Cromwell and her husband, a high school athletic director, had always worried about how they would put their two daughters and two sons through college. Private elementary and high school costs took a big bite out of the couple's income, leaving little to save for higher education. "We pretty much figured that they would have to go to a state school, and we would help them with that," says Cromwell, who recruits and advises students at Jacksonville's school of nursing.
All four children have taken advantage of the program, which covers the full tuition--currently $18,590 annually--for the employee and any dependents under the age of 25. And the price cut applies to 550 colleges that are members of the Tuition Exchange, such as Bluefield College in southwestern Virginia and the University of Southern California. Eldest daughter Brooke, 25, received her B.S. in sports administration from Jacksonville in 2003 and is slated to get another degree there in nursing. Cromwell's two sons headed off to Colorado Christian College in Lakewood, Colo. (Jacksonville no longer has a reciprocal arrangement with the school), but both eventually transferred. Thomas, 23, graduates in May from Jacksonville, where 20-year-old Mary is a junior. James, 22, is a junior at Bluefield.
All of Cromwell's children have part-time jobs and took out student loans to pay for room and board and other living expenses. Brooke has roughly $20,000 to pay back, while Thomas has a $16,000 debt burden. So far, James and Mary owe around $8,000 and $3,000, respectively. Still, Cromwell believes they made the right choice in Jacksonville. "It's been a wonderful opportunity for our family," she says. "It's also a wonderful place to work."
Uncle Sam pays David Whitt of Hancock, N.Y., remembers checking out Cornell University five years ago as he pondered his college choice. But the school lost some of its luster when he saw the $40,000 price tag. Indeed, most of the schools Whitt, now 22, hoped to attend were just as expensive. "I didn't want to put my dad through financial hardship," he says of the $20,000 the government figured that his father, a certified public accountant, and mother, a math teacher, should be able to contribute to his education each year.
His solution? Whitt applied to the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, which trains students to be military officers while earning their degrees, and landed a four-year scholarship to Boston University. To be eligible for free money, candidates must have at least a high school GPA of 2.50 and an SAT score of 920 (the Naval and Air Force ROTC requirements are more stringent). But the four-year scholarships are highly competitive. This year, only 8 percent of applicants received one. Grades were no problem for Whitt, who graduated near the top of his high school class. But good grades don't always guarantee a sizable award. Although many Army ROTC cadets receive scholarships of up to $17,000, packages vary according to the length of commitment and the participating colleges.
The deal clincher for Whitt: BU, which costs $38,194 annually, covered the remaining costs. "I've never seen a bill for college," says Whitt, who graduated in May. The Army ROTC also kicked in stipends for books and incidentals.
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