How I Went To Grad School Debt Free

Today, I’m going to share my exact strategies I used to earn 2 graduate degrees debt-free. You can pay your education without taking a student or incurring debt. It wasn’t easy but it’s all worth it. Read on to learn how I went to grad school debt-free.

During my junior year in college as an undergraduate, my adviser started to discuss with me my future after college. We occasionally talked about different career paths, scholarships, fellowships, and internship opportunities. I told him that I always wanted to go to graduate school and wanted to become a professor. However, how could I go to grad school without having a big student loan? One day, he came to the classroom and asked me if I could sign a paper for him (and I did). It turned out to be a scholarship application which awarded a summer internship at any college in the United States. After a test and a few interviews, I was one of the two students who was awarded the scholarship. I accepted it. It changed my life forever.

I spent my summer learning and studying 9,000 miles away from home. I made new friends and met amazing professors there. One of them wrote a textbook we studied, how cool was that! Most importantly, I met my future husband. We got married a year later. I then permanently moved to the States. I left my dream of becoming a professor as I was also awarded a full-tuition scholarship with a stipend for Master’s and Ph.D. programs at a university back home.

Several years after moving to the States, I was finally accepted into graduate school. I didn’t have any financial support at all. The only fund I had was a small amount of money I had saved during my first few years of working odd jobs and side hustling since I moved to the new country. This amount of money only covered a semester’s worth of tuition, let alone student fees and living expenses. I used that money to enroll in my first semester. I was so worried and didn’t know how to pay for the rest of my studies. The real question is how could I go to grad school debt free?

At the same time, I was also worried about classes as I went to an entirely different field of study from my undergraduate degree. To be honest, I almost applied for a student loan. I even printed and filled out the application. It was so easy to do so. However, I stopped and decided not to sign it. I thought I had a better plan.

Trust me, I tried everything I could to get funding. From applying for graduate assistantships, teaching assistantships, lab assistantships to hourly jobs within and outside my department, nothing worked. Sometimes somethings happen for a reason. Later in my first semester, I finally got a part-time student job on campus at a dining hall. I worked 20 hours a week while enrolling full time. It helped pay tuition, but it wasn’t enough to cover student fees and living expenses. I kept asking and looking around for jobs as we cannot work more than 20 hours as a student worker. The only way that would work for me was getting a full-time job while going to school. Later into my second year, I got a full-time job off-campus working 40 hours a week while going to school full time and I later quit my student job at the dining hall.

Ways to go to grad school for free

1. Tuition waiver program

If you work at a university full-time, you’ll go to school for free. This is called a tuition waiver program or tuition remission. Many colleges and universities in the United States provide this program for faculty, staff, and their dependents as employee benefits. Before I planned going back to grad school, I tried to get a job at the university (that I planned to enroll). I believe, I applied for over 30 jobs. I had 2 interviews and that was it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the jobs.

2. Assistantship

There are several kinds of assistantships available for grad students; graduate assistantships which waive tuition & fees and sometimes provide a stipend for students, lab/research/teaching assistantships which usually waive tuition & fees and mostly provide a stipend for students. Ask a graduate coordinator, departmental head, your major professor or soon-to-be major professor regarding any available assistantships before you enter the program or after (if you didn’t get it the first time around). Express your interest and be persistent until you’re awarded one. Believe it or not, I kept applying for departmental assistantships every single semester during my master’s program. I tried again when I entered the Ph.D. program. Unfortunately, I wasn’t awarded anything. At least I knew, I tried.

3. Scholarship/Grant

Do your research in advance about any potential scholarships. Apply for all the scholarships available and don’t give up. Pay attention to the way you write/fill your application forms. It’s very important. For 3 years, I kept applying for scholarships. I even applied for a travel grant from graduate school to present my research paper at a scientific meeting. Of course, it wasn’t awarded to me, but my classmates won it every single year. I gave up eventually. So don’t give up!

In summary, how I went to grad school debt-free

1. Attended a public university and Paid in-state tuition

I chose to go to a public university in my state of residency. It helped me tremendously from a financial standpoint since public in-state tuition is much more affordable than out-of-state tuition or private university tuition. It’s crucial to consider this option if there’s a program of study you’re interested in at public universities in your state. It makes a big difference. You know you wanted to go to grad school debt-free and clear. Therefore this is very important.

2. Chose a marketable program of Study/Major

It’s important to study a program that is marketable. You don’t want to study something that puts you in a situation where you can’t find any jobs later on. I got a job offer even before I finished the program (this was the main reason why I changed my major/field of study). The sooner you can get a job the faster you can earn money.

3. Worked part-time job

Anything helped. If you cannot find any financial assistance, a part-time job helps. I worked at a dining hall on campus. I got free meals for 5 days a week. This drastically reduced our grocery bill. Eventually, though, I needed to find a full-time job as the part-time job I had didn’t pay the bills. Paid internships are abundant these days. Keep your eyes and ears out for any paid internships.

