ATLANTA — Channel 2 consumer adviser Clark Howard says it is not impossible to graduate college debt free.
“You may feel like taking on student loan debt is your only option,” Howard said. “That’s not true; with persistence and effort, you may be able to cut that debt down to size.”
When Ti’Andrea Alston graduated from the University of Georgia in 2025, she left with a sense of pride for her alma mater and a new appreciation for football. She also left debt free.
“It just gives me a lot of peace of mind knowing that I don’t have to have that financial burden,” Alston said."
Her debt free journey started years before she set foot on campus. With the encouragement of her parents, she started researching a list of scholarships sent out by her high school counselor.
“You can find scholarships anywhere: restaurants, local businesses and stores, churches and different organizations, sororities and fraternities,” Alston said. “Pretty much anywhere you turn you can find a scholarship.”
She also qualified for a state-funded scholarship and received another from her employer at Chick-fil-a. In total, she received over $50,000 in scholarships.
Alston is planning on going to graduate school and has been working with the nonprofit Scholarship Informer to find more money.
Dr. Gabrielle McCormick founded Scholarship Informer, a website dedicated to helping students find and apply for scholarships.
McCormick advises looking for less common terms when searching for funding.
“Not all scholarships are called scholarships, so get creative in how you’re searching,” McCormick said. “We really try to vet our scholarships through a lot of different lenses because I’m hyper aware, our team is, about what’s a scam and what’s not.”
She warns with the rise of AI; scammers can create fake scholarship websites to steal your personal information. Doing your research before submitting any information is key to protecting yourself.
“When in doubt, don’t fill it out,” McCormick said.
And if you’re thinking about using AI to apply, she says to think hard about how you’re using it.
“They can tell; they call the essay soulless,” McCormick said. “You can really detect when something isn’t as strong as it should be just because it is lacking that personal touch.”
Alston hopes her debt free journey will help others pursue more scholarship opportunities.
“You can save yourself a whole lot of stress and have that peace of mind,” Alston said.
Scholarships aren’t the only way to help cut down on the cost of college. Howard said community college is a great way to save.
“If you are really worried about college costs then cut them in half by going to community college the first 2 years. It will take so much pressure off you and save you so much money,” Howard said.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2026 Cox Media Group
