Tuition-free Colleges are Real!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus - and this time he's bringing a tuition-free college education. You don't necessarily have to be destitute to be eligible, either. It seems too good to be true, but it is.

In researching these colleges, a good place to start is the list of 8 Tuition-Free Colleges on mentalfloss.com. Be sure to note that tuition-free doesn't necessarily mean expense-free: "Free" may not extend to room and board, incidentals, travel, etc. Furthermore, "free" might require work-study. Some schools offer limited majors, such as the Curtis Institute of Music. Nonetheless, if paying for college is a concern then taking a look at these schools is a worthwhile investment of your time.

As I dug around looking for an up-to-date list of tuition-free colleges, I found that the list of eight schools is frequently cited but not exhaustive - by a far stretch. A far more extensive list is 100 Free College Rides You Don’t Need Daddy to Pay For on advantageedu.com. Be sure to review this list! Although it may be dated (it was posted in January 2008), much of the information is sure to still be valid. Besides colleges in the US the list also includes a handful of schools in other countries.

Please leave a comment if you know of other colleges and universities that have tuition-free programs or other programs to help offset college costs.

Photo by Thomas Campbell