Financial Aid Opportunities To Help Pay For College
Updated April 12, 2023
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The average college student in 2021 pays over $35,000 annually in tuition and related educational expenses. This figure suggests that many learners need significant financial aid if they want to avoid debt.
Fortunately, students can take advantage of financial aid opportunities from several sources, including employers, governmental agencies, and nonprofits.
This article introduces these and other opportunities that students can use for college tuition assistance.
Professions that Pay Students Back
The federal government supports professionals in the healthcare, education, and public service sectors with loan repayment programs and other financial aid opportunities. Professionals interested in this form of college tuition assistance must follow specific guidelines, such as possessing a specific job title or working in a high-need area.
Nursing
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) runs the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program. The program pays off up to 85% of RNs' and APRNs' college loans. Eligibility criteria include graduating from an accredited nursing program. Recipients must also agree to work in a health professional shortage area (HPSA) or at a nursing school for 2-3 years.
Typical job sites for participants include American Indian health facilities, urgent care centers, and hospices. HRSA prefers applicants with the greatest financial need. Interested professionals must submit a confirmation of interest, employment verification, and loan information.
Health Professions
The State Loan Repayment Program (SLRP) serves physicians, dentists, social workers, therapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals. Candidates must be working in an HPSA. Recipients agree to use funds to pay back qualified loans, including federal and state loans and private consolidated loans.
Application materials include lender statements, an educational debt reporting form, a personal statement, and one recommendation letter from a work supervisor. States use different application cycles and may require additional materials. Interested professionals with questions should contact their state's SLRP administrator.
Teaching
The federal TEACH Grant helps aspiring teachers pay for their education. Requirements include maintaining a minimum 3.25 undergraduate or graduate GPA, enrolling in a TEACH Grant-eligible program, and demonstrating financial need. The program prefers applicants planning to teach STEM, foreign languages, special education, or another high-need subject.
Interested degree-seekers can start the application process by contacting their school's financial aid office. TEACH Grant recipients must commit to four years of service in a low-income school. Professionals who do not meet this requirement must repay the entire grant with interest.
Public Service Professions
Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) supports federal, state, and local government workers with William D. Ford Direct Loans. Professionals in the nonprofit sector may also qualify. Candidates must submit records indicating at least 120 monthly loan payments since Oct. 1, 2007.
Borrowers interested in PSLF must create an online account to determine their eligibility. The program's website includes a detailed how-to guide covering the application process.
Careers that Pay for School
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The Benefits of Tuition and Training Programs
Professionals can take advantage of tuition and training programs to advance their careers. In private paid training programs, workers receive a salary while learning how to perform their job. Employers may also sponsor workforce development programs that provide relevant training. Private paid training and workforce development programs do not charge employees tuition or fees.
Governmental agencies and private organizations also sponsor training programs in multiple subjects. Eligibility criteria and application deadlines vary, so individuals with questions should contact the sponsoring organization or agency.
Degree Training and Workforce Development Programs
ApprenticeshipUSA
A U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Program, ApprenticeshipUSA encourages employers to create apprenticeship opportunities. Companies and organizations that follow federal guidelines can receive financial incentives to implement these programs. In 2019, more than 25,000 employers nationwide brought on approximately 250,000 apprentices. Eligibility requirements vary by employer.
Job Corps
Another DOL program, Job Corps provides free vocational training and education to U.S. citizens and permanent residents ages 16-24. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and explain how training will improve their financial situation and quality of life. As of 2021, Job Corps offers dozens of training programs in multiple fields, such as advanced manufacturing, automotives, and construction.
MyNextMove
My Next Move helps people from all professional backgrounds explore more than 900 careers. The organization offers guides for Americans transitioning from military to civilian life. Individuals need not make an account or possess U.S. citizenship to explore these and other services.
Private Paid Training Programs
DaVita STAR Program
New RNs can receive additional training through the DaVita STAR Program. Participants must work at one of the nation's over 3,000 outpatient dialysis centers for 9-10 weeks while receiving one-on-one mentoring and classroom instruction. Other benefits include tuition reimbursement.
Hall Ambulance EMT Academy
The Hall Ambulance EMT Academy offers an intensive, 12-week program that qualifies students for an EMT position with Hall Ambulance. The program accepts applicants with and without related experience. The company also offers its employees free paramedic and paramedic field supervisor training.
Student Employment Nationwide Workforce Development
Federal Work-Study Program
The federal work-study (FWS) program helps college students with financial need gain professional experience and avoid debt. Students work part time for their school or a local company or organization. The federal government encourages employers to participate by covering 50-100% of degree-seekers' wages. Students can speak with a school financial aid advisor to research FWS opportunities.
CareerOneStop 'GetMyFuture'
CareerOneStop "GetMyFuture" offers a job board, resume tips, and a college application guide. The website's training section introduces visitors to multiple federal workforce development programs. Other resources include links to free training software, such as Khan Academy and Coursera.