4. Worked full-time job

My full-time job allowed me to pay for my tuition, student fees, and some of our living expenses. I also managed to have my employer pay for 2 of my classes (because the classes I was taking were related to my job). Ask your HR department if your employer has an employee tuition assistance/reimbursement program.  I also gained significant work experience from this job. By the time I finished graduate school, I had 5 years of work experience under my belt. Don’t forget – any jobs that are related to your program of the study add work experience on your resume!

5. Lived below our means

This is very important. I’ve seen my classmates who had assistantship but also had big student loans. Not only was I able to finish my grad school debt free because we lived below our means but also because I worked hard so I wouldn’t need loans. These two aspects go hand-in-hand. I didn’t spend much during those 6 years as a grad student. I even used public computers at the campus library. It was inconvenient sometimes but I didn’t take out a student loan and that’s more important.

6. Created realistic budget

Budgeting, budgeting, and budgeting. I cannot say enough about budgeting. You NEED to know exactly what your financial numbers are; expenses and income. You also NEED to create a realistic budget. An unrealistic budget not only causes you stress but also makes you feel like a failure when you fail to stay on budget.

Each month or each pay cycle, you need to know exactly how much you can spend. Otherwise, you’ll tend to overspend. It’s easy to make impulse purchases here and there. Most of the time, you don’t even remember where your money went. Easier said than done, I know. I had a calendar book that you can buy at Dollar Tree for 50 cents that I carried everywhere I went. By putting every household and school activities/expenses on that calendar book, had helped me keep track of my school scheduling and bill payments. I still use this technique to this day. It works and is simple. Every month in each semester, I planned out how much we were allowed to spend on groceries, shopping, entertainment after our mortgage, utilities and my tuition.

7. Good time management

Okay, I went to school full time and worked full time. How on earth could I do this? My schedule was so hectic and that taught me how to manage my time wisely. I was on campus during my class hours. As soon as, I finished with a class, I jumped in my car and drove to work, and vice versa. My work schedule was 8-4:30 pm. Evening classes were not available. If I had 2 classes and spent 4 hours, I had to make up those hours within that workweek. Of course, I sometimes did not make my 40-hours during the weekday so I often worked on weekends. I regularly worked until 8 or 9 pm on weekdays.

Okay then, how on earth did I have time for everything else?  This is where time management skill comes into play. When I was in class, I made sure that I understood everything professors had to say by asking questions and taking good notes. This way I wouldn’t need to spend extra hours trying to understand lectures outside of class by myself. I never waited until the last minute to do my homework, report, assignments, etc. I tried to finish each homework and/or assignments on a daily basis. Even though I came home late each day or worked on weekends, I still had time to enjoy things like gardening, painting and socializing with friends. I didn’t feel deprived of time at all.

8. Planned ahead

At the very beginning of my graduate studies, I did my due diligence and did some research as to when each class was offered. There were some core classes that everyone needed to take but they were offered every other year or even every two years. If you missed it, you had to wait a year or two. I planned my curriculum in advance based on class schedule and graduation requirements. I also took summer classes every year. Budgeting my time & money and class enrolling strategies helped me fund and complete my 2 degrees in 6 years (2 years for M.S. and 4 years for Ph.D.). You know, I couldn’t afford to stay as a grad student for too long. I needed to earn a living quickly.

9. Delayed having a baby

I cannot imagine having 2 jobs, going to school full time and having a baby at the same time. My husband agreed to wait until I finished school and got a real job before having kids. Having kids is no joke. They are a huge financial and physical undertaking. Delaying having kids not only allowed me to finish school within the standard time frame but also prevented me from getting a student loan or incurring debt. If you want to start a family and go back to school at the same time, think about your plan wisely so that you can go to grad school debt-free and fulfill your family dreams.

A hug from my major professor at the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony.

Nothing comes easy in life. I wish I could tell you a different story. But this is how I earned my graduate degrees without taking a loan or incurring debt. I believe the same strategies can apply to college as well. With hard work and sweat, I managed to graduate Magna Cum Laude with a Master’s and Ph.D. in 6 years while working full time and a part-time job (during the 2nd year of my master’s program). In the end, it was all worth it. I earned 2 graduate degrees debt-free. I was also offered a great job even before I finished the program considering I graduated in the year of the financial crisis, 2008.

If you’re thinking about going back to grad school, go for it. Chances are you already have a good head on your shoulders. Learn how to getting through college debt-free by applying my strategies above. It’s a real advantage to come out of school free and clear. Thus, you’re ready to start on a great career path without having debt holding you back. I did it; anyone can do it.

Did you go to grad school? If so, how did you manage to pay for yours?

Are you considering going to grad school? How do you plan to pay for it?

Please share your experience. I’d love to hear it from you.