getting a degree, so everyone enjoy the benefits of a higher degree.

Step 1 " If you are looking for full time courses, look for admission in community colleges rather than in a four year degree institution. The expenses are less costly compared to a four year degree university. The credits of the electives chosen in these colleges can also be transferred to a four year institution. This will enable students to continue another college degree without much cost involved.

Step 2 - There are many colleges that offer athletic and non-athletic scholarships for students. Visit websites like FastWeb.com and Scholarships.com that help to get a scholarship based on some criteria. The criteria may include categories like minority, disabled, gender-based, religious, academic, or athletic scholarships etc. Remember to check in the University websites for financial aid application forms and their guidelines to apply.

Step 3 " Professionals who are currently employed can check with the college/university if there any work credits allocated for their work experience. There are some colleges that give three, six or more credits for business experience that is related to the college course they want to pursue. Find out if the employer will offer a tuition fee reimbursement for pursuing higher education. Also, if tests like DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) and CLEPS (College-Level Examination Program) have already been taken, they add more value to the credit count during college admission.

Step 4 - Pursuing online courses helps to completely eliminate many overhead costs like travel, purchase of books, dresses, vehicle etc. Online degrees can be pursued to give one's career a boost. There are some online universities that provide early bird discounts and conduct essay contests to grant scholarships and waivers to students. These schemes can be well used to cut down on major portions of the college expenses like tuition fees.

Step 5 " Make sure to check with university offices whether they offer Federal Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Pell Grants, and in-house scholarships for those who qualify. Also, check out the government website www.fafsa.ed.gov. The FAFSA is an important document for getting any kind of financial assistance from the government, without having to pay back!

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