The reason this is posted on HN is because Google doesn't seem to understand this query. Google comes up with entries such as "The 25 most affordable Engineering schools" or "The 50 best Engineering degree programs". If the cheapest "value" on these lists is around $12,000/yr, then that might be considered affordable by some people -- but I'm looking for the absolute cheapest. Please post if you know of an EE program in the U.S. or elsewhere that costs less than $12K/yr. I'm guessing people are afraid to post, because their answer might turn out to be "incorrect" by virtue of other posters posting yet cheaper alternatives. But please post! No answer is wrong for this! I'm just curious what the options are...
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You literally want the cheapest degree possible? No consideration for value or quality whatsoever?
You can probably find some institution somewhere in the world which will give you a degree that is legal according to their local laws for $5 and no time. Is that what you want?
But even cheaper than that in terms of money would be free via a full scholarship, which you can get any many institutions if you're good enough. But then that costs you a lot of time.
I'm not looking for a piece of paper, no. I'm looking for a hands-on learning experience with competent instructors, and the collegiality of classmates. The instructors don't have to be Harvard or MIT grade (note that electrons will still flow in the ways electrons flow regardless of if I learn those ways from a Harvard or MIT Professor, or someone else). I'm just a value shopper for education, nothing more, nothing less. Thus far I think the responses to this query have been fascinating and tremendously useful! But no, I don't want a $5, no time, no learning degree. That would defeat my purpose, which is to learn EE fully and thoroughly, not necessarily to get a job in EE...
You can arguably learn more about the practice of EE from Dave Jones' YouTube channel, or local hardware Meetups, or "The Amp Hour" than college classes. And those are free.
And go spend a couple of hundred bucks on Horowitz and Hill (2nd or 3rd Ed.) if you want to learn about analog. That's a good bang for the buck.
In the traditional path, your best bet will be spending your last two years at an abet accredited state school that is teaching focused, not research focused.
The "practice of EE" and an actual EE education are not the same thing.
An example: this morning I was thinking of a model where I need to open and close a door when a sensor is activated. The simplest way would be for it to pivot on a horizontal axis like an old-school garage door. Now, given a certain weight of door, how do I calculate the amount of torque my motor/drive-train needs in order to open that door?
The average graduate with an EE degree should have no trouble getting the answer in a few minutes: it's basic physics and algebra (maybe calculus if you want precision). But the average person who learned EE from watching YouTube channels probably will have difficulty.
For the US, it looks like community college and the different military approaches are covered well. As are some foreign options (minus details of getting in from outside the country). You can also take your time, co-op a bunch, and end up with little out of pocket.
If you are still a high school student, and have a knack for tests, then the PSAT might still the most important test you'll ever take.
20 years ago I was a national merit scholar as a result of the PSAT, and that provided me multiple full-ride scholarship options for engineering.
And yes, it is ridiculous that a computer test you take at 17 can have such a disproportionate outcome, but that was the case, and very well may still be.
It could be as cheap as free if you could qualify for this.
https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-...