Last Updated on September 12, 2022
Are you planning to study abroad in the United States, and you are worried about the high cost of studying at US universities? It might interest you to go through this article as you will learn about some of the best tuition free universities in the US. Read further for more details.
These programs are recommended by prestigious and respected sources, as well as, positive student reviews. Many are also free online colleges so interested individuals who cannot attend on-campus classes will still have the opportunity to earn a useful degree.
Students without the necessary means to afford a college education should worry no more! This list features outstanding free colleges and universities (or as close to free as possible) that also offer superb degree programs and majors.
The list of schools below is not ranked in any particular order as they are specific to the needs of the students. There are schools on this list that cater to musicians, Christian students, engineers, members of the military, and more!
Those students who meet certain standards and criteria are eligible for these tuition-free colleges, yet still, have the same opportunities and resources available to individuals who pay full price. These programs are made possible thanks to donations and endowments, as well as the inclinations of the school founders. Many of these free colleges in the USA are also open for foreign students so don’t hesitate about asking them about admission requirements and scholarship opportunities.
Each highlighted school has its own unique offerings, so be certain to check out each school’s website for their specific terms regarding free tuition, for they all do not offer the same attributes. To give you an idea of what may be available in free tuition-based schools; this list was primarily composed and based on the following components:
- tuition free colleges universities schools
- Free tuition or low-cost tuition expense to the student,
- Offers full-tuition scholarships, grants or tuition work programs,
- Funded internships or study abroad programs,
- Provides a quality degree program with positive college experience,
- Free online application and admission process,
- Some schools offering degree-specific subject and career matter,
- Job placement opportunities,
- Ease of credit transfer,
- Offers free housing, medical and dental care,
- Military academies offering programs designed to promote leadership and character through academics and physical activities and training.
(Please note that the above points do not apply to every school listed below.)
Table of Contents
10 Tuition Free Colleges and Universities in the US
1. Barclay College
Location: Haviland, Kansas
Barclay College was established in 1917 as the Kansas Central Bible Training School, and from 1925-1990 was known as the Friends Bible College. Now Barclay College, this free Christian college was established by Quakers, yet it is a welcoming home to students of all evangelical faiths. The mission is largely focused on preparing students for Christian service and leadership. Some undergraduate degrees include Bachelor’s in Worship Arts, Pastoral Ministry, and Youth Ministry. There are also prominent Master’s programs in which students can take advantage. The free tuition is made possible through the Full-Tuition Scholarship, with which all resident students receive a $15,000 scholarship when they are accepted into Barclay. This scholarship is available thanks to supporters of the school who believe in giving Christian students access to a fantastic education without being overwhelmed with debt.
The tuition free online university is well-known for its online business management program, which is geared toward individuals who want to finish their bachelor’s degree anywhere in the country. Students attend in four six-week courses every semester, which means the program can be completed in as little as two years.
2. Berea College
Location: Berea, Kentucky
This free Christian college supplies students with programs that are shaped by fairness, peace, love, and equality, and students are only required to pay an average price of $1,000 for meals, housing, and fees. Otherwise, the entirety of an individual’s education is completely free!
In fact, Berea College takes pride in its status as the only one of top colleges in the United States with a no-tuition promise! You can get a free online bachelor degree in your field of choice, too, thanks to Berea’s comprehensive degree programs. Its academic departments include African and African American studies, agriculture and natural studies, biology, business, sociology and religion, to name a few.
Over a four-year degree, students receive an education that is worth approximately $100,000. Located in the Southern United States, Berea College was founded by reformers and abolitionists with the mission to purvey the teachings and principles of Jesus Christ. Students are actively engaged on campus through the Student Labor Program, through which they serve the community and learn invaluable lessons, and which also helps keep their programs tuition-free. Berea College has been recognized many times over for their dedication to students with limited resources, by resources such as Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and USA Today, as well as many others.
3. Alice Lloyd College
Location: Pippa Passes, Kentucky
Alice Lloyd College is a well-respected institution of higher education that offers free tuition to students within their service area, which includes 108 counties that span over 5 states—Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This free college is highly dedicated to the success of its students and provides an excellent range of four-year degree programs in a small, private, liberal arts setting.
