91³Ô¹Ï

At 91³Ô¹Ï, we are constantly evaluating innovative ideas on college affordability and alleviating student debt.

As we look at alternative ways to think about financing college, one possible pathway is to offer a kind of ‘work college’ experience. At a traditional ‘work college’, students perform essential institutional functions in every area imaginable on their campuses and gain a strong sense of ownership and responsibility for their campus community.

Students are paid for their work, which helps offset the cost of tuition. At some ‘work colleges,’ students receive a full-tuition credit for their work, while others receive reduced tuition.

I know what you’re thinking…this is just another name for a work-study program. But they are very different…

A ‘work college’:

• Requires that some or all students participate in a comprehensive work-learning-service program for at least a portion of their enrollment;
• Students typically work 6 to 15 hours per week;
• Jobs run the gamut of campus need from teaching assistantships, to accounts payable, to IT, to food services, to grounds keeping, to plumbing, public relations, campus safety, etc.;
• Based on the idea that integration of work-learning-service provides a strong, successful and relevant model for educating students.

If 91³Ô¹Ï were to venture into this process, do you think parents and students would be open to this concept? Why or why not?