How to Graduate College for Free: Winning a National Merit Scholarship & Other Options

With college costs continuing to skyrocket, many students (and parents) find themselves scrambling to pay for higher education. Unfortunately, a large percentage of these families find their savings fall short, and are forced to dig themselves into a massive hole of student loans. This is a hole that may take them decades to escape after they graduate college. Understandably, then, students faced with this prospect decide to search for a different method of financing their college education. 

The good news is, it is completely possible to graduate college for free, or at least at a dramatically reduced expense. There are several different options available for those who wish to graduate college for free. Some of these options are more feasible for the average student than others. For those of you who would prefer not to spend the better part of $100,000 for a degree, the primary choices are an athletic scholarship, military funding, or a merit scholarship. This audiobook will primarily focus on merit scholarships. 

For more good news, you do not have to be a certifiable genius in order to win a major merit scholarship, which can give you a free full-ride education at many different universities. The National Merit Scholarship Program is the most well-known of these major scholarship programs. When you take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), you begin the competition process. Levels of awards in the National Merit Program are Commended Student, Semifinalist, Finalist, and National Merit Scholar. Even earning a semifinalist placement can lead to a scholarship for free tuition at many major universities, while a full-fledged National Merit Scholar can receive free tuition, free room and board, and a stipend as well at some schools. Now, some brilliant students fail to win a National Merit Scholarship. And, some surprisingly "average" students do win a National Merit Scholarship, allowing them to attend college at little or no cost to them!