Money you may not know about
There is no age limit on federal student aid. File the FAFSA whatever your income, because it is the gateway to grants and federal loans alike. Once you are twenty-four, or earlier if you are married, a veteran or supporting a child, you count as an independent student and your parents' finances stay out of the calculation. Ask your employer's benefits office about tuition assistance, since the tax code lets employers pay a set amount toward your education each year tax-free, and many do so without advertising it. Read the strings, which often include a minimum grade and repayment if you leave soon afterward. The Lifetime Learning Credit can also trim your tax bill for tuition you pay yourself, subject to income limits.
Credit for what you have done
Order transcripts from every college you ever attended. General education credits usually transfer indefinitely, while science and technical credits may expire after about ten years. Ask each school about credit for prior learning. Standardized exams such as CLEP let you test out of introductory courses for roughly the price of a textbook, and military training and professional certifications often convert to credit.
Choosing the school
Public community colleges and state universities are the safe default, and many run evening, online and accelerated formats built for working adults. Confirm the school's accreditation, and if you plan to start at a two-year college, get the transfer agreement with the four-year school in writing. Be wary of any school whose recruiter calls daily, pushes you to enroll this week or is vague about total cost. The Department of Education's College Scorecard shows graduation rates, typical debt and median earnings by program.
Fitting it into a life
The standard estimate is two to three hours of study a week for every credit hour, on top of class time. A three-credit course therefore costs nine to twelve hours a week, and two courses is about the ceiling alongside a full-time job. Six credits also generally counts as half-time enrollment, the usual minimum for federal loans. Plan the hours before the term begins: name the evenings, tell your household and your manager, and protect one day with no work and no school. Professors are more flexible with adults who speak up in week two than with those who vanish in week eight.
Tip Take the course you dread most, usually math or writing, in your first or second term while your resolve is fresh. Postponing it is how people end up one class short of a degree.
