Graduate degrees are usually large investments of time and money that place financial stress on students, so students should look to find a program that is affordable. While institutions that charge lots of money for their degrees often have larger financial aid packages, any cheap online masters program will allow you to apply for private scholarship awards to further cut down on your expenses. Pursuing a cheap online masters program in public health does not mean that you are compromising your education, as most expensive universities are relying on their name brand to drive prices. While having a degree highly recognized school on your resume can be useful, employers are increasingly aware that the smaller institutions prepare applicants just as well as prestigious institutions. This is even more applicable for students who are studying online, as they have to be self-motivated learners to complete an online degree from any institution. Students applying to cheap online masters programs in public health can get an even better deal by applying to one of the Top 36 Best Scholarships for MPH Degrees, all of which are independent of any particular institution.
Many prestigious universities offer online MPH degrees that cost the same amount of money as their on-campus degrees, and can charge amounts that are prohibitive to many applicants who don’t have the financial flexibility to pay full tuition. For example, UC Berkeley’s online MPH degree costs a total of approximately $49,000. Students who apply to Harvard’s online MPH degree will pay $32,000 per year for two years, bringing the total cost of the degree to around $64,000. While degrees from these prestigious universities will momentarily catch the eye of the employer who is overlooking a resume, the best employers look at the whole person who is applying for the job. Degrees from other institutions qualify applicants for the job and can be considerably less money, with savings often amounting to multiple years’ worth of full-time salary. There are also highly regarded universities like Walden University and UMass Amherst that have the recognizable name, but cost considerably less money for their degrees, at approximately $25,000 and $26,000, respectively. However, even better prices can be found at Fort Hays State University, which charges approximately $7,000 for their online MPH degree, or American Public University and Trident University International, which both charge approximately $15,000 for their degree.
Furthermore, students can apply for private scholarships that can go to these less expensive universities, to make their online degree an even better deal. The Return2College Scholarship awards $1,000 to students enrolled at any institution, and is designed for students who are going back to college to increase their credentials, which is often pursued in online formats. The Because College is Expensive scholarship is a sweepstakes that awards students at any institution $500. The Active Life Financial Literacy Scholarship is designed for students who show an awareness of financial responsibility, and further awards their fiscal assiduity with a $1,000 scholarship to students at any institution. You can apply to multiple scholarships, and when combined with a cheap online masters program in public health, you can bring down costs to a minimal investment.
