Attending college doesn’t have to be a large financial burden.Some schools, for instance, offer free tuition to admitted students.But read the fine print.You may have to hail from a certain state or region, or come from a low-income background.Some schools require on-campus work or service after graduation.
Here are 17 of these tuition-free colleges, listed in alphabetical order.This noncomprehensive list excludes community colleges and colleges experimenting with tuition-free models for a small cohort of students.
Note that many tuition-free colleges still charge for room and board, among other fees.
– 17 Tuition-Free Colleges
Paying for CollegeBest CollegesEducationHome
17 Tuition-Free Colleges
Work on campus or service after graduation may be required to earn free tuition at these schools.
Webb Institute|
Some schools don’t charge tuition
Jennifer Hall|
Alice Lloyd College (KY)
This small rural school in Pippa Passes, Kentucky, guarantees free tuition to students who live in the Central Appalachian service area.
Residents of 108 counties in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia may qualify for Alice Lloyd College’s Appalachian Leaders College Scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition for up to 10 semesters.All students at the privately funded work college take jobs through the student work program and work at least 10 hours a week in areas such as maintenance, food preparation and office administrative work.Alice Lloyd also offers scholarships to assist ALC alumni with graduate and professional studies there.
Getty Images|
The Apprentice School (VA)
With a 100-plus-year history, The Apprentice School provides students with classes and full-time employment in various shipbuilding trades.There is no tuition at the Virginia school.Instead, students earn an hourly wage plus benefits.A typical apprenticeship lasts four to five years.Students who started their apprenticeship on or after July 27, 2020 graduate with a certificate and an associate of applied science degree in their trade.
(Barclay College)|
Barclay College (KS)
Students at this private Christian college in Kansas attend tuition-free if they live on campus.All full-time students at Barclay College who live in the school’s residential facilities qualify for the college’s full-tuition scholarship but are responsible for technology, room and board, and general fees.
However, on-campus students with a 3.5 GPA or higher can qualify for the President’s Scholar Award, which provides $1,000 annually to help cover the cost of room and board.”The Board of Trustees at Barclay College continues to commit itself and the institution to creating a pathway for students to graduate with little or no debt,” the school’s website says.
(Berea College Marketing & Communications)|
Berea College (KY)
At Kentucky’s Berea College, no student pays tuition.The Tuition Promise Scholarship pays off any remaining tuition costs for all admitted students after the use of state, federal and institutional aid.Students must work at least 10 hours per week on campus in one of more than 130 departments and typically earn between $6 and $8 hourly, though higher wages are available for certain job classifications.Earnings can be used to pay for room, board and other educational expenses.
College of the Ozarks|
College of the Ozarks (MO)
Full-time students at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri pay no tuition, but part-time students shell out $310 per credit hour.
For those attending full time, the tuition waiver requires 15 hours a week of on-campus work plus two 40-hour weeks during the academic year.All students pay a $260 health/technology/service fee every semester.The college uses the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA, to determine financial need, and filing the form is an admissions requirement for all students.
David DeBalko|
Curtis Institute of Music (PA)
Prospective students must audition for enrollment in Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, which has offered full-tuition scholarships to every undergraduate and graduate student since 1928.While the Pennsylvania music school doesn’t charge tuition, it has annual fees.
New and returning students pay a $3,500 comprehensive fee – which covers the cost of textbooks, internet, recording fees, wellness services and facility use – along with other charges for health care insurance and instruments.
(Deep Springs College)|
Deep Springs College (CA)
Students enrolled at California’s Deep Springs College aren’t charged tuition, though they are expected to provide a damage deposit and pay for books, travel, health insurance and incidental expenses.In instances of demonstrated financial need, these additional costs can be subsidized.Unlike many tuition-free schools, room and board is covered.Deep Springs aims to enroll 14 students each year to receive a two-year liberal arts education while working on the school’s cattle ranch and alfalfa farm.
Michael Siluk|UCG
Haskell Indian Nations University (KS)
The Kansas-based tribal university offers free tuition to American Indian and Alaska Native students from federally recognized tribes.Additional fees, such as those related to technology, housing, athletics and activities, are not included and range from $240 per semester for off-campus students to $715 for those living on campus.
On average, each tribe saves around $20,000 per year in tuition and fees for every member sent to Haskell Indian Nations University, according to the school’s website.
(United States Air Force Academy)|
United States Air Force Academy (CO)
No tuition or room and board fees are charged at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.After graduation, cadets are required to serve in the U.S.Air Force or U.S.Space Force for at least eight years – five of which must be active duty – with some exceptions.Graduates with flight training, for example, are committed to a minimum of 10 years.
