Who Else Wants to go to College for Free? 3 Tuition-Free Colleges

Psst—Hey Buddy, want to go to college for free? It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Like someone trying to sell you a Rolex for 50 bucks.

After all, everybody knows that the only way to get a full ride to college these days is to be a stud athlete, win the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, or discover a new sub-atomic element with a homemade microscope.

Actually, not so. You don’t have to be an “outlier” to qualify for free tuition. In fact, here are some schools where regular, everyday New Jersey students can attend college tuition-free.

A quick note: In my list, I’ve omitted any school that requires extraordinary talent or aptitude to attain free tuition. For example, Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia is tuition-free. But as one of the world’s great music conservatories, you may literally have to be a Leonard Bernstein to attend (the West Side Story composer was a Curtis Institute grad). Similarly, Olivet College in Michigan offers a free ride to any student who is valedictorian of his or her class. That’s a great bargain. However, most of us aren’t Suzie Bookworm – so we need another way in.

Also, some schools limit their largess to certain geographic areas. For example, Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky offers free tuition only to students residing in select Appalachian counties. Similarly, Berea College favors students from Appalachia.

Lastly, I’ve left out the five service academies even though every student attends for free, because military service is not for everyone. However, if military service is in your comfort zone, there’s no better deal; not only is it free tuition, but free room and board as well.

Okay, enough rambling… Let’s get to the list tuition-free colleges.

1.) College of the Ozarks – Perhaps the highest profile tuition-free college, College of the Ozarks has received a bevy of accolades in recent years. Even U.S. News & World Report has taken notice, ranking College of the Ozarks:

    * #10 Baccalaureate College in the Midwest

    * #1 Great School for Great Price

    * #1 Lowest Acceptance Rate

    * #1 Least Debt

Overall, the most recent Best College Guide called the Point Lookout, Missouri, school “an A+ School for B Students.”

Nicknamed “Hard Work U” because all students work rather than pay for tuition, C of O discourages debt and shuns all government loan programs. Jobs are taken seriously here; students are graded on their work performance in addition to their classroom work. Perhaps this explains why the Princeton Review has named C of O a “Stone-Cold Sober School” for 10 years running. Another reason: alcohol is strictly prohibited on and off campus.

2.) Deep Springs College – For starters, Deep Springs is all male. It’s a throwback school in other ways, too (like all the way back to the 19th century). The campus is located on a cattle ranch and hay farm in the Inyo-White Mountains of California’s High Desert – far from the material world.

Every student admitted pays no tuition or room and board. In exchange, students work a minimum of 20 hours per week on the ranch. Independence and self reliance are championed here. “Students have a say in what subjects to study, what professors to hire, and even what applicants to admit,” according to a Wall Street Journal article. Deep Springs is a 2-year college. The majority of students complete their degrees at top tier 4-year schools after leaving Deep Springs. 

3.) Olin College of Engineering – The Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering is located in Needham, Massachusetts, 14 miles west of Boston (its neighbor is Babson College), and only opened its doors in 2002.

Yet in that short span, the school has developed a reputation as one of the top engineering programs in the country. U.S. News & World Report ranks it #6 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. Princeton Review includes Olin among the top 20 institutions in the nation in 11 categories, including #2 for “students never stop studying” and #2 for “professors get high marks.”

Interestingly, philanthropy is as important as physics at Olin. Students are encouraged to design solutions to societal needs and “engage in creative enterprises for the good of the world.” The school’s mission reflects the philosophy of Franklin W. Olin, for whom the school is named. Olin College is funded by a $460 million grant from the F.W. Olin Foundation. Every admitted student receives a four-year, half-tuition scholarship valued at approximately $80,000 over four years.