State Workforce Development
CareerSource Florida
CareerSource Florida assists the state's residents with researching different careers and industries. The organization offers training and education programs, career development workshops, apprenticeship programs, and job fairs. Interested Floridians can access these resources on the CareerSource Florida website or visit one of the organization's 24 offices.
New York City Teaching Fellows
New York City launched Teaching Fellows in 2000 to increase the number of highly qualified K-12 educators. Candidates need a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA. Fellows must complete preservice before enrolling in a master's program at one of 11 partner universities. New York City pays for approximately 66% of fellows' tuition.
Texas Workforce Solutions
Texas Workforce Solutions hosts more than 180 offices statewide. These offices help people access training programs, polish their resumes, and sign up for career development initiatives. Workers and college students with children ages 12 and younger receive additional resources, such as public assistance programs.
Washington Opportunity Grants
Washington Opportunity Grants help low-income learners pay for college. Eligibility requirements include the FAFSA results, Washington state residency, and a minimum 2.0 undergraduate GPA. The grant pays for up to 45 undergraduate credits, and learners receive $1,000 to cover books and supplies.
West Philadelphia Skills Initiative
The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative offers training programs to help unemployed Philadelphians prepare for a new career. Candidates must complete an online application and an interview. Approximately 95% of participants find a new job soon after graduation.
Associate Director of Financial Aid
Expert Advice for Students Looking to Save
Q. What types of jobs are available to students seeking to qualify for tuition remission?
If you want to get tuition remission by working for a school, there are all kinds of jobs, in all kinds of fields, not always limited to the student's field of study. It depends on the school. Almost every college or university website has a Work Here or Careers link on the homepage — that is a good place to start. So are industry news publications such as Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, etc. Most schools also have fellowships and researchships, where the student does some academic work or assists a professor with research.
Q. Do you find that many incoming students know about out-of-the-box options, other than traditional loans and grants, for tuition assistance?
No, but in my experience, many students (and parents of students as well) don't explore their options further than asking friends and mainstream news. I suppose that any mainstream news coverage of college affordability at all is a trend that shows public awareness and interest. Just the fact that we are discussing exploring creative alternatives shows a growing interest in alternative options to traditional school financing.
Q. What is the best way for students to find out about these options? When should they begin looking and planning for them?
Start exploring colleges at the beginning of junior year of high school. Research their websites carefully, especially the financial aid and career sections, for creative options. Also, students can look for employment awards, like fellowships, on idealist.org. By the beginning of senior year, you should have your list narrowed down to a few top choices. Just around the time that the FAFSA opens, which will be in October, is a great time to talk with admissions and financial aid professionals at the colleges of choice about any alternative financing options.
It also helps to volunteer, join a college prep program during high school, like Upward Bound (or in San Francisco, we also have nonprofits like SMART, PACT, Inc., College Track, etc.), and network and make connections with people throughout high school. By gaining more experience and connections, you will be the first to find the creative opportunities.
The opportunities are in industries across the board and always changing. Right now, industries that make a lot of money, like healthcare and business, tend to have more reimbursement, and generally are more for graduate students than for undergraduates. Education is always a good bet, because they can provide this with no overhead, or through agreements with other schools. They want their employees to be educated, so they are motivated to help with obstacles like cost. Most of the time, the employer's HR department is responsible for tuition remission/reimbursement or student loan reimbursement benefits, and they would work with the billing offices of colleges and universities, not the financial aid office.
uition reimbursement. For example, Nurse Corps gives nurses working in underserved hospitals up to 85% reimbursement for three years of service. Do these organizations work directly with financial aid offices within universities?"]
Q. Are there programs at the University of San Francisco specifically for low-income, at-risk or minority students, outside of federal and private loans and grants?
Yes, we have a Tuition Discount Grant for students with financial need who meet minimum academic standards. Various academic departments have scholarships and fellowships, depending on what their budget looks like or what grants the faculty have received at the time. For admitted students, we also have a program for first-generation college students called Muscat Scholars that provides all kinds of services, like academic advising, financial aid, and peer support, all the way through to graduation.
Q. Are many of the students at USF working full time at companies who give work-study or training options? What might those options look like for a USF student, in terms of hours a week compared to earning potential?
Yes, mostly adult students — graduates, transfers and we have a degree-completion program in our School of Management for mostly returning adult students. Several USF employees work full time while earning their degrees. I can't speak to the earning potential, but USF is quite academically rigorous. My program took up probably 15-25 hours per week.
Q. Why might employers benefit from offering tuition reimbursement programs?
Higher education teaches us to think differently and creatively, and gives us new experience and ideas to bring back to our jobs, giving companies more options, and more pathways to success.
Naomi Follett, Associate Director of Financial Aid
Naomi has worked for nonprofit organizations since she was 11 years old, and has been a tutor and mentor to at-risk youth. She was the director of student services at the Institute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago, where she brought financial aid operations up to complete compliance and wrote several sections of ICSW's Academic Quality Improvement Plan.
Thomas Broderick
Thomas Broderick is a freelance writer and the owner of Broderick Writer LLC. He creates study guides, informational websites, and blog posts for clients in the education field. Thomas is also a published author of over 20 short stories and a member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.
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