Frugal Friday: Saving Money on Tuition

Tuition: Money-Saving Tips for College Students

Frugal Friday is a weekly post, which will examine the many ways in which you can save and spend money more wisely as a college student. 

This week, we are looking at how you can save money on your tuition, and potentially graduate earlier in the process.

Take Courses at a Community College.

Estimated Savings: ~$700-800 per class (4 credit hours)

• Do you have some free time during winter or summer break? Take some classes at a local Community College or Regional Branch of Ohio University and you can save a lot of money. This is something you will have to plan ahead on – talk to your advisor about this, then find which lower-level and introductory courses are being offered during winter/summer breaks around your hometown.
  
  Note: With OU switching to Semesters next year, you can be even more confident that your credits will transfer.

Essentially, taking just ONE course over a summer or winter break can save you over $700 or more. 

Breakdown of cost-per-credit hour (Click links for more details. Regional campus cost is averaged).

	Credit Hours	In-State Cost	Out-of-State Cost
Ohio University – Athens	1	$312	$607
	4	$1,248	$2,428

	Credit Hours	County Resident Cost	Non-Resident Cost
OU – Regional Campus	1	~$140	~$230
	4	~$570	~$925

	Credit Hours	County Resident Cost	Non-Resident Cost
Lakeland Community College	1	$96	$125
	4	$385	$498

I highly recommend doing this if you are able to - you receive just as good of an education elsewhere as you would here at OU, especially in these lower-level courses. Doing this can not only save you money, but also help you to graduate earlier too.