Going back to college?

[zitiqueen]

Is he looking at a specific degree or a degree in "any" major? I went back at 40 for my degree in any major (in my case, criminal justice) because most jobs ask for a bachelor's in any major. I also only had my AA, so at least a lot of the BS classes were out of the way.

[sjh722]

My H is doing this right now. He was able to find a program specifically for working adults who already have an AA or AS. It meets one night a week and he does a 3-credit class every 5-6 weeks year round for about 20 months (It's through a private university. Not an online one, they have 2 B&M locations in our state and have been around for 100+ years.) It's not cheap - I think the total cost is around $15k/20k - but his company will reimburse $5250 a year in educational expenses. It also made a positive difference on our income taxes this year.

Some of his co-workers were trying to go back and take night classes (1 or 2 3-credit classes each semester = 2 nights a week) and it was going to take several years to finish. I was really glad he found a different option.

That said, he's really glad he is doing it because it will open doors to a lot more positions at work.

[beantrees]

I just received my Bachelor's degree while working full-time. For part of the time I qualified for financial aid. I paid some out of pocket and I took out a small student loan.

Yes, you can get financial aid and student loans while only going part-time, it's just prorated. Financial aid is prorated every 3 credit hours. You have to be enrolled at least half-time to have your student loans deferred, so two classes a semester.

[MrsDarcy]

I went back to school (graduated with BS in 2009) and went online. Though, I went to a fully respected, B&M state school, they just had full BS degrees online you could transfer into with your AA. So, the tuition was basically the same as going into the classroom.

I was able to get loans for all of it, while only going part time. Usually 2-3 classes a semester. I found it pretty easy to balance this with my full time job. Though, I didn't have kids at the time.

You also may get tax breaks for his tuition.

I think it's worth it, especially of he's running into jobs he's not qualifying for.

Good luck!

[mrs07]

Have him look at programs at that instate uni to see what interests him; where his previous credits might transfer.
You are wise to stay away from the for-profit schools in my opinion.

You can def get loans to go PT. Also look into Ed tax credit and any tuition help /scholarships he can get through work and other community orgs. Maybe a foundation that supports families with members with your kids' diagnosis would have grants to help support parents in this way. Maybe local businesses/churches? Six instate credits a semester should be fairly 'easy' to cash flow. I'm trying to think creatively here bc you want to keep your total SL amt low. The (eta:maximum) recommended money ratio for an SL is about one year's post-school salary, which you pay on (incl interest) for ten years.

I also want to warn you not to assume the company will give him a promotion once he has his degree. In my experience, they will come up with some other excuse; however he will be better armed to look elsewhere for work.

[zitiqueen]

I got my degree from a state university but it was distance learning. Only a couple of the classes were offered online, the rest were all at the local community college. Between the two of us we made too much for me to qualify for financial aid, plus I'm still paying off the SL from my associates, so I had to pay for it up front. I took two classes a semester year-round until I finished. We don't have kids and I know this is not MM at all, but I paid for it using 0% interest for X months checks from my credit cards and played the balance transfer game until everything was paid off. It took me about three years to finish my degree and I paid everything off in December (I graduated in August 2013).