Affordable Online Colleges: Making School Even Cheaper

However, often attending one of these affordable online colleges is not enough to make the cost of going to school truly affordable, and other measures must be taken. Here are some ideas to ease the cost of an education.

Many people think that you have to attend the school of your choice for your entire education, but this isn't true. One of the easiest ways to make college less costly is to transfer credits in. If you are still in high school right now, you can take AP courses in high school and then transfer in AP exam credit. At any age, you can take CLEP exams for credit, and transfer that credit in. Many people also will attend a local community college to earn affordable credit hours. Some community colleges offer very flexible learning formats, including the ability to take online courses and extension courses. Often, many students will have enough credits through these more affordable options to transfer in the equivalent of their first two years of school.

There is, however, one thing that you need to consider when you are signing up for community college courses, CLEP exams, and so forth. Many affordable online colleges have a limit on the number of hours you can transfer in. Some are specific about which courses you can transfer in, and some have unique requirements for CLEP exams. So be sure to read up on the requirements your own school has before you spend time and money earning credit through these other avenues.