5 College Tuition Tips for a Lower Bill

That big number on the tuition bill is daunting to every college student and parent. However, there are plenty of ways to lower your college costs. Here are just a few.

This blog originally appeared on PrepExpert.com.

Every student attending college and every parent of a future college student worries about the same thing: the bill. Thankfully, there are plenty of college tuition tips you can use to lower the total cost of school. Use these five easy tuition tips to make going to college less expensive.

1. Take Advanced Placement (AP) classes

A common method students use to reduce tuition costs is by taking AP classes in high school. The benefits of doing so include:

  • Getting you ready for college-level coursework
  • Earning transferrable credits

The key to earning those credits is taking and scoring well on the corresponding AP exams. If you put in the hard work and score well, those AP credits will eliminate the need to take various classes early on in college. By skipping those classes, you’ll save money by not having to pay for them.

Related: 6 Ways to Reduce the Cost of College

2. Apply for grants and scholarships

While in high school, two of the best money options available for paying college tuition are grants and scholarships. This “free money” is valuable to every student because, unlike loans, it doesn’t have to be paid back. The more grant and scholarship money you can secure, the less need you’ll have for federal loans. What’s even better is that you can keep looking for free money while you’re in college; there’s no specific cutoff for the process itself. Keep hunting for funds, even if you’re only a year or two away from graduation. Places to look for this money include:

  • Nonprofit organizations
  • Honor societies
  • Churches
  • Corporations
  • And sites like CollegeXpress

3. Don’t pay with credit cards

It’s tempting to put everything on a card during college. The credit card companies count on that temptation. However, you will only put yourself into debt and be hit with ridiculously high interest rates and other fees. Don’t be afraid to use a credit card for minor purchases to build a credit history or in the case of an emergency. Outside of that, keep within your borrowing limit and don’t slap tuition bills on them.

Related: Understanding the Dangers and Benefits of Credit Cards in College

4. Consider CLEP exams

CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) offers 34 specific exams in various subjects. The idea is that these exams cover many intro-level college course credits. If you take one of these exams and pass it, you’ve basically tested out of having to take the corresponding college course. If you pass a CLEP exam, you can earn at least three college credits at nearly 3,000 corresponding schools. The more credits you can earn before entering college, the less you’ll have to ultimately pay. It’s a win-win situation, especially for subjects you’re already well versed in.

5. Consider community college

Community college is a cost-effective way of earning intro-level credits for a significantly lower price. Many students will complete their first two years at a community college to get those prerequisites. If you want to get into your dream school but don’t want to pay dream school tuition, community college is a great way to shrink that bill.

Related: Top 10 Reasons to Study at a Community College

Thanks to Prep Expert for sharing this blog with us! College costs seem like they’re locked in stone, and there’s nothing you can do about it. But with a little creative thinking, preplanning, and hard work, you can find ways to lower the costs of college while still getting an excellent academic experience.

Read the original blog on PrepExpert.com, and find scholarships to lower your tuition costs with our Scholarship Search tool.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Shaan Patel

Shaan Patel

Shaan Patel is the founder of Prep Expert Test Preparation, a #1 bestselling SAT & ACT prep author, an MD/MBA student at Yale and USC, and the winner of an investment deal with billionaire Mark Cuban on ABC’s Shark Tank. He raised his own SAT score from average to perfect using 100 strategies taught in Prep Expert's SAT and ACT courses.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Priscilla Yeboah

Priscilla Yeboah

High School Student

I was afraid and timid throughout my search for colleges, but I finally found the college that was fit for me and luckily I got accepted. One of the most influential things that helped me was the articles and advice on CollegeXpress. They've helped me a lot and benefited me as a senior to make the right choices in life. Thank you!

Leah Maciel

Leah Maciel

High School Class of 2021

CollegeXpress has helped me with all aspects of applying for college. The website is extremely easy to navigate and gives access to so many resources. I was able to research all of the colleges I was interested in, find out any information I wished to know about, and keep them organized in a list. I've also been able to research scholarships and save them as resources for later. I've used many websites in my college and scholarship search, and CollegeXpress has by far been my favorite one to use.

Wendy Thompson

Wendy Thompson

Owner, Westport Educational Consulting

I just discovered your site and LOVE it—fun, interesting, full of incredible information you can’t find anywhere else, and a godsend for those of us in the college counseling business. I am a fan!

Heather McCarty

Heather McCarty

High School Class of 2020

CollegeXpress has helped me with the college application process. The tips and tricks for important essays were so helpful. I also gained useful knowledge about college life. Even though I’m fully online, CollegeXpress has helped me develop a sense of how college is in person. The experiences from college students that were featured on their Instagram page have shown the good, the bad, and the “secret” life on campus from a reliable perspective. Not to mention, they relieved my feelings of anxiety about the workload. I can now understand how it can be stressful, but it takes self-control and willpower to get assignments completed on time and with quality.

Caio Matos

Caio Matos

High School Class of 2022

Starting the college admissions process as an international student was daunting. Thankfully, CollegeXpress was the first website I used for that cause and it helped me so much, from knowing where to start to deciding what my next move would be. I'll take a gap year, but I’m certainly using the website again when applying for fall 2023.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Carlow University

Pittsburgh, PA