With the price of tuition increasing each year and more families unable to save for future college costs, prospective students often turn to private and federal student loans to finance their education. But with one-in-three student loans currently considered delinquent and the weight of student loan debt burdening borrowers well into retirement, many consumers are seeking out other ways to pay for their post-secondary education while remaining relatively debt-free.

From joining programs such as ROTC or AmeriCorps to enticing strangers to fork over donations using crowdfunding websites like GoFundMe, would-be students are getting increasingly creative when it comes to achieving their collegiate dreams.

In recent months, several new ways to pony up those tuition dollars have been born. Starbucks partnered with Arizona State University to sent employees college. And cities in Michigan and the entire state of Tennessee have created programs that will send resident’s to college free of charge.

If you are using, or have used unusual or odd ways to pay for college, we’d like to hear your story. How did you get the idea? Is it covering all your costs?

E-mail us your story at tips@consumerist.com with PAYING FOR COLLEGE in the subject line, and let us know just how you were able to fund your college experience.

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