Public four-year colleges cost an average of $11,950 a year for in-state tuition and fees. That’s reported by the College Board, which has tracked how much schools charge since the 1970s. It’s the highest average ever recorded.
These high costs can scare off people who would otherwise qualify for aid that significantly lowers the amount they would need to pay out of pocket.
They track a second figure as well. The first is what schools charge. The second is what students hand over after grants and scholarships come off the top, which they call net tuition. While the listed price has been going up, the amount students end up paying has gone down.
Net tuition at public four-year schools peaked around $4,450 a year back in 2012-13, measured in today’s dollars. The estimate for this year is about $2,300.
That is still a pretty significant expense for most people. And even then, those lower costs don’t arrive automatically or land evenly. That aid has to be claimed.
Here are the main places to look for financial assistance if you’re an adult going back to college.
Start with your employer
If you have a job, this is the first place to look.
Under a section of the tax code called Section 127, an employer can pay up to $5,250 a year toward your education without either of you owing tax on it. Tuition, books, fees. In July 2025 Congress made that benefit permanent and kept student loan repayment inside it, so the same $5,250 can go toward loans you’re already carrying.
You may have heard the line about millions in scholarship money going unclaimed every year. That statistic is mostly this. It’s employer education benefits sitting in handbooks while employees never file the paperwork. The money exists, but it was never floating out there for anyone to grab. It belongs to people who work somewhere that offers it and bother to ask.
So ask. The phrase to use with HR is “educational assistance” or “tuition assistance.” Read the agreement before you sign, because these usually come with conditions. Common ones are a grade minimum, approval before you enroll rather than after, and a requirement that you stay with the company for some months after they pay. None of those are unreasonable. They’re just easier to meet when you know about them in advance.
File the FAFSA even if you assume you won’t qualify
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is free, though several websites will offer to file it for you for a fee. It takes about an hour at studentaid.gov and it’s the gateway to federal grants, work-study, and federal loans.
The biggest piece for most people is the Pell Grant. The maximum for the 2026-27 year is $7,395, it renews annually, and it isn’t repaid. Pell works at accredited schools that participate in federal student aid, and that includes most online programs.
One thing has changed since you may have last looked at this. The formula no longer uses Expected Family Contribution. It was replaced in 2024 by something called the Student Aid Index, and household size and income are weighted differently now. If you were told once that you earned too much to qualify, that answer came from a formula that no longer exists.
File early. Some aid is first come, first served.
Get credit for what you already know
Every course you don’t have to take is a course you don’t have to pay for, and adults going back to school often have credit sitting somewhere already.
Three places to look. Old college credits, even from years ago, often still transfer. CLEP exams let you test out of introductory subjects for under $100 plus a testing center fee, and a passing score is worth three or more credits at over 3,000 colleges. And many schools run prior learning assessments, where documented work experience, military training, or professional certifications convert into credit.
The catch is that acceptance varies by school, sometimes a lot. Ask the admissions office how many of your credits transfer before you enroll, not after. It’s a fair question and their answer can move your graduation date up by a semester or more.
Look for scholarships in the free places
You never have to pay to search for or apply for legitimate aid. The Department of Labor runs a free scholarship search at careeronestop.org that doesn’t sell your information. The financial aid office at any nearby community college will usually sit down with you even if you plan to attend somewhere else.
Scholarships for adult students exist and get less competition than the ones aimed at high school seniors. Some are for people returning after a break, some for parents, some for particular fields. If an offer asks for a processing fee, a disbursement fee, or your bank details over the phone, it’s a scam. Legitimate aid never charges you to receive it.
A note on 529 plans
Most articles about paying for college lead with these. They’re a savings vehicle, which makes them a fit for a parent putting money away for a kid who starts in ten years, and a poor fit for someone enrolling next term.
If you already have one, the rule to know is that money spent on qualified education expenses comes out untaxed, but a withdrawal for anything else means the earnings portion gets hit with income tax plus a 10% federal penalty. Your original contributions come back to you untouched either way.
What you can do this week to start cutting your college costs
You can start maximizing your financial assistance by having two conversations and filling out one form. If you’re employed, ask Human Resources whether your employer has an educational assistance policy and what it requires. Ask the admissions office at any school you’re considering how many of your existing credits would transfer. Then file the FAFSA.
It can be done in an afternoon, and more than likely it will cut your college costs in a big way.