Degrees include those in business, medicine, education, social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, and mathematics, each of which challenges students to think outside the box. A huge number of graduates go on to enter excellent master’s programs and are even more likely to do so thanks to the free college tuition! Alice Lloyd maintains an outstanding 96% job placement rate for its graduates, which is a testament to the superb levels of education provided by the faculty and administration.
Take note that Alice Lloyd College currently doesn’t offer free online college degree programs. But its wonderful campus makes for a great student life!
4. College of the Ozarks
Location: Point Lookout, Missouri
Through a combination of the college Work Program, institutional scholarships, and federal and state grants, College of the Ozarks students can complete their entire education entirely tuition-free. The work program requires students to perform 15 hours of work per week and two 40-hour work weeks during breaks to cover the tuition and other costs. Students can also work during the summer to cover their room and board.
There are no student loans throughout a student’s college experience, but they are required to give back to the community through hard work. Through this incredible free college, students gain invaluable experiences, ethics, and an education that is incredibly well-rounded. Otherwise known as Hard Work U., there are over 100 jobs and positions of which students can take advantage to offset the cost of tuition.
This free Christian College is also focused on nurturing students’ faith by offering ministry retreats, mission trips, Bible studies, and other such opportunities. C of O has been educating students since 1906 and is founded on Christian principles. Students at this free college can look forward to a fulfilling experience and outstanding education.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has moved to online classes and, as such, can be considered a free online university for the time being. You can then pursue a tuition free online accounting degree where you will learn foundational knowledge and skills necessary to pass the CPA exam, among other degree outcomes.
5. Webb Institute
Location: Glen Cove, New York
The Webb Institute is an exceptional, top-ranked East Coast school that offers one double-major in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, with which all admitted students receive a four-year free college tuition scholarship. The free tuition is valued at over $50,000 per year, which saves students over $200,000 in student debt upon graduation.
Webb offers students a small student-to-faculty ratio at 9:1, where they work closely with their professors in classrooms, laboratories, and out in the field. Students participate in a mandatory Winter Work Term, wherein they labor alongside ship fitters and welders receiving a salary for their work, while also getting invaluable, real-world experience.
During the regular school year at this free college, students learn on a stunningly beautiful, 26-acre campus with a private beach. Webb maintains an outstanding 100% job placement rate, which makes the free bachelor degree all the more attractive due to the high return on investment. Oftentimes alumni will go on to enter eminent graduate programs.
6. Deep Springs College
Location: Deep Springs, California
Deep Springs College is an incredibly unique school for men that offers a two-year, free college tuition scholarship valued at over $50,000. A small school, Deep Springs accepts about 315 applicants each year, of which about 14 are accepted after the second round of applications, essays, and interviews.
24 to 30 students are in attendance each year where they live and work on an alfalfa farm and cattle ranch in eastern California. The farming atmosphere is not the only thing that makes this free college of the liberal arts so unique—the student body is the deciding group for many aspects of maintaining the college such as admissions and hiring faculty.
Students start their day with classes and lectures and then are sent off to work on the farm where they labor for no less than 20 hours each week. Students have gone on to work in journalism, agriculture, medicine, politics, and much, much more after their fulfilling and free college experience at Deep Springs College.
7. Warren Wilson College
Location: Swannanoa, North Carolina
This small, Southern liberal-arts college of about 680 students offers North Carolina residents a free college tuition plan for those who qualify for state or federal need-based financial aid. Warren Wilson College’s distinctive need-based grants and scholarships cover the remaining cost for these students, giving them a free college experience of an impeccable register.
One such grant includes the WWC work-grant, wherein students participate in campus and community labor by working with one of many different work crews in maintenance, publishing, garden work, cattle raising, and much more incredibly gratifying areas. In fact, much of the food available at the dining hall is grown and raised right on Warren Wilson’s gorgeous 1,135-acre campus! Education at this free college offers students 44 majors and concentrations that can be combined to suit individual goals and pursuits.
8. Curtis Institute of Music
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Cutis Institute of Music is a highly competitive school that offers free tuition to undergraduate and graduate students, alike. The student body is quite small at about 175 students and accepts only 4% of applicants each year. In this way, Curtis students receive an incredibly in-depth and personalized music education that is focused on “learning by doing.”
