If you are looking to obtain high education but don’t have the thousands of dollars in tuition fees and living expense, in this video, I’m going to share with you 7 ways you can pay for quality education if you don’t have the money right now.
It is true that formal education will make you a living and self-education will make you a fortune. But as much as you can learn many things today from reading and watching videos online, many people still need an organized learning environment. People still need to go to school to study law, medicine, engineering and all these other fields that are useful to humanity.
So how do you go about it if you want quality education but don’t have the money to pay your tuition fees and associated expenses? Before we get to answer this question, I’ll like to invite you to subscribe to After School TV for more insightful videos like this.
1. Apply for Scholarship
One of the best ways to pay for quality education is to have someone pay the fees for you. And the way to do that is to be awarded a scholarship. A scholarship is simply a form of financial support awarded to deserving students and applicants based on select criteria provided by the scholarship provider. Some scholarships cover the entire cost of the student’s study including tuition fees, accommodations cost, feeding and other associated costs. These are known as fully funded scholarships. There are also scholarships that cover only the full tuition fee. The student is then expected to carter for their living expense. Whereas, there are also partial scholarships, that cover part of the tuition fees.
To win a scholarship, you are expected to meet specific eligibility criteria, submit required documents and a compelling application. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of merit; that is to students with high academic performance, talent, and achievement or on a need- basis for students that demonstrate financial need.
There are thousands of scholarship opportunities out there. And people are winning them every year. We already have a lot of videos about scholarships on this channel. You can check them out. Also, visit www.afterschoolafrica.com to access more scholarship opportunities.
2. Apply for Grants and Bursaries
Grants and bursary are often used interchangeable in this context. In many instances, this source of fund is also considered scholarship. But there is a slight difference. Grants are bursaries are mostly offered by government or nonprofit organization to students based on their financial need. So while searching for scholarships, you may also include grants and bursary in your search term.
3. Develop and Offer High Income Freelance Service
Financial aids like scholarships and grants are typically competitive. You don’t only need to meet specific criteria and requirements; you also have to compete with a large pool of qualified applicants for a chance to be awarded. In other words, scholarship is not for everyone.
What other options do you have? Develop a skill and offer a service to people for high income and pay for your education. There are many students in school today that are self funding; that is they are paying their tuition fees from their income. With online freelance market places and digital media platforms, it is a lot easier today for just anyone to earn income from offering a service. You can offer web development, graphic design, content writing, video editing and many other services and make enough money to pay for quality education.
Your major challenge will be balancing your school work and freelance work. With good time management skill, you should be able to handle it.
4. Take Online Courses
If you cannot get a scholarship or bursary, and don’t have a high paying skill, there are many online courses you can take to develop your skills. You can develop a new skill that you can offer in the market for high income.
Also, there are cheaper and affordable online classes offered by established high institutions and corporations across the world. Online platforms like Coursera, EDX and Udacity, you will find courses offered by prestigious Universities in US, UK and Canada. There are many other online education companies coming up to offer quality education at a fraction of the cost. Most of them offer classes like traditional schools and also offer certificates if that is important to you. You can attend your classes at your convenience and at your own time. This gives you the time to work and earn money while you study.
5. Apply for Competitions
Another way to potentially make some quick money for your education is through competitions. Many organizations of student and young people’s competitions every year, with cash prizes ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. This can be in the form of an essay competition, photography competition, innovation challenge and so many others.
If you are fortunate to emerge as a winner is some of these competitions, the prizes may help pay for a few years into your education at an affordable institution.
6. Get a Job and Work while you Study
If you plan to study abroad full time for an undergraduate degree and hope to pay for your education from a job, you may not have many destination options. The truth is that as much as there are countries where you can study and work for undergraduate studies, in most cases, what you earn from your job will not be enough to pay your tuition fees and living expense.
However, if you are going for a postgraduate degree, it is a lot easier to study and work. You have a higher chance of getting a job that can take care of your tuition fees and living expenses. While you study, you can take a part-time job or internship to save up for your education. When looking for a job in school, you should try to find a job that is flexible, does not require you working late hours and above all offers a decent wage. It is an added advantage if your job allows you to learn about a field you are interested in or studying in school.
7. Start a Business
This option will not work for everyone because not everyone is cut out for business. But if you are up for the challenge, instead of letting years pass by hoping for when you will get awarded a scholarship to go back to school, start a business.
The thing with starting a business is that, as much as you may not get to make a lot of money in the beginning, you will learn and grow as a person. You will develop skills that will serve you throughout your professional life. In addition to that, your business may grow to the point that you may not need to go back to school. There are many stories of school dropouts who ended up building successful companies.
Technology and the internet have made it a lot easier to build a business today than ever before. So starting a business around a skill you have may not be a bad idea. You run your business as a self-employed person as you go to school part-time.
The point is that there are many alternatives to get the education you desire. Not having money now should not stop you from achieving your educational dream. It may take you longer than necessary, but you will be proud that you did whatever it took to make your dream come true.
If you found this video helpful, like and share it with someone. If you are yet to subscribe to After School TV, now is a good time to hit the subscribe button. Until next time, YOUR SUCCESS MATTERS!
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