美国采取“零学费”或“极低学费”模式的高校

美国有一小部分高校采取“零学费”或“极低学费”模式，它们通常依靠捐赠基金、工作项目或州政府补贴来覆盖教学成本。肯塔基州的 Berea College 是最典型的例子，每位学生都自动获得价值约四万美元的全额学费奖学金，条件是参与校内劳动项目。密苏里州的 College of the Ozarks 也采用类似模式，学生每周工作十五小时即可完全覆盖学费。肯塔基州的 Alice Lloyd College 则对阿巴拉契亚地区 108 个郡的居民提供零学费，只要参与学生工作计划即可。

纽约的 Webb Institute 是一所高度专业化的海事工程学院，对所有被录取的美国公民提供全额学费奖学金。宾夕法尼亚州的 Curtis Institute of Music 作为全美最具选择性的音乐学院之一，也为所有本科生提供全额学费的优秀奖学金。堪萨斯州的 Haskell Indian Nations University 则为符合资格的联邦认可部落成员提供免学费教育，学生只需支付每学期约 240 美元的杂费。

北卡罗来纳州的四所大学——UNC Pembroke、Elizabeth City State University、Fayetteville State University 和 Western Carolina University——通过 NC Promise 计划，将州内学生的学费固定在每年一千美元。这些学校的学费极低，但不包含住宿与餐饮费用，住校学生通常仍需支付每年八千到一万四千美元的生活成本。

Berea College (Kentucky) – $0 tuition. Every student receives a full-tuition scholarship worth roughly $40,000 annually in exchange for work.College of the Ozarks (Missouri) – $0 tuition. Students work 15 hours a week on campus to completely cover the cost of their education.Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky) – $0 tuition for residents of 108 central Appalachian counties who participate in the student work program.Webb Institute (New York) – $0 tuition. This specialized marine engineering academy funds full-tuition scholarships for all admitted U.S. citizens.Curtis Institute of Music (Pennsylvania) – $0 tuition. This highly selective conservatory provides all undergraduate students with full-tuition merit scholarships.Haskell Indian Nations University (Kansas) – $0 tuition (approx. $240 in fees per semester) for eligible members of federally recognized Native American tribes.University of North Carolina at Pembroke (North Carolina) – $1,000 tuition per year for in-state students via the NC Promise program.Elizabeth City State University (North Carolina) – $1,000 tuition per year for in-state students via the NC Promise program.Fayetteville State University (North Carolina) – $1,000 tuition per year for in-state students via the NC Promise program.Western Carolina University (North Carolina) – $1,000 tuition per year for in-state students via the NC Promise program.(Note: Free and $1,000 tuition figures do not include personal room and board fees, which typically cost an additional $8,000 to $14,000 annually if living on