Who Else Wants to go to College for Free?
5 Tuition-Free Colleges
June 1, 2009
Paul Partridge on free tuition for college
Psst—Hey Buddy, want to go to college for free? It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Like someone trying to sell you a Rolodex for 50 bucks.
After all, everybody knows that the only way to get a full ride to college these days is to be a stud athlete, win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, or discover a new sub-atomic element with a homemade microscope.
Actually, not so. You don’t have to be an “outlier” to qualify for free tuition. In fact, I’ve uncovered a number of schools where regular, everyday New Jersey students can attend college tuition-free. And contrary to what some might think, these institutions provide a high-quality education. So as the NJ economy and US economy continue to contract, you might just want to keep these schools in mind—at least as a backup plan.
A quick note: In my list, I’ve omitted any school that requires extraordinary talent or aptitude to attain free tuition. For example, Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia is tuition-free. But as one of the world’s great music conservatories, you may literally have to be a Leonard Bernstein to attend (the West Side Story composer was a Curtis Institute grad). Similarly, Olivet College in Michigan offers a free ride to any student who is valedictorian of his or her class. That’s a great bargain. However, most of us aren’t Suzie Bookworm – so we need another way in.
Also, some schools limit their largess to certain geographic areas. For example, Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Kentucky offers free tuition only to students residing in select Appalachian counties.
Lastly, I’ve left out the five service academies even though every student attends for free, because military service is not for everyone. However, if military service is in your comfort zone, there’s no better deal; not only is it free tuition, but free room and board as well.
Okay, enough rambling… Let’s get to the list of five tuition-free colleges.
1.) Berea College – Located in Berea, Kentucky, south of Lexington, Berea College is a fascinating school. It was founded in 1855 as the first interracial and co-ed college in the South, and today is one of the most ethnically diverse liberal arts colleges in North America. Yet diversity is not its sole virtue. According to the school’s website, Berea “promotes understanding and kinship among all people, service to communities in Appalachia and beyond, and sustainable living practices which set an example of new ways to conserve our limited natural resources.”
In exchange for a full-tuition scholarship worth north of $90,000, students must work at least 10 hours a week. Berea offers degrees in 28 fields to its 1,500 students.
2.) College of the Ozarks – Perhaps the highest profile tuition-free college, College of the Ozarks has received a bevy of accolades in recent years. Even U.S. News & World Report has taken notice, ranking College of the Ozarks:
- #10 Baccalaureate College in the Midwest
- #1 Great School for Great Price
- #1 Lowest Acceptance Rate
- #1 Least Debt
Overall, the most recent Best College Guide called the Point Lookout, Missouri, school “an A+ School for B Students.”
Nicknamed “Hard Work U” because all students work rather than pay for tuition, C of O discourages debt and shuns all government loan programs. Jobs are taken seriously here; students are graded on their work performance in addition to their classroom work. Perhaps this explains why the Princeton Review has named C of O a “Stone-Cold Sober School” for 10 years running. Another reason: alcohol is strictly prohibited on and off campus.
3.) Cooper Union – It’s not often that art and science go together. But they sure do at New York City’s Cooper Union, whose official name is The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. The brainchild of the school was eclectic thinker Peter Cooper, who invented both the locomotive and Jell-O, and founded Cooper Union under the belief that higher education should be “as free as air and water.” (Clearly, this was in the days before Evian.)
Thanks to a $600 million+ endowment, today’s 900 students receive 4 years of free tuition worth $130,000. Cooper Union offers degree programs in architecture, art and engineering.
The school has a storied history. Eight U.S. Presidents have spoken in the celebrated auditorium, including Abe Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt. Barack Obama gave a speech there before he was elected. Mark Twain spoke at Cooper Union’s inauguration. Famous students include Thomas Edison, Felix Frankfurter and Milton Glaser, the man who designed the iconic “I Love New York” logo.
4.) Deep Springs College – Not too long ago I was on a tour of my alma mater, Notre Dame, accompanied by one of my old classmates and his high school daughter. I remember when we arrived at Lewis Hall, the dormitory where the girl’s mother lived while attending Notre Dame. The young girl took one look at the dorm room, turned up her nose and declared dismissively, “Oh, I could never live here.”
If your child has similar high maintenance issues, then Deep Springs College is definitely NOT the school for you. Actually, if you have a daughter, period, this is not the school for you. Because for starters, Deep Springs is all male.
It’s a throwback school in other ways, too (like all the way back to the 19th century). The campus is located on a cattle ranch and hay farm in the Inyo-White Mountains of California’s High Desert – far from the material world.
Every student admitted pays no tuition or room and board. In exchange, students work a minimum of 20 hours per week on the ranch. Independence and selfreliance are championed here. “Students have a say in what subjects to study, what professors to hire, and even what applicants to admit,” according to a Wall Street Journal article. Deep Springs is a 2-year college. The majority of students complete their degrees at top tier 4-year schools after leaving Deep Springs.
5.) Olin College of Engineering – The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is located in Needham, Massachusetts, 14 miles west of Boston (its neighbor is Babson College), and only opened its doors in 2002.
Yet in that short span, the school of 304 students has developed a reputation as one of the top engineering programs in the country. U.S. News & World Report ranks it #6 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. Princeton Review includes Olin among the top 20 institutions in the nation in 11 categories, including #2 for “students never stop studying” and #2 for “professors get high marks.”
Interestingly, philanthropy is as important as physics at Olin. Students are encouraged to design solutions to societal needs and “engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world.” The school’s mission reflects the philosophy of Franklin W. Olin, for whom the school is named. Olin College is funded by a $400 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation (the Olin Corporation made ammunition, and, apparently, lots of it). Every admitted student receives a four-year, full tuition scholarship valued at approximately $130,000.
