Is Online College A More Affordable Option

HomeApplicationsHow Online College Can Be More Affordable Than a Traditional DegreeThis page may contain affiliate links.Dec 20, 2019There comes a time when a child sits down with their parents to discuss their options for education after high school. Of course, there are many alternatives to consider, including the traditional ritual of moving out and going to a brick-and-mortar school. However, have you ever considered some of the advantages of an online degree for your child? There are many reasons why this could be a good idea, including the fact that it is often more affordable. Is Online College a Good Idea? The College Bubble It’s no longer any secret that demand for college degrees has increased substantially in recent decades. Without getting into the economic and political weeds too much, it’s important to understand the effect that this economic increase has had on the various costs associated with college life. Tuition, books, fees, housing, and other living expenses have increased at more than twice the rate of inflation. This means that the traditional college experience is getting less and less affordable, which has caused some frugal individuals to wonder if there’s a better way. Luckily, there may be! Here are a few of the ways online schooling can save you money: Accelerated Courses One of the great things about an online degree is that they offer accelerated classes. This is great for an individual who wants to begin work sooner rather than later or for a person who is looking at a long educational career. Luckily for these individuals, many online colleges offer these types of fast-track degree plans. In some cases, you can even be ready to begin your career in as little as one year. You Live Far from Any Universities Considering that moving out may be too costly at the moment, a college with an online degree plan might be more financially feasible. Ask anyone who has ever relocated before, and they will be quick to tell you that the expenses add up very quickly. When you couple this with out-of-state tuition and the high cost-of-living for many states, one can quickly see why some people might want to consider an online degree plan. It is much cheaper to live in your hometown while pursuing your degree than to be saddled with the high cost of rent, utilities, transportation costs and miscellaneous expenses that used to be common for traditional college students. In this case, an online alternative makes more sense. Plenty of online programs still require common requirements like internships and advisor meeting. Savings on Required Course Materials With online classes, your required course materials are often available at either a significantly reduced rate or even completely free. Moreover, many course textbooks are available in â€Å"the public domain,† allowing yet another opportunity for procuring a textbook at no charge whatsoever. As you can see, there are many elements of online education that make it much more affordable than a traditional college program. For more information, talk to your college advisor about more opportunities for saving money.