Way to get a free college education

[MrsPete]

oh, wow! i didn't realize that parents still got involved. for us, it was always once you're in college, you're on your own (in terms of getting your work done, making sure you get enough sleep, etc). i guess i always just thought everyone was like that. so strange, but i can see how/why it happens.

I don't have any problem believing it. I certainly get enough of that attitude in high school. Why would the parents stop just because their babies have moved on to the next level of education?

 

[extremesoccermom]

One of the biggest reasons I decided to work at St. Louis University was the tuition program. I always wanted to go back to school to finish my degree. I have been with them 21 years. DS now 21 started at another college throught the tuition exchange program. (Someone from the other school needs to go to my school inorder for the exchange to take place) DS is now a junior at a great college I have only paid for parking, books (Amazon and half.com), and lab fees.
Last year I finally made the jump myself. I am allowed to take 18 credit hours per calendar year. I have a $75.00 per credit hour fee and books that's it for a great education. And I am having fun. I will graduate next year unless I change my major then I have another semester. I just recently decided I want to continue after getting my BS to get a Masters in Environmental Science.

 

[NotUrsula]

I've looked into this as well, but there are a few problems.

Some of the other posters mentioned they didn't want to work at their university for years longer than they had to, because they didn't like their position. Some of the colleges require you to work full time to qualify for waived or reduced tuition. I don't know about some of the other posters, but there is no way I could work a full time food service or janitorial position for years just to get free tuition for my entire family. Ditto for any of the other high stress jobs on campus.

Second is finding time to go--you can't go to a class when you're scheduled to work. I've know a few people who have gotten full time positions at universities, who could never take the required classes for a wanted degree because it would conflict with their university work schedule.

IME, when the student *is* the employee, the employee will usually be allowed release time for a certain number of hours to attend classes. In my case, I took two classes per semester, one during the day on release time, and a second one at night.

In recent years, many universities have started to put limits on dependent tuition benefits. At several universities I know of, the dependent benefit does not kick in until you have worked there at least 10 years, and sometimes some positions are not eligible; most often the sort of custodial or food service positions that you mentioned.

No one has addressed the REAL biggest drawback: educating yourself right out of a job. (Can you tell that I did that, LOL?) Most universities bar their own graduates from holding faculty-level jobs there, and may not allow underemployment, either. When I finished my advanced degree I was overqualified for my technician position, but not eligible to apply for a faculty-level position there: I finished the degree in December, and I was given until June 1 before I would be required to resign. (I did find another job, in April.) Normally this phenomenon is not a problem if you are only seeking a Bachelor's degree, but it can be an issue when graduate-level studies are involved.

PS: SLU still has a very generous dependent benefit; one of the most generous in the country. An acquaintance of mine put six children through school on it. Most moms with six kids close in age will SAH at some point, but she wasn't about to let go of that job.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Congratulations. SLU is a great school!

One of the biggest reasons I decided to work at St. Louis University was the tuition program. I always wanted to go back to school to finish my degree. I have been with them 21 years. DS now 21 started at another college throught the tuition exchange program. (Someone from the other school needs to go to my school inorder for the exchange to take place) DS is now a junior at a great college I have only paid for parking, books (Amazon and half.com), and lab fees.
Last year I finally made the jump myself. I am allowed to take 18 credit hours per calendar year. I have a $75.00 per credit hour fee and books that's it for a great education. And I am having fun. I will graduate next year unless I change my major then I have another semester. I just recently decided I want to continue after getting my BS to get a Masters in Environmental Science.

 

[MrsPete]

IME, when the student *is* the employee, the employee will usually be allowed release time for a certain number of hours to attend classes. In my case, I took two classes per semester, one during the day on release time, and a second one at night.

Yes, I've seen this in action.

