Making School Affordable

Our Goal is to Make Holistic Health Education Accessible to All

Our students use many funding options to pay for school, and we want to equip you with the tools for success.

What Flexible Payment Options Do our Students Use to Help Cover the Cost of College?

Our students come from all walks of life and represent diverse needs. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to paying for college, and not everyone is aware of the options available that help students make higher education affordable.

We have an extensive array of resources that we want to share with you in order to help you fund your dream. Please be in touch with our financial aid department anytime, and ask us about some of the programs below. We will help you develop a custom education plan and personalized financial evaluation that takes into account your personal circumstances and aspirations, and that will help you overcome obstacles that stand between you and your career goals in holistic health.

Explore different funding options and cost-reduction techniques.

ACHS offers several different funding options our students can take advantage of. These include:

In-house semester and monthly payment installation plans (PIPs)
Private and federal student loans
Veteran’s benefits
Military tuition assistance – sit down with your military liaison to find out what your benefits are.
Employer tuition assistance – many corporations offer scholarships and funding for education at accredited institutions. We have had students funded by Oregon’s Wild Harvest, Wild Oats, Boeing, Qwest, Verizon, Humana, Sprouts, and Mountain Rose Herbs. Employer tuition assistance varies per company. Contact your HR department for details.
Americorp Education Award
Grants and scholarships
Student loan deferment and tax credits

Additional strategies which help students reduce the cost of higher education include:

Transfer of credit – Have you taken accredited college courses in the past? Provide an official transcript to receive credit and reduce the number of courses needed for a given program.
Challenge exams – Test out some courses to receive credit.
Credentialing along the way – Why not start with a certificate that includes courses that lay the foundation for a higher degree, such as an Associate’s or Bachelor’s? For example, receive a Certificate in Aromatherapy as a building block to your career that can open doors for you to step into the industry. Then, as you become experienced in your chosen profession, apply those credits towards an Associate’s Degree in Contemporary Alternative Medicine with Specialization in Aromatherapy.

Reduce your borrowing.

Your budget is your friend! It may seem easy to borrow loan funds to cover your expenses while going to school, but remember that every dollar must be repaid, with interest! The decisions you make now can help you better manage your loan repayment after graduation.

Consider borrowing only what you need to cover your tuition and fees for the semester. Rather than electing to receive the maximum allowable amount in student loans each semester, you have the option at any time to reduce your financial aid to only cover the exact costs of your semester charges. You can reduce your borrowing substantially (sometimes by $3000 or more each semester!) by declining extra funds.
Limit the amount of any credit balance you elect to receive. Many ACHS students decide to reduce their borrowing so they only receive a small portion of their available extra funds. Every dollar you decline is another dollar you do not have to repay, so plan to only take the smallest amount you need to get by!
Make small payments while you are in school. All ACHS students have the option to further reduce their borrowing by making small monthly payments while they are in school. Just paying $100 per month towards your tuition and fee charges reduces the amount you have to borrow by $400 a semester. That’s $1200 a year!
Use the Department of Education’s online Repayment Plan Estimator tool. Repayment plans can give you more time to repay your loans or can be based on your income. The Department of Education offers an online Repayment Estimator that you can use to compare your estimated monthly and total payments under each of the available repayment plans. You can access the Repayment Estimator here. Use your FAFSA username and password to log in.

Contact the ACHS Financial Aid Office.

If you want to discuss your options, change your borrowing elections, talk about your aggregate loan limits, or have any questions – please contact us! We are here to help you navigate the ins and outs of managing your student loans.