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Graduating college without debt can put you on the fast-track for building savings and reaching financial goals. It also can enable you to pick a job you love, rather than the one that pays the most money. So, minimizing your college costs can be a great idea.

The basics have been well-covered in other essays: choose state schools; seek every scholarship you can find; graduate on time or even early so you can minimize your tuitions fees; work during the school year and summer.

But here are a few more unusual ideas, if you want to get really creative.

1. Combine junior college/community college with a traditional college. Many students are taking their first two years at very inexpensive community colleges in their home states, and then transfering to major state universities. Most states have poured lots of money into their community college systems in the past few years, so the facilities are better, the teachers are better, and many more courses are offered. It's a great option.

2. Get college credits for high school work. If you are a strong student, you should be able to get some credits for Advanced Placement courses by passing a standardized test at the end of high school. So if you're still in high school and reading this article, think about which "AP" courses you can take in your school.

3. Move to a state or city where college is free or highly subsidized by a special program. Obviously, this idea is not possible for everyone. Georgia, for example, promises HOPE Scholarships for free tuition at in-state schools for all state high school graduates with at least a "B" average. That's a pretty big deal. A few cities have also had private benefactors that are offering basically the same thing... Kalamazoo, Mich., and El Dorado, Ark. Do a google search on "free tuition" and your state, and see what comes up.

4. Go to a free college. There are a few, such as Cooper Union (New York City), Berea College (Berea, Ohio), and the Curtis Institute of Music. Obviously, they are very competitive.

5. ROTC. Not the most popular choice today, with the possibility of being sent to Iraq or elsewhere in the future, but it's surely a way to earn a ton of money towards college expenses.

6. Get your employer to pay for college or graduate work. Many employers will pay for all or a large share of college courses. M I know several people who dropped out of school with less than a year's worth of credits to finish, and they took entry-level office jobs. Then, they used their company's tuition-reimbursement program to finish the last few courses towards their degree, and they even began a graduate program.

7. Work in the admissions office. These are among the easiest jobs for recent grads or almost-grads to get on-campus, and they typically provide full tuition breaks.

Learn more about this author, B. B. James.
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