When I was in college I had a work study job working in one of the academic departments. The secretary for whom I worked was working towards a degree, and she was allowed time away from the office to take classes. It was very convenient for her because it just meant walking over to another building. I worked there several semesters, and every semester she and I'd coordinate -- she'd schedule my work hours (and there was another girl too) to match her classes so the office'd be covered.

College jobs tend to be very flexible, and since full-time workers tend to take 1-2 classes a semester, it's very do-able.

 

[PigletsPal2]

I worked for a college after DH was discharged from the army, so he not only got tuition reimbursement (but not fees or books), he also got Veterans' Benefits, before active duty personnel were required to contribute. With a spouse and two children, his VA benefit paid his tuition AND our mortgage! I stayed until he earned his AA, at which time the State Dept. sent him overseas off and on for the next 35 years!

Queen Colleen

 

[MickeyP]

Anyone know anything about adjunct benefits? I know every college is different, but just curious about the differences.

 

[js]

really? would you mind sharing which ivy? i can't imagine that parents would be involved, seeing how schools do not release information or even talk to parents without their kid's consent.

as for free tuition, my question about which school still stands. and, again, that's assuming they get in, right?

I work in the President's and Provost's office and I can tell you we get calls from parents ALL THE TIME! Grades, questions, some we can answer and help, others have to be sent somewhere else.

The WORST case of interferring was about a month or so ago when a parent called to complain that their dd did not make her sorority and her roommate did??? She said it wasn't fair. What could we do? AND, if we really did have the "power" to let the girl into the sorority that she didn't make, did the parent actually think she would be welcome? From speaking the to Dean of Campus Life, the two girls were actually good friends and roommates but once the other girl made it in and pledged, the MOTHER, not the child requested they be moved from the room (her dd).

At the beginning of the semester, we also got a call from a mom saying her son had not be cast in the musical and he is wonderful and should be lead (yes, this is for real). The mother asked that we please do not tell the child or the teacher she called but wanted to know how will this help him in the real world if his feelings keep getting hurt??? HELLO, if he is in the theatre program, he is in for LOADS of disappointment for casting calls, auditions, etc in the REAL WORLD! Is his mother going to call the director????

We have parents call and complain about ANYTHING. And, while I can understand having a say when you are paying $42K+, some calls, like above, just SHOULD NOT be made.

OK, sorry, I guess I am venting. Getting ready for commencement and in about a month or so, angry parents will begin calling to find out why the heck their child isn't graduating since they haven't been aware that they are short credits????

So yes, parents, mostly mothers, call ALL THE TIME!

 

[aprilfoolwed]

I work part-time at our local community college and my DH works full-time at a private 4-year college. We both love our jobs, and both get tuition benefits.

I am taking classes at another local college tuition-free (2 per semester) through the tuition program. It's a super benefit!

However, it's far from free for us. Books are expensive, and our tuition does not cover any online classes (there is at least one in the education dept that is ONLY offered online), and does not cover student teaching/lessons/internships (which are required in a lot of programs). And I can only take 2 classes per semester (for our children, they could be full-time students - employees and spouses are limited to 2 classes). I will still owe a lot in loans when I am done with school, but far less than if we didn't have the tuition exchange!

 

[coastiewifern]

I work for a major state university and they offer no discounts for children.

 

[dhardawa]

I worked for a university for awhile and we had this benefit, but you could only take two classes per semester and they taxed you on the value of the classes. It would have taken forever to get a degree for free.

 

[DawnM]

If it works for you, great!

The only way it would work for me is if I loved the job and got a decent income as well as free schooling. For us, it would be better to just have me go back to my job and pay for the schooling in most cases.

Dawn

 

[aprilfoolwed]

If it works for you, great!

The only way it would work for me is if I loved the job and got a decent income as well as free schooling. For us, it would be better to just have me go back to my job and pay for the schooling in most cases.

Dawn

Yes, in many cases, pay in Higher Ed stinks. The tuition benefit exists to counter the lower paycheck. So if you can get a higher paying job, it may be better for you.