Authorized international students are allowed to apply for admission through their government.
Petty Officer Cory Mendenhall|
United States Coast Guard Academy (CT)
Students are also known as cadets at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where tuition and room and board are free, and postgraduate service for five years is required.
However, 85% of graduates decide to serve longer, according to the school’s website.While saving money on college-related costs, enrolled cadets also earn a salary.Located in Connecticut, the academy overlooks the Thames River.The education is valued at more than $280,000.
USMMA Alumni Association & Foundation, Inc.|
United States Merchant Marine Academy (NY)
Students at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York, who are referred to as midshipmen, don’t pay tuition in exchange for service after graduation.
The costs of textbooks, room and board, and uniforms are also covered.Midshipmen spend a “Sea Year” during college, visiting an average of 18 foreign countries aboard commercial vessels while receiving hands-on training related to ship repair and maintenance, cargo loading and navigation.
(Getty Images)|
United States Military Academy (NY)
Tuition, room and board, and medical and dental benefits are covered for students, also known as cadets, at the United States Military Academy in New York.
Cadets also receive a salary each month to cover other fees.In addition to five years of required active duty military service after graduation and an additional three years in a reserve role, cadets at West Point, as it’s known, must play on a sports team each semester.With the motto of “every cadet is an athlete,” West Point offers intramural, club and NCAA Division I and II teams.
U.S.Naval Academy|
United States Naval Academy (MD)
By pledging to serve in the U.S.Navy for five years after graduation, enrollees at the United States Naval Academy receive free tuition, room and board, and dental and medical care.Students at the Annapolis, Maryland, institution, who are known as midshipmen, receive an average $1,273 per month as a stipend budget to use toward additional costs like laundry, haircuts, and activity and other service fees.Midshipmen also get access to active duty benefits, such as lodging discounts, commercial transportation and military commissaries.
UNH Communications and Public Affairs|
University of New Hampshire
Launched in 2017, the Granite Guarantee program at the University of New Hampshire covers tuition after federal and state aid are applied for the fall and spring semesters to qualified state residents for up to four years.
This is limited to full-time, first-time, first-year students who are eligible for the Pell Grant and does not include nontuition costs such as housing, food, textbooks or any additional fees.Pell-eligible graduates from the Community College System of New Hampshire who immediately transfer to UNH also qualify.
Samsel Architects|
Warren Wilson College (NC)
This North Carolina work college provides a tuition waiver in the form of a scholarship to all in-state residents who qualify for need-based aid and attend as first-time, full-time undergraduates.This covers the cost of tuition after any aid is applied.All students at Warren Wilson College are required to work eight to 16 hours per week, depending on their year in school, and develop a craft.The college also offers Milepost One, a full-tuition scholarship for up to 25 students with a family income of or below $150,000 per year, including international and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program students.
Webb Institute|
Webb Institute (NY)
Webb Institute, a small engineering school on Long Island, gives full-tuition scholarships – valued at more than $250,000 over four years – to all incoming students who are U.S.citizens or permanent residents.The New York school, which has a total enrollment of about 100 students, offers one course of study: a dual bachelor’s degree in naval architecture and marine engineering.
Students can apply for federal loans and grants to cover their room, board and other expenses.
Getty Images|
Williamson College of the Trades (PA)
This faith-based, all-male career college in Pennsylvania grants associate degrees and offers six trade programs, including masonry, carpentry, landscaping, power plant technology, machinery and construction technology with an electrical emphasis.All students at Williamson College of the Trades receive the Williamson Scholarship, which covers the cost of tuition, and room and board.Students are responsible for additional fees, books and supplies, estimated at about $140.
(Getty Images)|
Other ways to pay less for college
If one of these colleges isn’t the school for you, check out the Best Colleges rankings.Follow U.S.News Education on Facebook and X/Twitter to join the conversation and stay informed about the latest tips and advice on paying for college.
USMMA|
These institutions provide free college tuition.
– Alice Lloyd College
– The Apprentice School
– Barclay College
– Berea College
– College of the Ozarks
– Curtis Institute of Music
– Deep Springs College
– Haskell Indian Nations University
– United States Air Force Academy
– United States Coast Guard Academy
– United States Merchant Marine Academy
– United States Military Academy
– United States Naval Academy
– University of New Hampshire
– Warren Wilson College
– Webb Institute
– Williamson College of the Trades
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