How I Hacked A Free Master’s Degree And You Can Too

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Today we’re discussing how I took the leap and hacked my master’s degree for free. That’s right, I said free, people. About 8 years ago, I was dead set on adding another credential to the back of my name. You see, growing up I had always been in awe of anyone who went to college and had a degree. In case you couldn’t guess, my parents never graduated from high school so they certainly never entertained the idea of college. Because of this, the concept of higher education intimidated me…but in a good way. And with that, I will divulge the secret sauce for hacking a free master’s degree now.

As many of you already know, I worked my butt off to get my undergraduate degree and I wasn’t quite satisfied with stopping there. So I kept going. For Free. And here’s how.

My Quest For Higher Education

I began my quest for higher education after I graduated high school, but not before I met someone who encouraged me to apply to a community college. At the time of high school graduation, I had never taken the SATs (and never have, by the way) and didn’t believe I was smart enough to go to college – a truly ridiculous thought as I have learned college isn’t so much about intelligence as it is about endurance.

Despite my ridiculous thought process, I took the advice, applied to the local community college and soon started my higher education journey by taking night classes because I worked full-time in a factory soldering electrical components together during the day. Did I mention I didn’t know anything about open admissions at community colleges? I was actually holding my breath wondering if I was going to get accepted. Ha! So, yeah, there was that. I was so green in all aspects of life.

Since I needed to work full-time, it took me quite a few years to walk across that community college stage and accept my associates degree – 4 years to be exact. After that,  I leveraged my boyfriend to live cheaply so I could quit my factory job and finish out the final 2 years of my bachelor’s degree at a local private college without having to work crazy hours.

Thanks to my factory job, I was able to transition to the 4-year school without any debt. And thanks to an academic scholarship, I was able to complete my bachelor’s degree at a private school in 2 years with very little in the way of student loans compared to kids today.

After I had my undergrad degree in-hand, I was able to gain employment with a major corporation in my field of study in no time at all. Then, life happened.

How I Snagged A Free Master’s Degree

As is usually the case, life got in the way – relationships in particular. Before I knew it, I found myself starting over at 31 years old as a single parent. A few years after getting back on my financial and emotional feet, I was determined to get my master’s degree to create more stability and flexibility for myself and my daughter.

After all, our income is our single biggest source for wealth creation, so increasing it can only serve to benefit us. So in my eyes, getting an advanced degree would ensure my income was stable, even if things were to take a downturn at my current company.

To me, an advanced degree was vital for peace of mind and my financial success – which my daughter depended on. SHE was my motivation. And still is.

Fortunately, my company offered 100% tuition reimbursement for a related master’s degree program with a few stipulations. So I set about applying to a program, making sure I met the requirements and maintained my grades, and was able to earn my master’s degree with ZERO dollars spent.

If you like the idea of getting a FREE degree to advance your career and ensure your future financial stability, check out these 5 tips!

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5 Tips You Can Use To Get A Free Master’s Degree

1. Use Your Employer

Gain employment with a company that offers free education as a benefit. Many employers these days offer some sort of higher education benefit as part of their package to employees. It’s a way for them to ensure they’re competitive within their industry and a way to educate their employees and, hopefully, maintain top talent.

When seeking employment, you’ll want to make sure you carefully examine the entire benefits package to see if tuition is on the list. Most companies have guidelines and specific terms relating to what they’re willing to pay for and how much they’re willing to pay.

So make sure you read the fine print because it’s highly unlikely you’re going to get a pharmaceutical company to pay for your MFA degree. Just sayin’.

2. Go Ivy League

Surely you’ve heard of schools like Brown, Columbia, and Cornell. Well, you might be shocked to hear this, but these are just a few of the ivy league schools that are offering free online bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

You’ll need to do your research and a little digging to make sure you meet the requirements and qualify, but if you do, it’s a fantastic way to earn your degree and impress your employer.

3. Apply For Scholarships

You have certainly heard this one a million times and it still stands true. Scholarships are an often unused strategy. Why not take advantage of scholarships to fund your higher education? Sure, they’re not always thousands of dollars and they’re not always easy to find, but they’re out there if you look for them.

In some cases, you might be the only applicant! Free is free. Find one, apply, and (hopefully) accept some FREE money toward your degree.

4. Work For A College Or University

Just like many employers, colleges and universities often advertise that their positions come packaged with free tuition if you choose to take advantage of it.

So if your current employer or industry doesn’t offer money toward an advanced degree or tuition reimbursement and you’re flexible in terms of your situation, consider seeking employment with a college or university.

5. Use Tax Credits

Talk with your tax professional. There is something called the Lifetime Learning Credit that enables each person the opportunity to decrease their tax bill.  It’s probably not going to cover all of your expenses, but if your employer isn’t reimbursing 100%, this will help to get you closer to free.

What If You’re Drowning In Student Loan Debt?

I know this sounds all sunshine-y and easy, but what if you just happen to be one of the millions of people that are currently drowning in student loan debt? First of all, know that you’re not alone and that you can turn it around. If you’re interested in refinancing your student loan debt, you might want to head over to LendEDU to see what’s available for your unique situation.

Fortunately, your student loan debt shouldn’t present a roadblock to getting a FREE master’s degree. So consider using the tips outlined above, regardless of your student loan situation. Keep in mind, the more advanced degree you hold, the more likely you are to earn additional money from your current employer and future employers.

And there it is, how I nailed a free master’s degree and how you can too. If you already have your undergrad degree, it really doesn’t take long to complete an advanced degree, especially if you do it online. Most schools are pretty competitive these days when it comes to getting your business so they’re willing to work around adult schedules to make it easy.

Were you able to get a free degree? If so, we’d love to hear how you did it in the comments!