Can You Get Business College Education for Cheap?
It is more than possible to receive or further a business education for cheap. In fact, doing so is easy. There are even free, accredited options. Read on for more information.
Some Colleges Offer Free Tuition for Certain Students
Stanford University is well known and respected as an elite research university. It offers a variety of business programs and courses, and the university could be an excellent place for your business education.
For example, if your family earns $75,000 or less, you do not have to pay tuition, fees, or boarding. If your family earns $150,000 or less, you are not required to pay tuition. All in all, 70 percent of Stanford undergrads get financial aid. The University of Missouri, Texas A&M University, and Columbia University offer similar programs.
There Is Even a Free Online College
The University of the People is a free college offering online bachelor’s, master’s, and MBA degrees. The free tuition does come with a bit of a catch, though. To complete a program, you must take exams, and these cost money. That said, scholarships are available, and if you do not feel confident you would pass exams, you have not wasted tuition money upfront.
You’d spend about $4,860 for a bachelor’s degree from the University of the People, and your MBA degree would cost $3,660. These amounts are still extremely low compared with degree costs elsewhere. The school is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, which the Department of Education recognizes.
Online Schools Are a Smart Way to Save Money
Online schools such as Western Governors University offer low-cost, flat-rate tuition for business education degrees and other types of degrees. Bachelor’s degrees from the school include accounting, business management, healthcare management, marketing, and human resource management. Master’s degrees include MBA, healthcare management, accounting, data analytics, and management and leadership.
Make sure your business program is through a school that is legitimately accredited. Research the school to ensure it is not a “scam,” and watch for red flags such as a lack of a physical address anywhere on the website.
You Can Take Classes Rather Than Entire Courses of Study
Another way to get a good business education inexpensively is to take one class or several. Take exactly how many classes you need to, no more and no less. For instance, Open University offers these free classes among other classes: building relationships with donors, business models in strategic management, writing a SWOT analysis, collective leadership, the economics of flood insurance, and social marketing.
As an aside, you can get degrees and diplomas through Open University, too. They cost lower compared with what many other schools charge.
Other entities offering free business classes include HubSpot Academy, Coursera, and edX. You may have to audit the classes instead of actually enrolling in them, though.
All in all, it is possible to get an inexpensive education in business. You could even get it from schools such as Stanford University if your family meets income criteria. Good online schools and classes are out there, although it can take some research to find the best fit for your needs (that would be true even if you had all the money in the world).
