Cheaper, better and more flexible: Christian higher ed alternatives offer dramatically lower costs

As traditional college costs soar to as much as $95,000 per year, Christians are taking higher education “out of the box.”

There is a wave of low and no-cost models raising leaders through a…

As traditional college costs soar to as much as $95,000 per year, Christians are taking higher education “out of the box.”

There is a wave of low and no-cost models raising leaders through a collaborative approach at a fraction of the cost. The programs also offer dual credit courses for high schoolers, allowing them to get a head start on their higher education.

Here is a look at three innovative models which allow broad access with minimal fees:

Christian Leaders Institute 

Founded in 2006, Christian Leaders Institute has grown from six students to 800,000 learners accessing its free courses from more than 200 countries.  

Its innovative “give-it-forward” model encourages users to donate in order to help more people around the globe receive theological and other training. 

“I think our model is really unique in that it’s so generosity driven,” Abigail Dominiak, executive vice president and dean of students, told The Lion. “I think a lot of places don’t have scalability because they are getting government funding or they are getting different grants and scholarships, (but) ultimately our student body themselves funds it.” 

Students can take more than 200 courses for free, then donate if they wish when they’re done.  

CLI does charge U.S. residents $2,000 for an associate’s degree and $4,000 for a bachelor’s, with a sliding scale for people in other regions (it’s free to take courses a la carte). Instruction is offered in multiple languages besides English, including Spanish, French, Chinese, Russian and Ukrainian. 

The school holds pre-accreditation status with the Association for Biblical Higher Education and partners, such as Liberty University and various seminaries, accept degrees and credits earned at CLI. 

Homeschool families can also take advantage of free college and ministry courses for parents and dual credit classes for high schoolers. Offerings include general education such as math and social studies, business and life skills and theology and ministry. 

“We were really inspired by the homeschool movement,” says Dominiak, a one-time homeschooler who earned dual credits through CLI and a bachelor’s in divinity. She then transferred to a partner seminary in Ohio for her master’s, graduating debt-free at 25. 

“For the same cost that you would pay for an associate’s degree, you could have a master’s if you go through our program,” says Dominiak, who is now married and has a young child. “I’m very grateful to have a family and to not have college debt lingering over me.” 

Hybrid and microschools are using CLI, she says, including a small Christian school in Florida where a set of triplets is pursuing associate’s degrees to prepare them for worship ministry. The siblings are already recording music. 

“It’s a small school and I’ve talked to the lady who is helping them,” Dominiak says. “She called it ‘the best dual-enrollment option I have ever seen,’ and said she was “‘so glad we don’t have to get involved with government money,’ plus the students ‘can study at their own pace while they are in high school.’” 

Dominiak hopes more Christian schools, including school startups, will take advantage of CLI. 

“We want to help people who feel called to start a microschool, a church learning center or to do homeschooling,” she says. 

Christian Halls International 

Nicholas Ellis helped start over 600 classically based schools in homes in Brazil. The work was going well but he encountered a problem: after graduation, “all of our kids were just getting annihilated in the Marxist system of the Brazilian college program,” he says. 

That prompted some soul-searching and the eventual development of Christian Halls International (CHI), small learning communities based on a format used for centuries at Oxford University in England. 

“Two or three students working with a tutor is one of the oldest, most successful learning models in the world,” says Ellis, whose organization has launched hundreds of “halls” he says includes tens of thousands of students globally. 

CHI utilizes a “bottom-up” approach, building each hall out of what the community has to offer. This draws on an area’s strengths and keeps students engaged locally, instead of sending them away to learn and hoping they come back. 

Ellis follows the principle that it’s immoral to give up a space that you can self-govern to an organization or structure. This keeps him focused on empowering people to influence their sphere and a small group of people around them for good. 

Ellis envisions halls springing up just about everywhere, including in hybrid and microschools that have high schools. 

“We’ve inverted the power structure of higher education,” he says. “We now have 500 degree programs, dual credit courses, associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees, PhDs and a whole line of skilled trades.” 

CHI partners with Colorado Christian University as well as other colleges and seminaries. Costs vary based on the program and particular hall. 

Chula Vista Christian University 

Located near San Diego, Chula Vista Christian University (CVCU) seeks to provide “Innovative education for the next generation.” It offers degrees at about 1/3 the cost of comparable colleges and employs a debt-free approach for students. 

Dr. Lisa Dunne, the school’s founder, believes “education is broken (but) we can fix it.” 

Instead of rows, students learn in circles; instead of the “sage on the stage” giving all the knowledge, learners work with a mentor in small to medium-sized groups.  

Dunne, who has also helped start 35 homeschool academies, believes today’s students need an active and collaborative approach, as well as one that is less costly financially. 

The university partners with Christian Halls and Southeastern University to grant degrees and ensure its credits can transfer to other institutions. 

Tenth and 11th graders in one of Dunne’s academies are eligible to take CVCU courses. 

While currently only available in San Diego, her model is “replicable and scalable,” she says. Her team meets regularly with pastors to start homeschool academies and can also consult on a university program. 

Dunne is an author and has a weekly podcast called The Communication Architect, which includes many education topics. Her latest book is Outsourced: Why America’s Kids Need an Education Revolution

A changing landscape 

These are some examples of innovative approaches by Christians to shift the educational landscape, especially at the university level.  

From lower costs to a flexible and collaborative approach, believers are demonstrating that options exist outside the academic monolith, which often includes woke policies and indoctrination, as well as heavy debt. 

Although traditional university remains the route for some, knowledge of alternatives can help Christian students and families when it’s time to decide. These efforts could also spark further innovation and can currently assist homeschool and microschool students and teachers through dual credit and academic and spiritual courses.