VaHigherEd.com

If you’re anything like me you grew up getting prescient financial advice from your parents like:

“Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know?”

and…

“You weren’t born in a barn.  Close the front door, for Pete’s sake.” (This applied equally to heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.  There’s a related directive that applies to standing before the refrigerator.)

In a Potomac News opinion piece, former college professor Gary Jacobson offers some advice to parents everywhere on how to save thousands and thousands of dollars while sending a child to college:  Take advantage of the transfer agreements at Virginia’s Community Colleges!

A few months ago, Jose and Maria received Bachelor of Science degrees from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. They completed similar courses and participated in similar on-campus activities. The only difference was cost. Jose’s four years of college cost about $32,946, or an average of $8,236 annually. Maria, on the other hand, paid $55,440 or about $13,860 annually for her four-year college experience. Why the big difference?

The answer is that Jose took courses at the Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) for two full years before heading off to George Mason’s main campus.

Virginia’s Community Colleges have guaranteed transfer agreements with two-dozen public and private four-year institutions across Virginia.  That means you can begin a four-year degree at the college or university of your choice at the nearest community college.  Jacobson goes on to say that doing so may also lead to a better education in addition to saving you money.

You can explore those opportunities by clicking here.

And oh yeah, close the front door will you?  It’s cold outside.

Posted by Jeff Kraus