Free College?

[KillarneyRose]

While reading some older threads, I see that several people have mentioned that colleges in their home states are free to anyone who can get in. The states that were mentioned were Georgia and Louisiana.

Is that really true? Or is calling it free oversimplifying things? I've never heard of such a thing before and was just curious/interested.

Thanks!

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Cooper Union is private and tuition-free.

I don't know about free state schools.

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
While reading some older threads, I see that several people have mentioned that colleges in their home states are free to anyone who can get in. The states that were mentioned were Georgia and Louisiana.

Is that really true? Or is calling it free oversimplifying things? I've never heard of such a thing before and was just curious/interested.

Thanks!

Several states offer scholarships to those who qualify. The funds are via lottery.

[Rudey]

I know back when I applied to college state was free for me and city would have actually paid me to go. Neither were options I would have enjoyed. I also know Cooper Union was a free ride for engineering people.

-Rudey

[ZTAngel]

Florida public colleges certainly aren't free but the State does have a wonderful scholarship program.
Florida use to have a great tuition payment program called Florida Pre-Paid but they did away with it this year. The program allows parents to begin paying tuition for a public Florida school from the time of the child's birth. The program locks in the tuition rates for the year you set it up. My parents set up my Florida Pre-Paid account back in 1981 so they were paying the rates for that year. The downfall, of course, is if the child decides to go to school out of state or at a private Florida school. I don't think you can get your money back if this occurs (someone from FL who knows can correct me if I'm wrong).
Florida also has the Bright Futures Scholarship which gets its money through the lottery. Depending upon your GPA and the classes you took in HS, you can either get a 100% scholarship or a 75% scholarship. I think the minimum GPA for the 75% scholarship is a 3.25.
It was a great deal. When I was in school, I had Florida Pre-Paid plus the 100% scholarship (and I had another scholarship). Florida Pre-Paid covered my tuition and my scholarship money was deposited into my bank account. I used that money for books, food, sorority, rent, etc.

[DeltAlum]

The University of Oklahoma (the "other" O.U.) has a National Scholars program which offers essentially full rides to National Merit and National Hispanic Scholars.

By essentially, I mean that, even for out of state students, it covers nearly everything. I think our sons' first year cost us nothing, his second about $500 and this year we anticipate around $750-1000 out of pocket.

This is done through a series of fee waivers, cash stipends and scholarships. Also, additional scholarships the student may receive, even from the university, are NOT deducted from the package -- which can help with "spending money" and the like.

Our son's freshman class had 192 "National Scholars" in it, the highest number per capita of any public supported university.

[WCUgirl]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
Florida public colleges certainly aren't free but the State does have a wonderful scholarship program.
Florida use to have a great tuition payment program called Florida Pre-Paid but they did away with it this year. The program allows parents to begin paying tuition for a public Florida school from the time of the child's birth. The program locks in the tuition rates for the year you set it up. My parents set up my Florida Pre-Paid account back in 1981 so they were paying the rates for that year. The downfall, of course, is if the child decides to go to school out of state or at a private Florida school. I don't think you can get your money back if this occurs (someone from FL who knows can correct me if I'm wrong).
Florida also has the Bright Futures Scholarship which gets its money through the lottery. Depending upon your GPA and the classes you took in HS, you can either get a 100% scholarship or a 75% scholarship. I think the minimum GPA for the 75% scholarship is a 3.25.
It was a great deal. When I was in school, I had Florida Pre-Paid plus the 100% scholarship (and I had another scholarship). Florida Pre-Paid covered my tuition and my scholarship money was deposited into my bank account. I used that money for books, food, sorority, rent, etc.

I BEGGED my mom to do the pre-paid for some reason. But she never would. Good thing she didn't b/c by the time I graduated I was ready to get out of there. You're right - you don't get your $$$ back if you choose not to use it.

I was awarded a Bright Futures scholarship (back when it was called the Gold Seal scholarship) but chose not to use that either. Yeah, mom was a little peeved at me about that one too.

