25 Tips to Lower Your College Costs and Avoid Student Debt

Learning how to lower your college costs can make a huge difference in how much money you borrow before graduation. If you want to lower your college costs and avoid student debt, you need a smart plan before those tuition bills start rolling in.

Whether you attend a private or public university, the cost of four years of college is astronomical to the average family, but that does not mean student loans have to be your only option. With the right strategies, you can find scholarships, compare financial aid offers, cut unnecessary expenses, and make better money decisions each semester.

Whether you are a high school senior, current college student, or parent helping with the process, these tips can help you lower your college costs, save money, reduce stress, and stay focused on your bigger goal: earning your degree without drowning in debt. It’s easier to focus on reducing your college costs before you walk on your dream college campus. Just follow my tips so you can reduce your college costs.

Table of Contents

Here are the tips that will help you lower your college costs

Make Yourself Merit Worthy

Start your freshman year of high school strong. Strive for excellent grades and remember once your GPA drops and continues to decline it is difficult to raise your GPA back up. Your classes will become increasingly challenging throughout high school.

Develop a study habit that allows you to learn and retain information versus just memorizing concepts. Take academically challenging courses so you can be prepared for college. If you are struggling in a course ask for help right away. Seek out your teacher for help and consider getting a tutor if necessary.

Even though some colleges are test-optional, you should still plan to take the ACT or SAT. Create an ACT/SAT prep plan and stick to it. Take a practice test and find out what your strength and weaknesses are. Your study plan should start at least 6-8 weeks before your scheduled test and should include ways to increase your weak areas.

Your academics can determine if you are worthy of merit scholarships which are scholarships directly from your prospective colleges. Your ACT/SAT may be considered in the merit scholarship process, so if you need to take the ACT/SAT more than once do so.

Remember the largest scholarships are usually from your college so take challenging courses and strive for academic excellence.

Take AP, IB, Dual Enrollment Courses, or CLEF

The goal is to take rigorous classes to prepare you for college and to earn college credit while you are in high school. Advanced Placement (AP) classes are college-level courses offered at high schools. By enrolling in AP classes and passing the AP exams you can earn college credits for some courses. Most colleges require a 3,4, or 5 on the AP exam to earn college credit.

Another option is to enroll in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. Similar to AP classes, the IB program is offered at high schools and you must get a certain score on the IB exam to receive college credit.

If your school does not offer AP or IB classes, see if your school has a dual enrollment program. High schools will partner with local colleges and high school students can take college courses and earn high school and college credit simultaneously. Usually, high school students don’t have to pay for classes under the dual enrollment program.

If your school does not have a dual enrollment program, you still can take college courses at your local community college but you will have to pay for the classes which are still cheaper than if you were attending a 4-year university.

The last option is the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), where you don’t have to take a course but you study independently for a subject and then take the CLEP exam. If you do well on the exam you can earn college credit for the subject.

All of the above options allow you to earn college credit before you even graduate from high school. These options will reduce your college course load which means you will spend less money and less time in college. Take time to explore these opportunities and see which one best fits your academic strengths and goals.

Join a Pipeline Program in High School

Some colleges have partnerships with various high schools to increase their enrollment in certain areas. For example, a college may want to increase its STEM enrollment so it may partner with a high school that has a rigorous STEM program or it may want to increase its enrollment in a certain region.

The purpose of these pipeline programs is to feed targeted students into their universities by preparing students for college and assisting in the admissions process. These pipeline programs usually provide mentoring and scholarships so these students can thrive in a college environment.

Check with your high school counselor and your prospective colleges to see if there is a designated pipeline program at your school.

Get Your Employer to Contribute to Your Education

Are you currently working? Find out if your employer offers some type of education assistance. If they provide education benefits, find out all the ins and outs because some employers require you to work a certain amount of hours, be employed a certain length of time, or major in a certain field to be eligible for the benefit.

Some employers will reimburse a percentage of tuition costs while others may pay your tuition upfront. Any tuition assistance will help lower your college costs.

If you can work in high school or college, you can build your resume while slashing your college costs.

Apply for Financial Aid

Regardless of family income, every student should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the CSS Profile, depending on what your prospective or current college accepts.

The financial aid applications should be completed in the fall of your senior year of high school and every fall while you are in college. The FAFSA and the CSS Profile open on October 1st of every year.

All colleges have budgets and to make sure you are included in the money that is given out to students, apply for financial aid on October 1 when the application opens.

Apply, Apply, and Apply for Private Scholarships

Have a backup plan if your merit scholarship does not meet all your financial needs. Search scholarship databases and register with scholarship engines. Let family and friends know that you are looking for scholarships. Spend a minimum of two hours a week applying for scholarships. Whether it is a $250 scholarship or a $3,000 scholarship all scholarships will help lower your college costs.

Don’t Rule Out Attending a Community College

Consider staying home and attending a community college for two years and then transferring to a four-year university. You can complete your general education requirements at a lower cost before transferring to a four-year institution.

Community colleges are less expensive and some universities offer transfer scholarships to community college students.

Use a Net Price Calculator

After you have created your college list you need to know how much YOU and YOUR FAMILY will have to pay to attend the colleges on your list. How do you find out the true cost?

Go to each college website and search for the Net Price Calculator (usually buried somewhere on the website). Would you buy a car without doing research and knowing the price?

Hopefully not! If you can’t find the Net Price Calculator on your potential college website, no worries, you can go to the US Department of Education Net Price Calculation Center https://collegecost.ed.gov/net-price.