There are over 200 offerings through orchestral groups, opera, chamber music, and more, all of which are led by world-renowned musicians and instructors. The free college tuition covers an annual amount of $42,320 for undergraduate students and $52,548 for graduate students; however, all are required to pay for administrative fees and textbooks. The Curtis Institute of Music has been maintaining the free tuition for all students since 1928 through scholarships and merit-based aid.
The tuition free online degree programs include a Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music in Opera. There’s also a performance diploma program and a Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. Keep in mind that the competitive nature of these programs starts from the admissions process and continues for their entire duration. Indeed, the free tuition must be earned by students through excellent grades and performances!
9. Macaulay Honors College
Location: New York City, New York
A school within the City University of New York system, Macaulay Honors College offers free college tuition for four-year undergraduate students (except for administrative fees). Macaulay is CUNY’s Honors College and provides an incredibly unique free college experience for New York state residents. The free tuition is available thanks to scholarships from institutional, federal, state, and TAP sources.
Macaulay is a competitive and selective institution of higher education that is considered one of the top 5 honors colleges in the country. Students can attend this free college at one of CUNY’s 8 campuses throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, yet all students attend some courses and lectures at the home campus in Manhattan’s upper west side. Not only do students receive free tuition, but they also receive an Apple laptop that includes all of the most up-to-date and necessary applications for their needs at Macaulay.
As one of the low tuition online colleges in the State of New York, it also offers significant partial scholarships for out-of-state students. With such an onerous financial burden removed from their shoulders, most of the Macaulay alumni pursue graduate and post-graduate education in prestigious universities with little to no student debt to hinder them.
10. University of the People
Location: Pasadena, California
Is University of the People legit? Yes, of course, it is! In fact, University of the People is the world’s first non-profit, tuition-free, accredited, online American university. This school is distinctive among others on this catalog as it offers students 100% online degrees! Aside from the $60 application fee and the $100 assessment fees per course, students have a completely free college experience throughout their time at this online school.
Students do not pay for books or course materials of any kind and attend tuition-free university courses online. How does it make its free online degree programs, even numerous free masters’ degree programs, possible? UoPeople is partnered with many impressive companies and organizations that make the free tuition possible, such as Intel, Hewlett Packard, and Microsoft, as well as many others.
The university also has partnerships with top-ranked institutions of education, such as NYU, UC Berkeley, University of Edinburgh, and the International Baccalaureate. The school has received glowing recognition from outstanding sources including Business Week and The Economist. Students at this tuition-free university can enroll in associates, bachelors, and master’s degrees programs in the areas of Business Administration, Computer Science, Education, and Health Science.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I go to college with no money?
Please don’t let the cost of a college degree deter you from achieving your goal. Besides scholarships, grants, and work-study programs, there are some colleges that actually offer free tuition; however, some stipulations may apply. When considering a “free” program, check out the details as some will require you to “return the favor,” such as through military service or student labor programs.
Are free-tuition colleges properly accredited?
Yes, free tuition colleges offer the same accreditation as the traditional programs in which you pay full price; although, with any program, you must verify accreditation before enrolling to ensure a quality education, as well as the option for credit transfers if needed.
Is there a free online university?
Although tuition-free colleges may exempt you from paying tuition costs, you will most likely be responsible for costs incurred for textbooks, miscellaneous fees, meals, and of course, your room and board. Another way to save on costs is to attend a tuition-free online university; hence saving dollars on travel, meals, and accommodations.
Colleges and Universities entered here are known to offer tuition-free (or at least, almost free) degree programs to help those who wish to obtain a college education without accumulating a mountain of student debt. These programs are recommended by prestigious and respected sources, as well as, positive student reviews. Many are also free online colleges so interested individuals who cannot attend on-campus classes will still have the opportunity to earn a useful degree.
Students who are lucky enough to earn enrollment at one of these tuition free colleges or universities in the US are some of the most fortunate individuals in higher education. Many students exit their degrees with a staggering amount of debt to be paid off over the next few decades, yet graduates from these schools can enter the workforce and start saving money right from the start.
Many of these tuition free colleges and universities represent some of the finest and most well-respected higher education institutions in America. With free college tuition, these students have the ability and opportunity to pour their attention into other ventures without being overburdened by college debt! There are a considerable amount of different learning environments included on this list so that students can feel at home with whichever free college they choose.