# Are There Any Free Colleges (or Junior Colleges) For State Residents In The USA **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779 "2010-08-28T09:58:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/1 "2010-08-28T09:58:11Z")
I overheard a couple of guys talking on the el train. One of them was saying how cheap it was to live in Nevada, no sales tax, no income tax and he said, even the state college is free for residents. Now as far as I can tell this isn’t correct, is it? But it got me to thinking are there any states in the USA that offer free tution to state residents. I’m thinking if any do, it must be at a local or junior (AKA community) college level. Have any in the past? I thought California might have had free community college in the past, though I’m not sure. I’m not talking about grants or scholorships or loans, I’m mean colleges that just offer classes to anyone in terms of free tution. Kind of like how you can go to high school for free only on the college level. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/2 "2010-08-28T13:40:11Z")
[Cooper Union](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_Union) is free. CUNY used to be free until the city ran out of money in the 1970s. It’s still dirt cheap, though. As for Nevada, as far as I can tell both the University of Nevada campuses and Nevada State charge tuition. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/3 "2010-08-28T13:46:57Z")
Georgia has a program for free college tuition if you maintain a B average. It’s funded by the state lottery. [http://www.gacollege411.org/Financial\_Aid\_Planning/HOPE\_Program/Georgia\_s\_HOPE\_Scholarship\_Program\_Overview.aspx](http://www.gacollege411.org/Financial_Aid_Planning/HOPE_Program/Georgia_s_HOPE_Scholarship_Program_Overview.aspx) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/4 "2010-08-28T14:13:57Z")
The military service academies are the only ones I know of. In fact, since the students are considered on active duty while attending, they get paid. Of course, they also have service commitments for several years after graduating, so depending on your definition of “free,” they may or may not be. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/5 "2010-08-28T14:16:56Z")
You can go to the military academies for 2 years for free without having to serve. You can finish your degree at another school. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/6 "2010-08-28T14:53:09Z")
A lot of the community colleges in Mississippi offer free tuition to residents of local counties, though not of the entire state. Examples [here](http://www.imagestupelo.com/article/itawamba-community-college-offers-free-tuition-lee-county-grads) and [here](http://www.eastms.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=346&Itemid=110). ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/7 "2010-08-28T15:22:13Z")
Business Week puts out a list of tuition-free colleges from [time](http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/11/1114_tuitionfree/index_01.htm) to [time](http://images.businessweek.com/ss/10/01/0121_tuition_free_colleges/index.htm). It’s inconvenient to click through their slide shows, so I’ll list their colleges here: Alice Lloyd College Barclay College Berea College CUNY Teacher Academy College of the Ozarks Cooper Union Curtis Institute of Music Deep Springs College Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering U.S. Military Academy U.S. Naval Academy U.S. Air Force Academy U.S. Coast Guard Academy U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Webb Institute William E. Macaulay Honors College at CUNY The University of the People is on one of their lists, but I didn’t include it above because it’s not accredited. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/8 "2010-08-28T18:15:31Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The military service academies are the only ones I know of. In fact, since the students are considered on active duty while attending, they get paid. Of course, they also have service commitments for several years after graduating, so depending on your definition of “free,” they may or may not be. What about _state_ military colleges like Virginia Military Institute or The Citadel? AFAIK attending one of those doesn’t cary any service commitment for the military. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/9 "2010-08-28T18:29:12Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > > [@DCnDC](#): > > > > The military service academies are the only ones I know of. In fact, since the students are considered on active duty while attending, they get paid. Of course, they also have service commitments for several years after graduating, so depending on your definition of “free,” they may or may not be. > > What about _state_ military colleges like Virginia Military Institute or The Citadel? AFAIK attending one of those doesn’t cary any service commitment for the military. They’re not free either. