Finding the right academic support for a struggling student (and even for a motivated student looking to get ahead) is always a challenge. As we outlined in the Versed Guide to Tutoring Services, it is important to research the different options and find the right fit. From professional tutors with decades of experience to near peer high school tutors, you need to make sure that the tutor has the knowledge of the subject matter, knows how to teach and motivate students, and can connect with your student in ways that make each session productive and enjoyable.
That being said, costs is a significant hurdle for many families looking for academic support, especially for ongoing support that requires multiple sessions. We have compiled below some great free and low cost options that every student can take advantage of. Keep in mind that for some students, it may be worth it to retain a more expensive tutor with expertise in very high level subject matters or with experience working with students with learning differences or test anxiety. For basic tutoring in common subjects, the following are great options.
Teacher Office Hours - Free
Office hour is FREE tutoring. Almost all teachers provide office hours and many teachers say that few students show up to them. Many students procrastinate on studying until the night before the exam and hence miss the office hours. Help your student get organized and make sure that they address anything that they don’t understand or fall behind on right away by attending office hours. Teachers are delighted to have students come to them for extra help.
Neighborhood High School Students - $10 to $25/hour
There is no better tutor than a Junior or Senior that has already taken the exact same class with the exact same teacher. The tutor will know exactly what material is covered, and what expectations the teacher has on exams and papers. It also will not be hard to find out who the rock star students are at your own high school. These tutors are also great for middle and elementary school kids as well. Call up your local high school. Many high schools have employment/internship offices dedicated to helping students find part time jobs.
Local Library - Free
Many local libraries offer after school tutoring hours. Some have partnered with companies such as tutor.com or brainfuse to offer free online tutoring. Inquire directly at your local library to find out.
Boys & Girls Club - Free
Many Boys & Girls Clubs offer free tutoring under Power Hour. Tutors are available in person at the Club and help students ages 6-18 achieve academic success by providing homework help, tutoring and high-yield learning activities and encouraging members to become self-directed learners.
YMCA - Free
Some YMCA locations offer tutoring and homework help. Y Learning is offered at some of the North Carolina chapters and the YMCA of Central New York offers an Academic Support Program.
Volunteer HS Student Run Programs - Free
Since the start of Covid-19 pandemic, many students have rallied to help struggling remote learners by starting up nonprofit organizations with fellow classmates with the goal of providing academic support to students in need. Many of these programs focus on their local community, but others are open to any student as all tutoring is done virtually. Here is a list of some of the organizations, but be sure to google your town or ask school teachers and administrators about free tutoring groups in your area.
https://librarymath.com/ (Irvine, CA)
https://www.stepuptutoring.org/ (Los Angeles, CA)
https://www.kidbykid.org/ (San Diego, CA)
https://www.tutor-together.com/ (Sherman Oaks, CA)
https://www.mystemhelp.org/ (Greenwich, CT)
https://bct-website-aae85.web.app/ (Boston, MA)
http://lesson-up.000webhostapp.com/index.html (Westwood, MA)
https://www.gradeaplusinc.org/ (Columbia, MO)
http://www.limitlessmindsinc.org/ (Edison, NJ)
https://www.edumatenyc.org/home (New York, NY)
https://www.iona.edu/new-rochelle-community/iona-college-tutors-online (New Rochelle, NY)
http://www.limitlessmindsinc.org/signup.html (NY, NJ, IL TX)
https://www.giveyouth.org/ (Fairfax, VA)
Online Services - Free to $40/hour
There are several online tutoring companies that are reasonably priced, and also offer free tutoring to students with demonstrated need.
https://www.learntobe.org/ is a nonprofit company dedicated to helping underserved students. Volunteer tutors are background checked and can help in all academic subjects.
Gopeer.org is a marketplace of college students all over the country that will tutor students in every academic subject area for $20/hour. You do need to purchase a monthly/subscription ($24.99/month) to access the tutors. Tutors are selected from top-tier universities like Harvard, MIT, and UC Berkeley. They also provide free tutoring to students with financial need.
Tutor.com, one of the oldest and biggest online tutoring companies, now owned by Princeton Review, is a good bet for finding tutors with experience at a reasonable price. The hourly rate is $40/hour but can go down to $29/hour depending on the number of sessions you purchase. They connect students with qualified, expert tutors online, on-demand, 24/7 in more than 200 academic subjects and test preparation areas.
Online Foreign Language Tutoring - $5-20/hour
Your world is your oyster when it comes to help in forieng language studies. You can find native speakers all over the world happy to tutor students for as little as $5/hour. iTalki, Verbal Planet, and Live Ligua are three such services. Read more about online foreign language options in our blogpost Best of Online Learning - Language.
In Person Tutoring (for post Covid days)
Wyzant and Care.com are two places where you can find local tutors that will tutor in person at your home. Although rates vary and can be very high depending on the tutor’s experience and the subject that they are teaching, Wyzant’s median tutor rate is $45/hour with 25% of the tutors charging less than $40/hour. Care.com also has a big range in tutor prices, but many can be found in the $25-35 range. For younger children, who do not do well with online tutors, it may be worth the extra money to have an in-person tutor.
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