Yes, there are free colleges. There are not many, and they are not for everyone, and some may not be free much longer, but they do exist. What are they?
The first three, and maybe the best known, are the U.S. Service Academies: Air Force Academy, West Point, and U.S. Naval Academy. The next two are the lesser-known service academies, the Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy – they don’t play Notre Dame in football, so how would you know about them? All five of these schools are free and all are academically rigorous. All require service after graduation. And, all of them, except the Coast Guard Academy, require a nomination from a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate.
If you want to work the sea but don’t want to attend a service academy, consider Webb Institute of Glen Cove, NY. It is an engineering school with a strong emphasis on naval and marine engineering.
Another free college is Berea College. It is a well-regarded liberal arts college in Berea, Kentucky. Its mission is to provide an education to people who would not otherwise be able to go to college, especially (but not exclusively) residents of Appalachia. Applicants must be eligible for a Pell Grant. All students work on campus, too; the rest of the cost of education is covered by Berea’s sizeable endowment.
Similar to Berea is Alice Lloyd College, although its scope is more regional. The free tuition is for students from 108 counties in Appalachia, composed of parts of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.
If you want to study music, Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia charges no tuition. That’s good, because musicians usually don’t make a lot of money to pay off student loans.
Cooper Union, the art and design college in New York City, has long had a large-enough endowment, including New York City real estate holding, to be able to offer undergraduates and graduates free tuition. However, costs are rising faster than investment earnings, so Cooper Union may eliminate the full scholarships. Even if that happens, it will still be cheaper than many other colleges.
There are some public universities that are almost free to state residents, especially those who meet certain academic criteria or who study specific programs. Likewise. some religious colleges offer generous scholarships to members of their denomination. Check around your state and your church, as you might find even more free options.
