Online college to waive application fees for prospective students

Online college to waive application fees for prospective students

Linfield College, an accredited online education provider, is offering an "education stimulus plan" to prospective students who are looking to earn their bachelors degree.

Until February 20, the school will waive the $50-$100 application fee for students who take their first class by June 2010.

"During this time, the U.S. economy is struggling to recover from one of the most difficult periods in recent history," said program associate director Janet Gifford. "The result is higher than normal unemployment, with job losses hitting those hardest whose education stopped before completing a bachelor's degree. We want to do our part to encourage adults to plan toward the future."

Linfield College offers five online degree programs including a bachelor of science in nursing that is designed for professional registered nurses who are looking to continue their education.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for nurses is expected to grow by 23 percent over the next seven years. The top salaries in the field already exceed $83,000 per year.

Labor Department analysts predict that by 2012, a total of 1 million nurses will be needed to care for the aging population, and some 587,000 new nursing jobs will be created nationwide.

Online training in the healthcare field is growing by nearly 20 percent, making it the fastest growing industry in the online education sector.