College Tuition

Jul 19

Congratulations to the Class of 2026, both high-school and college! It is a great achievement indeed to graduate. Give yourself a round of applause!!

A word of, “Good News,” for those seeking to enter college in the near future,

Scholarships, loans and grants are three of the most common ways to pay for college if you can't pay for it, outright and upfront.

Scholarships require excellent grades or excellence in performance (Athletics, Drama, etc.) Loans have requirements, qualifications and you have to pay them back eventually with interest, but you can borrow enough to pay for the whole thing which will give you more time to study and not have to worry about money. Grants and government funded financial aid programs are helpful as well and also have requirements and qualifications.

All three methods are great and over time have funded college tuition for billions of students, year after year. Today I wish to share with you, a very simple, affordable and ingenious way to pay for college;

In 35 states junior college, city college or community college is free. In California for example, FAFSA and The California Promise Grant formerly known as The Board of Governors Waiver (B.O.G Waiver) can help with tuition if you qualify. Even if you did not graduate high school you can sign up for G.E.D. classes and take them at your local community college, then enroll in college.

If you save $1,500 a month, every month, for the first 2 years, whilst attending a 4 year university or a community college, you should have $36,000 ($1,500 × 24 months = $36,000) to pay for junior year tuition and fees at whatever university or 4-year college you are attending or decide to attend.

Junior Year: If you spend $20,000 on tuition and fees for your junior year, you should have $16,000 ($36,000 - $20,000 = $16,000) left for rent and food. After junior year ends, you should have saved another $18,000 ($1,500 × 12 Months = $18,000) to add to the $16,000 you should have left, less whatever you may use for rent or food. If you did not spend any of it then you should have $34,000 ($16,000 + $18,000 = $34,000) for senior year.

Senior Year: If you spend another $20,000 on your senior year tuition and fees, you should have $14,000 ($34,000 - $20,000 = $14,000) left for rent and food, etc. After senior year ends, you should have saved another $18,000 ($1,500 × 12 Months = $18,000) to add to the $14,000 you should have left, less whatever you may use for rent or food. If you did not spend any of it then you should have $32,000 ($14,000 + $18,000 = $32,000) for graduate school or to begin life with after graduation.

In short, if you begin to save $1,500 a month from the first month of college classes, every month for 4 years or until your graduate, you should be able to graduate college, then graduate school if you choose and have some cash left over.

In the state of California, you can work 20 hrs. a week and save $1,500 a month. That is with minimum wage pay, or entry level pay, which is very high in California. A part-time job or work study, if it’s an option, can help with that amount.

For those engaged in a 4-year college or university already, (that is you are already in your first or second year in a 4-year Bachelor program at a college or university) just know, if you save $1,500 a month until you graduate, you can still apply it to pay for your 3rd and 4th year or maybe just your 4th year…

If you plan on attending graduate school you might consider saving $1,500 a month the last two years at your 4-year/Bachelor college or university, to fund your graduate school tuition and fees…

It rolls over, year after year…

The math is still the same, undergraduate or graduate school, any which way, we got you covered…

Once you graduate, if you’ve been keeping up on the work of The Lifetime Student Foundation, you should know what to do !!

If not, then click on the highlighted, underlined, purple text and read our last post titled, “National Education Week, November 17th-21st, 2025.”

Congratulations again to the class of 2026, remember, “life is how you want it to be so plan ahead!”

Your's Truly,