Consider a College in Your Home State

You will save thousands of dollars attending college at home, reduce your transportation costs, and skip out-of-state tuition.

Choose an Out-of-State College that Reciprocates with Your Home State

If you want to attend college out of state check with regional colleges and colleges that offer reciprocity with your home state. The reciprocity program will allow you to pay in-state tuition instead of paying out-of-state tuition which will be significantly higher. Some are colleges that are looking to increase their out-of-state population but are willing to charge you in-state tuition even though you stay out-of-state.

Ask Prospective Colleges for a Non-Resident Waiver

If your prospective college doesn’t have a reciprocity program with your home state, see if the college is willing to waive the non-resident fees. If they won’t waive the fees see if you can negotiate a discount on the non-resident fees.

Establish Residency in Your College Town

Find out what is needed to establish residency in the state where your college is located, so you can pay in-state tuition.

Attend Your Parents’ or Grandparents’ Alma Mater

Some colleges give out legacy or alumni scholarships to students whose parents or grandparents previously attended the college.

Get a Roommate

Yes, a private room in the dorm would be great, or having your one-bedroom apartment would be even better. But..this is not the time to go solo, if you want to lower your college costs then you need to have a roommate. Having a roommate may not be ideal, but it will keep some additional funds in your pocket.

Skip the Dorm

Consider going to college close to home and residing at home. If you want to attend college out of state, look for colleges where your relatives or friends of your family reside and see if you can stay with them and avoid paying room and board fees.

Be aware most colleges require and encourage freshmen to stay on campus. If you are not able to move off campus your freshman year, start planning to live off campus your sophomore year. Consider asking a couple of your friends to split the rent on an off-campus apartment.

Consider Being a Resident Advisor

One of the most sought-after campus jobs is a Resident Advisor. Usually, Resident Advisors get free room and board plus a stipend. Imagine living someplace rent-free and receiving a check on top of that.

Reduce Your Meal Plan

Are you going to eat 3 meals a day in the cafeteria? Probably not! Don’t buy the maximum meal plan if you are going to be using DoorDash a couple of times a week.

Again freshmen may not have the option to reduce their meal plan, but after freshman year, reevaluate your meal plan and adjust accordingly.

Utilize the Federal Work-Study Program

If you apply for Financial Aid (which I hope you did) and are eligible for the work-study program, you should take advantage of it. The work-study program allows you to work part-time while enrolled in school. The program helps undergraduate and graduate students earn money to pay for college expenses. Most colleges set aside the majority of their jobs for work-study students. These jobs are mainly on the campus and may include working in a campus office, the campus bookstore, cafeteria, or dorm to name a few.

If you are not eligible for the work-study program, you can still earn money in school. Some jobs on campus are set aside for students who don’t qualify for the work-study program, while on-campus jobs are convenient, off-campus part-time opportunities can also drastically cut college costs.

Many local businesses near universities hire college students due to their flexible schedules and willingness to work. You can search for off-campus job opportunities through online platforms like Craigslist, Indeed, or university-affiliated websites.

Obtain a Co-Op Position or Internship

If you can earn credit from a co-op position or an internship, this can put you closer to graduation. Most co-op and internships pay well and you can use some of this money to help lower your college costs.

Take Full of Advantage of Your Summers

Enroll in summer classes at a community college, but confirm the classes will transfer back to your university. Apply for a summer internship that can help you gain career experience as well as help trim down your college balance.

Visit Your Advisor Frequently

Your advisor can create a roadmap for your college journey. It is important to meet with your advisor if you need to drop or retake a class because your advisor can make sure you are on the right path.

If you have to stay in college for an additional year because you didn’t follow the roadmap, this could cost you thousands of dollars.

Always Take the Maximum Load Each Semester

Register for a full course load each semester and avoid dropping classes if possible. If you are doing well academically, consider taking on some additional courses.

Read Your College Bulletin

I consider your college bulletin your college Bible! You should keep it close by and open it often. You should refer to your college bulletin often because you want to make sure you are taking the correct prerequisites for your upper-level course.

Remember the goal is to graduate in four years or less.

Never Buy New Books or Pay Full-Price

Some colleges allow you to buy your books in a bundle each year, which is usually cheaper than buying each book separately. You can also check with other students for used books.

But the best way to cut down on textbook costs is by renting them instead of buying them. Renting can save a significant amount of money. Websites like Amazon offer textbook rentals at a fraction of the cost of buying them. Additionally, renting e-books is another cost-effective option.

Using the library is another great way to save money on course materials. Many college libraries have copies of required textbooks available for students to borrow. Sometimes you can even access e-books or digital versions of course materials through the library’s online resources.

Continue Applying for Scholarships Throughout College

You can make more money winning scholarships than working part-time, just treat your scholarship process as a job. Set aside a couple of hours each week to apply for scholarships. Don’t stop applying for scholarships until you can walk across the stage with your degree and be debt-free.

Lowering your college costs doesn’t happen by accident. It takes a mix of research, planning, and a willingness to explore every option available to you, from scholarships to employer tuition assistance. Every dollar you save today is a dollar you won’t have to pay back with interest later. That’s the real power of learning how to lower your college costs early and staying consistent with it throughout your college years.

Don’t waste your summer stressing about your college tuition and fees. We want you to lower your college costs, so use these 25 tips as a starting point, but you don’t have to tackle them all at once. Pick a few that fit your situation right now and build from there. If you implement some of these tips, you will be on your way to slashing your college debt.