But, for a SAHM who wasn't making any money, a part-time gig at a school with tuition benefits could be a real lifesaver!

It's just important to really know exactly what tuition benefit program the school offers. Many require years of service before you can take advantage of it. Some allow you to take classes at various collegs - others, it's just home institution. Some graduate class, others are just undergrad.

It can be a very valuable benefit - but you have to be careful (and there are tax issues too).

 

[jmpellet]

Hubby and I both work for state schools although the benefit in his state (RI) is better than mine as the fees in MA are more than the tuition. I used to work at a college that had the tuition exchange program that was previously mentioned. Now that's a great deal as you can try to get into other small private colleges around the country. And ones looking for more "trades" even throw in room and board sometimes. I have three kiddos to educate and I hope we'll be able to use our benefit someday.

 

[Green Tea]

tuitionexchange.org is what many schools belong to. The child has to apply as a TE student and it is up to the receiving school to accept them as TE, or not. Some schools have a lot of kids to send, but don't take many in, thus it is harder for those kids to get spots. If the parents work for a great, highly sought after TE member, it is easier for them to go to another school as a participant.

 

[Anthony1971]

One could also get a divorce and get a lot of financial aid
Please make sure the other person doe not really want one before considering this option

 

[mamilovesdisney]

Tuition remission as I call it is wonderful but a friend of mine stayed at her job at my university so her girls could go tuition free but the problem is that you still have to go through the regular admission process and be accepted to have access to the benefit. In my friend's case, her daughter was not accepted into the university. It was a huge blow for them. My friend thought admission requirements would be more lenient for her daughter but they were not ;-(

 

[disneymom3]

Another way that I have just found out about is to look into the CLEP and DANTES exams. I have figured out that DD can take the literature one and the world religions ones this summer. There are LOTS of places online where your child can take the practice tests. The tests themselves are about $90 each which is far less than 3 college credits. A woman I know has a son graduating with a double major in economics and history ALL from taking the tests. There are several colleges that for a fee will prep your transcript and give you a diploma without you actually attending. Real schools too!

I wouldn't go that far and don't plan to for DD but getting some of the general ed done ahead of time is def something we are doing.

 

[collegejunkie]

I work in the President's and Provost's office and I can tell you we get calls from parents ALL THE TIME! Grades, questions, some we can answer and help, others have to be sent somewhere else.

The WORST case of interferring was about a month or so ago when a parent called to complain that their dd did not make her sorority and her roommate did??? She said it wasn't fair. What could we do? AND, if we really did have the "power" to let the girl into the sorority that she didn't make, did the parent actually think she would be welcome? From speaking the to Dean of Campus Life, the two girls were actually good friends and roommates but once the other girl made it in and pledged, the MOTHER, not the child requested they be moved from the room (her dd).

At the beginning of the semester, we also got a call from a mom saying her son had not be cast in the musical and he is wonderful and should be lead (yes, this is for real). The mother asked that we please do not tell the child or the teacher she called but wanted to know how will this help him in the real world if his feelings keep getting hurt??? HELLO, if he is in the theatre program, he is in for LOADS of disappointment for casting calls, auditions, etc in the REAL WORLD! Is his mother going to call the director????

We have parents call and complain about ANYTHING. And, while I can understand having a say when you are paying $42K+, some calls, like above, just SHOULD NOT be made.

OK, sorry, I guess I am venting. Getting ready for commencement and in about a month or so, angry parents will begin calling to find out why the heck their child isn't graduating since they haven't been aware that they are short credits????

So yes, parents, mostly mothers, call ALL THE TIME!

wow, i had no idea! my mom won't even call ME at school because she doesn't want to bother me. i think she'd have a heart attack if she ever had to call any office about anything haha

 

[shaylahc1]

My mom is a college prof at OSU and all that got me was half tuition Thankfully I had grants, and I worked full time to put myself through school and graduated debt free.