College Tuition Assistance Programs – The 4 Best Places To Look

College tuition assistance programs offer one of the coolest benefits to working people: nearly free money to go to school. The programs have some requirements, but also shell out big money on your behalf.

I have some experience with this. I applied and entered the program at one employer, with about a $1500 per year benefit. Later, at another job, I finished a master’s degree in a 100% tuition program. Very cool.

Here they are – and see my other suggestions at the end.

Where to Look for College Tuition Assistance Programs

1. Your current employer might pay for college

Check here first. The best program often is the one you qualify for first. Check with your personnel office, or ask a coworker if you know they have done it. In some programs, the company will pay your tuition. In others, you will pay tuition and be reimbursed the company’s promised amount.

2. Universities and community colleges offer free or low cost college classes

I love how this category works. I have a relative who got a job at a local university just to get discounted tuition for their children. Excellent idea, as it benefits the whole family.

But colleges and universities won’t give you a check. Instead, you can take classes at a steep discount or for free. Also, universities don’t care as much about what subject you take, meaning you won’t have to stick to approved subjects as much, or only take classes that apply to your job.

Universities usually have student employment and lots of part time jobs. These don’t usually get a discount. To do this one, you have to get a permanent or full time position and finish a probationary period, like 3 or 6 months.

You might think that if you could work at a college or university, you would already have a degree. That’s not the case. A big university or even a college has lower level full-time positions, too.

3. State Government Tuition Assistance

Every state has several departments, agencies, and so on. Most have access to tuition assistance as a benefit. Every state has a state university system and an interest in seeing it work well. This may limit you to state schools, but may give you more or better access to tuition than other programs.

To find a job with your state, take a look at the official state website. You can find these by searching for your state name with the word official or the phrase official site. Also, state sites usually have a listing of state sponsored grants, tuition discounts, and scholarships you might benefit from.

4. Federal Government Jobs for Civilians and College Money

You could write a book on all the tuition programs the federal government. All the branches and agencies have some kind of college tuition assistance benefit. Some have multiple opportunities that vary by job focus. A few programs offer full time pay for full time school!

You can find ads on the federal jobs website, http://www.USAjobs.gov It has essentially all of the listings. If you have friends or know anyone who works for the government, talk to them, too. You may like to know that all military installations have positions for civilian.

After you get hired, ask the personnel office to learn about tuition assistance. And check into leadership development programs, since many of these have tuition-paid university classes as part of the curriculum.

These are the best. Get started and you can get the education you want.

By: Kevin Ihrig

About the Author: