Ways to Pay for Your Education

The following short article is written to provide general advice about online education and degrees, not just information specific to WGU. If you have specific questions about WGU, feel free to inquire online or speak with an enrollment counselor (1-866-225-5948).

The universal concern among all students, online and on-campus, is how to pay for their education. While earning an affordable online college degree can be less costly, a good education is never inexpensive.

An affordable online school will offer a variety of options to maximize your educational experience while minimizing the necessary investment. All affordable online university programs typically offer three primary methods of meeting education expenses.

1. Self-pay. Whether you fully pay for your education from your own funds, or participate in an employer-sponsored reimbursement program, finding the most cost-effective programs are a top priority when paying out of pocket.
2. Financial aid. You should have access to a number of federal financial aid programs, grants, and awards. There are also various privately funded student loan options, which provide for deferral of payments while you are in school.
3. Online college scholarships. Online scholarships for college study typically come in two formats. Proprietary scholarships offered by the online school directly to their students are one variety. There are also numerous third-party scholarships that can be used by students at the accredited schools of their choice.

Most students enrolled at an online university often use some combination of these three primary financing methods to pay for their education. Adopting this approach makes higher education affordable and attainable for all those who are serious about their professional future.