With the cost of tuition and room and board at some colleges now exceeding $60,000 per year, many students and parents are asking themselves if there is a way to get a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or other professional training for less money. While earning a degree is necessary in order to be considered for many types of jobs that pay well (in many cases a bachelor’s degree at a minimum is needed in order to enjoy a rewarding career) most students don’t want to take on enormous amounts of debt in order to make it all possible.

The good news is that there actually are ways you can earn a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or other type of degree while keeping costs at a minimum. Read on to learn about some tips and tricks that can help save you money on a higher education and make it possible for you to enjoy the career of your dreams.

Take Advanced Placement Classes or Dual Enrollment Classes in High School

Advanced Placement Classes

Many high schools offer Advanced Placement, or AP, classes to students in their junior and senior years. These AP classes, which are available in many subjects including various sciences, humanities and even the arts, allow students to earn both high school and college credit at the same time. Many students opt to take AP classes that will satisfy some of the general education credits they will need for college. Advanced Placement classes can save students money on college tuition and in some cases, if a student takes several AP classes, might allow a student to graduate from college early, potentially saving them thousands of dollars.

Dual Enrollment Classes

Many high schools partner with local colleges or universities to offer dual enrollment classes to high school students in their junior and senior years. A dual enrollment class is a college course that allows a student to earn high school and college credit at the same time. Some high schools might charge a minimal fee for dual enrollment classes, but in many cases they are free. Either way, dual enrollment classes can save students thousands of dollars on college costs.

Start Your Education at a Community College

Most community colleges offer tuition rates that are far lower than those at most four-year colleges. Taking your first two years of classes at a community college and then transferring to a four-year college can save many students thousands of dollars.

Attend a State College

Attending a state college located in the state where you live can save you a great deal of money on tuition costs. State colleges offer lower tuition rates to students who live in state, as well as a number of grants and scholarships

Apply for Scholarships and Financial Aid

Most colleges and universities offer a number of scholarships and grants to students that can go toward paying their tuition. Scholarships and grants are also available through a number of other organizations including religious associations, nonprofits, businesses, sports teams and arts organizations. Spending some time applying for some of these scholarships and grants can be well worth your while. Since few people are aware than many scholarships exist, students who apply for them often have a good chance of getting an award. Pay special attention to scholarship and grant deadlines when applying.

Consider Attending a College or University Abroad

The cost of a higher education in many countries around the world is often much less than the cost of tuition in the United States. Because of this, many students choose to study at colleges and universities in other countries in order to save money. Universities in Canada, for example, offer students much lower tuition costs than comparable institutions in the U.S. Other countries that are popular with American students who want to study abroad are Germany, the United Kingdom and France.

In addition to students who want to earn a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, students who want to earn a professional degree in medicine or business can also earn their degrees abroad to save money. Schools such as the Saint James School of Medicine, which has locations on the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Anguilla and enrolls both American and Canadian students, can save people who want to earn a medical degree thousands of dollars in tuition costs, making a rewarding career in medicine possible for many students who could not afford to pay tuition at an American medical school.