There may be a way, depending on your exact situation, to both reduce the need for loans, and still do college... it depends on motivation and your level of dis

There may be a way, depending on your exact situation, to both reduce the need for loans, and still do college... it depends on motivation and your level of discipline. 1. Use exams such as CLEP to be able to bypass certain intro courses. In such cases, you could enter university with 10% or so of the required credits to graduate, "in the bag" on your first day of classes. 2. You may be able to find an employer that will take you on, and, pay for some or all of your schooling. A bit more of a long shot; and, you would be taking longer to complete a degree, as well as having to give up some evenings due to classes being taught at night. 3. I would suggest up-front, that you expect or anticipate being disappointed with some parts of your university experience. Bluntly, most students will not have the drive or the intellectual curiosity you exhibit. Some of them will treat school as 4 years of partying, chasing women, and drinking or doing recreational drugs, and have an attitude of "I need to go to college to get my ticket punched". 4. Your internships might be a good source of contacts - most people are willing to help out with advice, especially if they have worked with you before and respect your work ethic. That can pay off in recommendation letters, suggestions for scholarships, etc. 5. You should try to clarify your goals, if you do decide to attend - what are some of the skills and capabilities that you should retain after you leave? Perhaps there are "soft skills" you can learn, like speaking in front of people with confidence, giving presentations to a group; and "hard skills" like mathematics or even some basics in electrical engineering, chemistry, etc. I would suggest that you try as much as possible to avoid debt, especially since student debt is not able to be discharged, even in bankruptcy (most of the time).