Free School after marriage?

[dekedwin 52]

I tried to edit for mistakes, but I may not have done it soon enough, so please forgive my typographical errors.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have been just reading as I don't know a lot about this subject, but I am interested in it, and we have numberous friends, relatives, and family who have been through this process.

I do have some information on this subject. This might be old information, but I think it is still valid, so you need to check it out to make sure that my information is valid, but I think it is.

If you are 60 years old or older you can take free college level classes from our community college. The only thing is that you can't get college credit when you take free classes. They are the same as the classes with the college credit, but if you are past 60 years old, and you are taking those classes for free you can't have college credit. If you want college credit, then you have to pay for the classes. It may not be that way for all colleges, but it is for our local college, or was some years ago, and I think it is probably still that way. That doesn't do me any good even though I am 65, I need the college credit to maintain my teaching certificate, and so I have to pay a heavy price for my classes. One way this could be used to a person's advatage who is over 60, is you can take the class for free without credit, spend the time, learn the subject with little stress, not worry about failing, then once you learn the subject you can turn around and take the class for credit and get a grade. This is just off the top of my head, so it is possible that the information may have change, but I think it is still that way.

That's the only way that I am aware of that college classles can be free to a person over 60 years old. Other than that as the other posters said, someone has to pay for it, and then you have to qualify for the financial aid. Even though I taught GED classes at one time for one quarter at this college I am not aware of the financial end of the GED classes. I did a practicum, then took over as the instructor for only one quarter because I was not interested in teaching in the college as I wanted to teach in the public schools which I did for ten years, but now I am still qualified, but I am not teaching, and I don't know that I care to teach either. I have a quite a few reasons for that, but I might sometime, so I am keeping that door open.

Good advice, but keep in mind that community college policies apply only to that college or perhaps a group of community colleges in a region. One will find a wide variety of rules, regulations, expenses etc. on a local level. I went through this for months before Alla arrived. Though she goes to a private school which is considerably "more expensive" than say The University of Vermont, she was able to get in-state tuition AND a 50% grant immediately on arrival here. UVM would have made her pay non-resident tuition for the first year and she was not eligible for any grants, so the private school education ended up being less expensive.

If she is going to go to a college here that will require a GRE or TOEFL score, then it would be best for her to study for that or take that before she arrives. The education and test itself are usually cheaper anywhere other than here. The tuition for a 13 week IEP program intended to prepare someone for the TOEFL exam at Alla's university is more than $6000. If she has a good grasp of English, roughly equivilent to a US 12th grader, then she should be able to pass the exam with a suitable score outright without further training.

You have to research everything available, what their policies are and what your fiancee intends to study. Unfortunately there is no "short answer" other than "Do not plan on a free education" It is a great way to pass time while waiting for your petition to be approved.

[ScottThuy 140]

TINSTAAFL or in this case TINSTAAFCE

[dekedwin 52]

I did a little search on the college that I was referring to, and I put in free classes. What I found was a long list of classes being offered for $95.00 I don't know about the credit issue on that. I didn't see any age restrictions either, so I guess anyone can take those classes listed for $95.00. This is very cheap as the classes I am taking this quarter are costing me $850.00 not including several hundred dollars for books!!!!

I did a little looking using google, and I found there are classes for people over 60 years old that are free by auditing not getting any credit for those classes. People taking those classes have to pay for fees and supplies, and that would probably run anywhere from $45.00 to $95.00 or so.

I found one, I think in Texas, if I remember correctly that the tuition is free and you get college credit for the classes if you are a resident, and you over 65 years old or older.

I think most of these free classes only allow people to take them for free if there is room in the classes. They give preference to people who are paying the full cost of the classes.

I used to get there catalogues, but I don't anymore. If I had one of their catalogues I might be able to find the section for adult education. They might even allow people 50 and older, or 55 and older to take those classes. I can't remember the exact age on that.

Some who offered the free classes changed their policy and stopped offering free classes. Being aware of these possibilities a person would just have to do the research. Get on google and look into their policies or get their catalogues and read what is available.

I don't know what the credit offering is for these classes they offer for $95.00, but there are a quite a few of them, and that is very reasonable, and it looks like to me than anyone can take those classes regardless of age. So there are a few ideas for people to look into. If someone is bored, or if they want to learn something, and find a subject interesting those classes would definately be worth the price. The North part of the community college is right down the hill from us in the town, and the main campus is maybe 80 miles or so from here.

Like was mentioned in another post the school districts could have some information about this also. Community centers, employment security offices, and other places in the community might have some information. People in the churches might have some information on this too. The subjects for the above $95.00 classes vary all the way from photography, to the internet, to using computer software, to introduction to Linux, to programing, to buying and selling on ebay, to constitutional law, to photo shop, to stocks and bond, and the list goes on an on, and there are lots of them.

Those are a few ideas. My situation is that I need to take 15 credit hours college course work 100 or above every five years to maintain my teaching certificate. This winter quarter finishes my 15 credit hours, and I am taking a nutrition class and a class about writing music using a software program called Sibellius, and I don't know anything about it, but I am sure I will in a couple of months! After than when I have the time I am considering taking a course to learn to tune and rebuild pianos. I have an old Steinway upright that needs to be rebuild, but I can't afford to have it done. I think if I am able to learn tuning and rebuilding, then I can rebuild this old piano myself. It was made in 1872, and is fragile according to the tuner/technition that I had work on it over a year ago. He told me that it would need lots of maintainence until it was rebuilt. Presently A natural, and E flat below middle C have stopped working, and every so often I have a chord that I need to play that has those two notes in the bass cleft, and when that happens the bass is silent!

I hope those might be a few more useful ideas, and give someone some ideas about researching the possibilities.

I have to