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Going to college is becoming more and more expensive. The price of tuition alone can cause a student to be in debt for decades. For many, a four-year university seems to be the only option to have successful careers after high school. It’s a belief that has been around since the birth of the millennial generation, but it might not be the case anymore. MissionU, located in San Francisco, is offering a debt-free, one-year program that prepares students to start careers. With institutions such as MissionU, students might finally have an affordable option to learn and thrive without going into debt.
How MissionU Works
MissionU is a one-year program that focuses on giving students the knowledge and experience to start lifelong careers. The program is split into three trimesters. It starts with creating a foundation for the students, then teaches them soft and hard professional skills. Finally, students move onto focusing on what they will be doing in their respective fields: specialty skills. For their final trimesters, students will get work experience with one of MissionU’s partner companies. The system is set up for the students to use what they learn in the classroom right away. The materials and strategies the students will work on will be current. You won’t be looking at what worked 10 years. You will see what works now. MissionU is also committed to having their students succeed post-graduation by reserving six weeks out of the one-year program for the interview process via training, guidance and salary negotiation.
What Do You Have to Pay?
MissionU is debt-free and has no tuition. Students don’t pay MissionU until the investment pays off. Once a student receives a job for $50,000 or more, MissionU will take 15 percent of their income for the first three years. While 15 percent of $50,000+ may sound like a lot, it could actually be a lot less than what you would have to pay for tuition at many four-year programs. The most intriguing part about MissionU is the debt-free aspect. Students don’t have to put themselves in situations where they do not have enough money to live due to a low-salary job and student loans. With MissionU, you only have to pay when you can afford to pay.
Is This the Future?
It’s a step in the right direction. When students go to four-year institutions, they take the risk of being thousands of dollars in debt. They can only hope the investment pays off with a high-paying job. MissionU’s system of paying after you get the money to pay back is genius. It allows the students to not live in fear of debt, while pushing institutions to make sure graduates do receive a high-paying job. MissionU currently only offers Data Analytics + Business Intelligence degrees. But, if the model proves successful, this idea could expand to other majors and institutions. Four-year institutions have been convincing students for years that they have no choice but to accept their high-tuition demands. But now students might finally have the chance to say: “Thanks, but no thanks.”
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