[Xylochick216]

My little transferred from Elon to UGA because she's from Georgia and got a huge break going in-state. I'm not sure of the program name, though.

The only problem I can see with a free or almost free state school program is that a lot of people want to go out-of-state or to a private school. All the public schools in VA were too big for me and didn't have programs as good as the one I was in at Elon.

[Eclipse]

Georgia has a program called the HOPE scholarship that is funded by the GA Lottery. A GA resident who graduates HS with a 3.0 GPA or better receives free tuition at any public college or university. The student still has to pay for room & board (if applicible) and any fees. The HOPE also has a book scholarship that is, I think, $500 a semester. The student has to have at least a 3.0 GPA the first year or so then the GPA requirement is increased. I think to keep the HOPE all 4 years you have to graduate with a 3.2 or something like that. Sorry I don't remember the details, but it did not exist when I was in college!

The program is so successful that many of GA's schools have increased their GPA requirements. Schools that were once considered 'safety' school are increasingly more competative because good students are choosing to stay in state. With state budget issues there is talk of raising the GPA, adding a needs based component, or reducing the award amount. The success of the program also has led to charges that HS students are taking "easy" classes in HS to keep their 3.0, HS (and college) teachers are giving As and Bs so that students don't loose their eligibility and that student are taking longer than 4 or 5 years to graduate because they drop classes if their GPA is in danger of falling below a 3.0

As an aside, the HOPE scholarship also pays for people who get their GED to continue their education, pays GA HS students who go to private schools a small stipend (a couple thousand dollars, I think, with no GPA requirement) and for 4 year old kindergarden.

I hope I got all of that right....I did it from my personal knowledge of the program.

[ZTAngel]

Originally posted by BetaRose
FLPP still exists and will continue to annually accept new enrollments into the program.

Really? I remember hearing that the cut off enrollment was January 2004. My friend was mentioning about her sister needing to enroll her newborn son into it before the program ended. Or maybe they were thinking of ending the program?

[XOMichelle]

Stanford was free for the first few years, and then had very low tuition for a long time after that. Sucks that they changed their mind!

[Rudey]

Originally posted by XOMichelle
Stanford was free for the first few years, and then had very low tuition for a long time after that. Sucks that they changed their mind!

You got financial aid. Stanford is not free.

-Rudey

[AchtungBaby80]

I would've LOVED free tuition...then my college fund would've been money in the bank.

Kinda off the subject, but I read an article in our local paper today about an "undocumented immigrant" who just completed a degree at the local community college and wants to continue his education at the state university in this city, but can't afford it and he's complaining and all "woe is me" because he says the community college didn't offer enough guidance on how to finance his continuing education. He can't receive federal aid because he's illegal, but he seems to think that the school should've helped him apply for merit scholarships. I have issues with this, but I was wondering what you all thought about illegal immigrants or noncitizens getting scholarship money?

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by ZTAngel
Really? I remember hearing that the cut off enrollment was January 2004. My friend was mentioning about her sister needing to enroll her newborn son into it before the program ended. Or maybe they were thinking of ending the program?

Like BetaRose said, they converted it to a 529. My sister has it for both of her kids. I think a 529 will make it easier to travel than the prepaid did. It was hell getting that one out of the grasp of the state of Florida.

I had Florida Pre-paid, and qualified for Bright Futures (back when it was Florida Academic Scholars). Not only did I go out of state, I went to a private, expensive out of state. But, I didn't want to be in school with all 39 of my HS classmates, so it was worth it.

Louisiana has a program called TOPS, which is essentially the same thing.

[azdtaxi]

Lousiana school have TOPS. If you have a certain gpa and ACT score you can go to any state school for free ... when I graduated in 2000 the gpa was like a 2.0 and act like a 20 ... they have sinced raised the standards ... i unfortunately did not benifit because I went out of state and then came back two years later and you can't get this back once you leave .... the money can also be put towards private school ed but you will still have to pay bc private are of course more than public