Grace Mullins Graduates Berea College With Under $10,000 In Debt

Grace Mullins, a sociology major from Indiana, says she'll graduate from Berea College with under $10,000 in student debt thanks to the Kentucky school's tuition-free, work-based model, according to Business Insider. Berea is one of just 10 federally recognized work colleges in the U.S., where students cover tuition through required work hours instead of payments.

Mullins said most students she knows at Berea pay less than $500 a semester, covering mainly housing and meal plans, and some even get money back. She grew up watching her college-educated parents pay off their own student loans and said she feels fortunate to avoid the debt that would otherwise follow her for years after graduation.