Kollege Kampus

COVID-19 rates are not the only thing skyrocketing in 2020. College tuition and fees continue to soar at a rapid pace according to recent data compiled in a U.S. News annual survey.

The average cost for tuition and fees for the 2019–2020 school year has reached a staggering $41,426 at private colleges, $11,260 for state residents at public colleges, and $27,120 for state college out-of-state students according to study results.

Given these costs, the burden of student loans has likely crossed your mind, and for good reason.

Data provided by Mark Kantrowitz, publisher and vice president of research with SavingforCollege.com, as well as by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that:

..“among the Class of 2019, 69% of college students took out student loans, and they graduated with an average debt of $29,900, including both private and federal debt. Meanwhile, 14% of their parents took out an average of $37,200 in federal parent PLUS loans.”

Today Americans have amassed a whopping $1.64 trillion in student loan debt, dispersed among about 45 million borrowers. That’s $587 billion more than U.S. credit card debt.

Now for the Good News! Coursera, the world’s leading online platform and one of the early pioneers of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCS) recently announced that it’s providing college students with no-cost access to its entire catalog of courses.

Through July 31, college and university students from two and four-year colleges and universities globally can enroll to take courses and earn certificates on Coursera free of charge. So if you’re currently an undergraduate, graduate, or recently graduated student with a verified school email, you are eligible for this opportunity.

Once enrolled, you have until Sept. 30, 2020, to complete your coursework.

Upon finishing your courses or program, you will receive a document certifying your completion status. This will allow you the opportunity to apply for course credit at your home college or university.

There is no limit on how many courses you can take. So, in a sense, it’s a no-cost option for summer courses.

Over 3,800 courses and 400 different specializations are offered, providing hands-on, job-relevant learning opportunities in highly marketable skills like data analysis, social media marketing, and app development.

Coursera touts the fact that over one million college and university students are taking advantage of their options during the pandemic. The New York Times in fact has reported that on the heels of the pandemic, Coursera’s platform grew by 10 million users during the period mid-March to mid-May.

Here at KollegeKampus, we support initiatives like that at Coursera which can assist you in continuing your college matriculation in the midst of on-campus learning disruptions tied to COVID. We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this no-cost option for loading up on a few summer courses during this time of escalating costs on traditional campuses.

source: https://www.coursera.org/promo/free-courses-college-students| Photo credit: Eliott Reyna