How One Woman Got Her College Degree For Free

November 17, 2015

One of the most frequent questions we get from people is how to save money on college education. We understand that for most people, saving to pay for 100% of college costs is unfeasible and that there needs to be a college savings strategy for kids that are close to attending college with limited funds. As I started researching a strategy, my wonderful co-worker, Camille, told us about a book written by Sharla Berry, an educator in Los Angeles called Degree for Free: How To Save Time and Money on Your College Education.

She wrote this book from her own experience as a child of a single parent with limited funds looking for ways to fund her college education. She did well in school, but she was neither the class valedictorian nor a star athlete. Sharla was determined to finish her bachelor’s degree debt-free and she looked for ways to pay for college.

Her perseverance paid off and she found over $10,000 in scholarships and another $30,000 in government and private resource funds. She beat the odds and graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount, which at that time was about $40,000, a year DEBT-FREE. She wrote her book to help all Americans finish college without being chained to student loan debt. She shared with me some of her tips on paying for college:

Strong academic record=$$$. Sharla emphasized students being strategic about what classes to take such as advanced placement classes or honors classes since colleges look at the academic rigor of a student record.

Get involved in your community. She learned quickly that the best place to find money for college was in her own backyard and that it is a lot easier to get scholarships if they know you through your involvement. Community-based organizations could include your place of worship, cultural groups, civic organizations, fraternities or sororities, youth mentorship programs, community centers and your local chamber of commerce. Think about your network and ask about scholarship opportunities. Sharla mentioned that you do not always need to be a member of the community service organization to be a scholarship recipient and there is less competition in some cases since these types of scholarships are less advertised.

Understand the college financial aid package. Sharla mentioned that if she had to guess, she would say most people spend 90% of their time applying to college and about 10% of the time looking for strategies to pay for college. If you are unsatisfied with your financial aid package, you can appeal. You can also consider sending better financial aid offers from other schools to see if your top school will offer more money. If your family experienced a hardship, you can explain the hardship in the appeal process.

Take classes at your local community college. Sharla took classes at her local community college while still in high school. This strategy allowed her to shave a semester and several thousand dollars off her college costs.

Developing a strategy can help save thousands of dollars and get your kids off to a great financial start in adulthood. That includes a strategy for both college entrance and financing. Have an honest and open discussion about your financial limitations and the cost of college to help your children make a college choice that will not bind them to student loans they will be paying off by the time your grandkids are ready for college.