I go to a tuition-free college where every student works part-time. I'm very busy, but I'll graduate nearly debt-free.

Grace Mullins, a rising senior and sociology major from Indiana, attends Berea College, a private liberal arts work college in Kentucky. Berea is one of 10 federally recognized work colleges in the US, offering a tuition-free model in exchange for required work hours. Mullins said she would not have been able to afford college without taking on significant student debt. She noted that most students she knows pay less than $500 per semester for housing and meal plans.

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