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/10 "2010-08-28T18:55:27Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I overheard a couple of guys talking on the el train. One of them was saying how cheap it was to live in Nevada Ha! Cost of living is close to CA. Some things are cheaper but it’s not like going to Mayberry. Two-buck Chuck at Trader Joe’s in expensive parts of CA is Three-buck Chuck in NV. > [@](#): > > no sales tax Definitely not true. 6.85% according to Wikipedia, up to 8.1% is Las Vegas and 7.75% in Reno. I suppose if you lived in the wilderness up north and commuted to Oregon to do all your shopping, then you wouldn’t pay tax. > [@](#): > > no income tax True, but you have to pay your taxes to the casinos. AFAIK New Hampshire is the only state that has neither form of tax, except for people with high investment income have tax on that income. > [@](#): > > and he said, even the state college is free for residents. As Friedo says, they’re not free, over $10,000 in tuition. I’ll write the registrar and demand a refund because of these two guys said otherwise. Both CA and NV college systems are hemorrhaging money, and I’ve heard tales that the UCs are preferring out of state students because their tuition is higher. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/11 "2010-08-29T01:04:30Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > even the state college is free for residents. UNLV certainly wasn’t free when I went there. There was a “Millenium Scholarship” that was available at one point. It did offset a good portion of our tuition, but not all of it. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/12 "2010-08-29T03:32:13Z")
California State Universities are technically free for residents in that they charge no tuition, just a crapload of “fees”. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/13 "2010-08-29T03:41:42Z")
Texas universities are free if you’re blind or at least severely visually impaired. The appropriate state office picks up the tab. Called the Commission for the Blind way back when, I believe they may have changed their name. (I actually checked into this for myself, as my eyesight is terrible, but since it’s correctible to 20/20 with glasses, I could not be covered.) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/14 "2010-08-29T03:43:04Z")
California community colleges are $26/unit which is very, very low. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2010, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/15 "2010-08-29T23:55:15Z")
Some states offer programs for people who want to enter certain professions, like teaching. You have to pay for it up front, but you have your loans forgiven after a certain period. If you change your mind, however, you’re on the hook for the whole amount. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/16 "2010-08-30T00:48:26Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > > [@alphaboi867](#): > > > > What about _state_ military colleges like Virginia Military Institute or The Citadel? AFAIK attending one of those doesn’t cary any service commitment for the military. > > They’re not free either. At VMI, all the students must join ROTC; however, it’s only those on ROTC scholarships who incur obligated service. Personal note: My father and one of my older brothers graduated from VMI. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/17 "2010-08-30T01:03:51Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I overheard a couple of guys talking on the el train. One of them was saying how cheap it was to live in Nevada, no sales tax, no income tax and he said, even the state college is free for residents. > > Now as far as I can tell this isn’t correct, is it? > > But it got me to thinking are there any states in the USA that offer free tuition to state residents. I’m thinking if any do, it must be at a local or junior (AKA community) college level. > > Have any in the past? I thought California might have had free community college in the past, though I’m not sure. > > I’m not talking about grants or scholarships or loans, I’m mean colleges that just offer classes to anyone in terms of free tuition. Kind of like how you can go to high school for free only on the college level. In a practical sense most of the Jr colleges in the US are very low cost, and if you keep up your grades there are many local and regional sources for grants for both Jr Colleges and 4 year colleges. If you are willing to put the push ups into searching out and applying for grants, and maintaining a very good GPA you can graduate from a decent four year college without much out of pocket tuition cost. The flip side is that you can’t be an indifferent student or an academic slacker and do this. You need to be running on all cylinders. It’s amazing how many grants etc. are out there for good students if you start digging. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-free-colleges-or-junior-colleges-for-state-residents-in-the-usa/551779/18 "2010-08-30T02:16:27Z")
[quote=“astro, post:17, topic:551779”] > [@Markxxx](#): > > It’s amazing how many grants etc. are out there for good students if you start digging. True. It really depends on where this question is supposed to lead. I had a full-ride scholarship to Tulane which is a very expensive private university but it had an obscure agreement with the state to provide X number of full tuition scholarships in exchange for an agreement it made with the state of Louisiana in the 1800’s. That was at the discretion of the state legislature for how they were given out and there were no other strict requirements except being a state resident who could keep up the grades after being admitted. There are a bunch of odd scholarships around if you look hard enough and some pay for almost everything but they don’t apply to everyone as a whole. Deep Springs college was mentioned above and that is a strange one. It is a working ranch with only 26 students and everyone gets a full scholarship in exchange for work and living there among the faculty. There are other odd programs at other colleges as well that are tuition-free but the general public can’t just sign up for them.