A college education is expensive. Those of us who still have outstanding student loans know it. If your educational plans include going to graduate school, one of the many challenges you face is paying for classes. College tuition rates for graduate school could easily cost you up to and over a thousand dollars per credit depending on the school you choose. I am learning more though about how to go to graduate school for free and wanted to share these tips.
Get a campus job as a grad assistant
If you are considering full time study in a graduate program, think about becoming a graduate assistant. Some graduate schools offer enough stipends for graduate assistants that offset tuition completely. One of the departments on a college campus that usually has many openings for graduate assistants is usually Residential Life and Housing. For example Norfolk State University offers graduate assistants a $5000 stipend each semester and a place to live if they work in the residence halls. Considering that in-state tuition is about $450 per graduate school credit; do the math. A graduate program here, or at similar schools, will be a bargain.
Work for employers who offer tuition reimbursement
Another way to go to graduate school for free involves finding a job with a company that provides tuition reimbursement. Companies that offer tuition reimbursement often have career planning programs to help employees get advancement opportunities after graduation. Sometimes you will have to wait to become eligible for tuition benefits after you start working with a company that offers tuition reimbursement. However, it can be worth the wait.
Pick your major wisely and your PhD could be free
Some non-profit organizations work to recruit applicants into specific graduate school programs. One such organization is the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME.org). The NACME organization manages the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Graduate Scholarship Programs: the Minority PhD (MPHD) Program and the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership (SIGP). The organization offers strong scholarship support to underrepresented minority students who are in doctoral programs in Science , Technology, Engineering and Mathematics programs.