Anyone who has thought about going back to school to get a degree, or has a child who will be heading to college, knows just how expensive it can be. A four year degree, with in-state tuition can cost as much as $30,000 to $70,000 for tuition and fees. This does not count dorm fees or rent, food, books, laundry and other living costs. Two year colleges offer very good programs and are usually less expensive, but costs can still range between $10,000 and $18,000.  It is possible to get grants, scholarships, student loans and other forms of financial aid to help pay for educational expenses; but keep in mind that some financial aid, like student loans, may require you to repay it, at a low interest rate, after you’re out of school.

What about technical schools? Some technical schools, also called “trade schools”, offer courses that can give you a certificate or licensing in a specific field such as electronics, computers, medical assistant or heating and air conditioning. These schools usually have classes that are six to eight hours a day, Monday through Friday, for a period of nine to sixteen months. The tuition rates are often very high and can end up costing anywhere from around $15,000 to $40,000 depending on how many “credit hours” your program is rated for. Some offer Pell grant assistance but most is strictly student loan type financial aid.  

There is also controversy surrounding these types of schools, regarding their validity and ethics. “Diploma mill ” is a term that is associated with many of them. If you are considering a technical school, make sure you do your research about them. Most colleges will not accept your “credits” from a technical school, unless they are partnered with that school. For example, some Vo-Tech schools are partnered with colleges in their area to offer incentives for high school students to take the Vo-Tech classes. The courses they take are accredited through the college, and if you decide later to go to college, those credits will transfer and count toward your chosen degree. Some people who go to technical schools find themselves with certificates that carry no recognition in the “real world” of employment, and student loan debt as high as a four year college would have cost. 

There has been a new trend over the last few years where some colleges are offering access to classes online, for free. It’s called “Open Courseware”. You get access to course lecture notes, labs, assignments and any other media associated with the program. There are numerous programs that range from engineering and science to business courses and humanities. The down side of this is that you won’t get a “diploma” from the college, but basically you have taken an entire course, for free. It’s worth checking into; especially if it doesn’t cost you any money. It can also be a good way to check out a potential career without spending all the money; only to find out later that you don’t like it as much as you thought you would. 

Here are some school Open Courseware links and information:

MIT- http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm 
SHARE Courseware.org-   http://www.sharecourseware.org/Index.aspx
Utah State University- http://ocw.usu.edu/
TUFTS University- http://ocw.tufts.edu/ 

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