If your teen just graduated high school, they are eligible to receive 1 semester of free tuition at the University of St. Thomas (Houston, TX) in their Associate of Applied Science Degree program (fully online). They offer 3 options: Cybersecurity, Electronic Technology, or Networking Technology.
Associate Degree programs admission requirements are as follows:
- Completed online application
- High school diploma or record of General Education Development Test (GED)
Tuition for the Associate of Applied Science programs is $600 per class. (20 classes required) While scholarships are not offered for this program, students are eligible to apply for financial aid.
Jennifer’s comments: an Associate of Applied Science degree is not designed to transfer as the first 2 years of a 4-year degree.
Up to 15 hours of general education coursework may be transferred in to the A.A.S. degree.
Jennifer’s comments: 15 hours is = to 5 courses. Each of the 3 programs differs in their gen ed requirements, but all require English Composition 1 and 2 which you can complete with ONE CLEP EXAM! College Composition CLEP
HS4CC Strategy
- Apply to the program so you’re one of the first 300 applicants. They may restrict the free tuition offer.
- Send your dual enrollment, AP, and CLEP scores immediately for evaluation.
- If time allows, take the CLEP College Composition exam if you have not already earned college credit in English 1 and 2.
- Maximize the first semester by taking no fewer than 4 courses.
- If you are awarded 15 general education transfer credits (5 courses), and your first 4 courses are free under this program (12 credits) your total budget should be set for 11 courses X $600 per course = $6600
- Apply for every possible scholarship starting immediately. Scholarships
- Fill out your FAFSA federal aid application. This application is required for grants and scholarships – so even if you have no plans to borrow (good!) you still need to fill this out.
- Continue applying for scholarships every week until you graduate! Most people stop applying once they start school, that’s a mistake!
You might also like to read my post about another free associate degree option for families affiliated with a union! Free Associate Degree for Union Worker Families
