1 in 7: College of the Ozarks' model a rarity in the U.S.

College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout is one of seven colleges nationwide where students earn while they learn and work to pay off their tuition.

A recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch story identifies the so-called Work Colleges across the country:

• Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Ky.;
• Berea College in Berea, Ky.;
• Blackburn College in Carlinville, Ill.;
• College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout;
• Ecclesia College in Springdale, Ariz.;
• Sterling College in Craftsbury, Vt.; and
• Warren Wilson College in Asheville, N.C.

The education model at Hard Work U near Branson and the other schools is designed to make college more affordable for students who otherwise might not be able to go, give them real-life experience, and teach them responsibility and how to work together to make the campus tick. Student jobs include everything from landscaping, growing and cooking food to public relations and raising farm animals.

But the real kicker is the goal of leaving school debt-free in an age where student loan debt has surpassed $1 trillion.

C of O, Alice Lloyd and Berea College were identified as schools that fully cover the cost of student tuition through work, grants and donations.

Read more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.