The Bermuda College is the cheaper choice for Bermudians who wish to continue their education.

In response to a recent article about students finding it difficult to raise the cash to finish school, Sandra Dill, from the admissions department of the Bermuda College, spoke to

?Students can earn the first half of a Bachelor?s degree (in two years of study) for around $5,000 here at Bermuda College,? Ms Dill said.

The fees for a full-time student at the College this year cost $3,030. When compared to how overseas university expenses skyrocket once airfare, housing and books are added in to the mix, the College is much less expensive, she said.

?Parents here will pay for all that stuff. Also, students here can work on campus,? she said.

She revealed that half of next year?s student body ? around 400 students ? will receive some form of financial assistance.

But eligible students must have a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher.

Students are able to transfer their credits to many overseas institutions.

?(Overseas universities) look at us and agree what we do is very similar to what they have to offer overseas.?

Agreements have been articulated between approximately ten institutions where a complete credit transfer is ?almost guaranteed to be accepted?, she said.

The examples of institutions Ms Dill gave were: Temple University, Mount St. Vincent University, Bryant College, St. George?s University and Hampton University.

Last year?s valedictorian transferred all of his credits to New York University. He graduated from Warwick Academy then spent two years at the College getting an associate degree in business.

?Now he only has to get a scholarship for two years and not four and has a very high opportunity to earn scholarships. Many of the offered scholarships request that you have finished one year of university first,? she said.

Ms Dill said that many parents can max-out their loans at the banks by borrowing enough money to finance their children?s first two or three years in college but cannot afford the remaining years for them to graduate.

The College also has payment plan so students can pay for their class time in instalments.

But sometimes students do not always have smooth sailing when they leave Bermuda College.

?One of the challenges students have is that their degrees are not transferable. If a student studies business here and earns a business degree, then wants to be a social worker, they have to start a semester behind,? she said.

Ms Dill warned students not to expect an easy ride.

?Our programmes are very challenging. We need to be competitive so we can transfer credits,? she said.

But they have an ?open policy? where students who graduate high school but have poor grades, they can spend either a year, or a semester, on college preparatory classes.

?We allow people to come in and get the opportunity, but they need the academic rigour to obtain the associate degree,? she said.