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Growing Number Of Seniors Attend College For Free

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Seniors Know It's Never Too Late For A College Education

Today's senior citizens are a vibrant crowd, not content to merely whittle away the days with routine pursuits. No, the seniors of today are engaged in volunteer work, community service, and - no surprise - advancing their education with free college courses. These courses don't necessarily come with credits that can be applied toward degrees. Some suggest that keeping the mind active can, however, have health benefits such as improving the memory and cognitive abilities. There are some seniors, however, who are actually beginning a degree program with a free core class from educational institutions such as Test Drive College. It's never too late, seems to be an underlying thread.

A 2007 study from Elderhostel, which is now Road Scholar, suggests that keeping the mind active might also make people happier. Nearly half of the aged 55-plus set surveyed reported attending classes once monthly or more frequently. These same men and women reported being more optimistic and more satisfied with life than others did, the survey noted.

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Baby boomers are presently working and are involved with their communities and yet they're crowding into classrooms, an article in New Horizons for Learning noted. Among those that might offer a free online college degree are senior centers, retirement communities and assisted living facilities. Some states might offer tuition waivers and discounts to seniors who want to take courses at public colleges and universities for free or at discounted rates.

"Visitor" programs also allow seniors opportunities to attend courses for free. At a Hawaii university, some 300 seniors participate in free visitor program courses each semester. Other colleges and universities might offer similar programs, or courses for seniors that come with nominal fees.

More Websites Hosting Free College Information

Free college information now abounds, particularly on the Internet. An article on seniorjournal.com provided information from a Harris Poll, which a few years ago found that baby boomers aged 50 to 64 comprise 34 percent of the online population. Seniors, this same report noted, represent another 10 percent.

Seniors might consider searching for courses in which they're interested at an OpenCourseWare Consortium website. This particular website offers opportunities to search for courses from institutions throughout the world and in different languages. In the United States, OpenCourseWare provides information and links to an array of free online courses from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Seniors might also enroll in online courses for free from Ivy League universities.

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Increasing Number Of Free Online Colleges Using Social Media

Many free online colleges include audio and video components in their coursework, as colleges and universities have been establishing channels on YouTube and working with podcasts. In some instances, faculty members might distribute audio lectures through Apple's iTunes U. Some assignments and lessons might also be available in text format.

In addition to the OpenCourseWare site, the AARP Bulletin article points seniors toward websites such as Academic Earth, the Research Channel and Videolectures.net. Seniors can find free online courses in foreign languages from radio networks, cultural organizations and the Peace Corps, as well as from colleges and universities, an Open Culture website shows. They might also delve into current events through a free course in Sustainable Living from a California university or a Global Population Growth offering from an Ivy League institution. This same university also offers a New Testament History and Literature course online that seniors might find appealing.

The amount of courses offered that contain free college credits are virtually limitless and accessed over the Internet, a tool most have available in one form or another. Imagine being at home or even at a library where you can go to college free, learn what you find interesting, and even progress towards a degree if that is your goal.

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Comments Welcome

  • joeberry33 May 22, 2012 @ 1:17 am | delete
    This is a great lens. I love the idea of continuing education for our beloved seniors and cant help but to think that grandma would have this program for herself. great job ob the post and indeed it is never too late for online education courses. Thank you!!
  • sarahrk Feb 12, 2012 @ 5:34 pm | delete
    Being that I am a senior, I would love to get more information about this program
  • kathysart Dec 19, 2011 @ 9:41 am | delete
    Great lens.. seniors need to feel a future as well. THUMBS UP & A SQUID ANGEL BLESSING
  • KonaGirl Dec 11, 2011 @ 11:11 am | delete
    Thank you so much for this information. I thought about going back to school and the tuition for a 4 year degree in the ITT field I am interested in was $45,000. Who wants to get in debt for that kind of money at my age? Not me. That's crazy. I will have too look into your suggestions. I don't care about the degree. I just want the knowledge. *Squid Angel Blessed* and I've added your link to My Squid Angel Wings to be featured in the "Education" neighborhood.
  • sheilamarie Nov 29, 2011 @ 2:06 pm | delete
    What a service you are doing to remind people of these online opportunities! Thank you!
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