Get paid to go to college? Santa Ana College is paying some students to attend

Some local students are actually getting paid to go to college.

A year of classes at Santa Ana College will run a student $1,000 but most of the students attend for free.

Graduate Jaime Lopez teaches Diesel Technology at the community college where students are paid $50 per credit when they take between six and 12 credits.

“There’s a way to still transfer, to still get a living wage and be here just for a short amount of time. Anywhere from one semester to one year to two years,” said Santa Ana College President Dr. Annebelle Nery.

“Whether it’s a paralegal, whether it’s a pathway to law, whether it’s construction. We pretty much have every pathway available to the community,” she said.

Local employers from car dealerships routinely come to Lopez looking for prospective employees.

Lopez says an entry-level position for a Diesel technician pays well and can take as little as a year and a half to two years of classes at Santa Ana College.

“I constantly have several companies that are just waiting for me to tell them I have so many people and they get hired right away,” Lopez said.

The low price to take general education classes brought Isabella Urquiza to the college.

“I decided on this path because I felt like it would be much more affordable…I can get my AA here and then I can transfer out,” she said. “I can get more help with scholarships.”

The two-year education is free for Frank Flores who is planning on transferring to get his Bachelor’s Degree in order to be a teacher.

“They offered us free tuition for the first year, maybe two years, and because of that I’m grateful to be able to get a job and save up money to transfer to Cal State Fullerton.”

 Some students can earn more than an AA degree at the college. If they are enrolled in occupational studies, they can even earn their Bachelor’s degrees