The Financial Aid Handbook, Revised Edition

7The Cost-Based College Search

TO BE BLUNT, the absolute cheapest option for a college education is to attend a local community college for two years, and then transfer to another school. That allows you to get all of your prerequisites and core requirements out of the way, at an exceptionally reasonable price. The average annual tuition cost for a community college, according to the College Board, is $3,440. It also allows you to raise your grades substantially, if you need to—making you eligible for admission and merit aid to colleges that you may not otherwise be able to consider. If you are absolutely committed, you can earn this amount by putting away the earnings for about nine hours per week, 52 weeks per year, at $10 an hour. Double that ...