AFSCME’s flexible and affordable college benefit continues to grow, with more ways than ever to make your higher education dream come true.
If you are just getting started in higher education, have not yet earned a degree, or you’re interested in a new subject area, AFSCME’s Free College Benefit is the way to go.
AFSCME Free College offers working families a debt-free and convenient higher education opportunity. Members, active retirees and their eligible family members can earn an associate degree online with no out-of-pocket costs through Eastern Gateway Community College (EGCC).
EGCC is a public, non-profit school in the University System of Ohio and is regionally accredited. Credits you earn can transfer to other schools, saving you as much as $15,000 on your education.
Over 20 areas of study are available, including business management, criminal justice, teacher education, health care administration, accounting, labor studies and more.
For people interested in earning a bachelor’s degree, AFSCME’s new low-cost Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program is a great opportunity.
For a limited time, we are offering the bachelor's completion program at no cost (instead of low cost) – at least through the end of 2020. Students who enroll this year and remain continuously enrolled through graduation can earn a bachelor’s degree for free. Visit the Bachelor’s Degree Completion Program page for details.
While it is free for now, the online bachelor’s degree completion program usually costs a fraction of regular college tuition. Partnering with Ohio’s Central State University (CSU), a regionally accredited, public university, AFSCME members, active retirees and their eligible family members can complete an online bachelor’s degree at a greatly reduced price.
The program allows people who have already completed an associate degree, or who have 60 credit hours towards degrees in either business management, teacher education or criminal justice to attend CSU at a highly discounted cost.
Students who have earned an associate degree outside their intended major will begin with AFSCME Free College at EGCC at no out-of-pocket cost and then transfer into the bachelor’s completion program at CSU.
Online classes let you balance life’s demands, making it possible to go to school while you continue to work. You can choose either eight weeks or 16-week classes, and 24/7 access means you can work on assignments any time of day.
Studies show that financial challenges are the No. 1 factor in whether a student earns a college degree, but with the options available to AFSCME members, cost doesn’t need to be roadblock to pursuing your educational goals.