School Grants & Colleage Aid For Single Parents
Are you a single parent looking to return to school? If so there are school grants available for single parents. You have to look for some of these opportunities, but they are there.
The first place single parents returning to college should look at is a Pell Grant. The national Pell Grant program is designed for low-income undergraduate and certain post graduate individuals to get help with tuition.
In general the need is based on income and family size. If you are the sole provider of a family of 4 your income level will be higher than if you are a single person. They grants usually range from $400 to $4,300.
As these are income based, you will need to provide detailed financial statements to the college you wish to apply to. There is a standard form you can fill out. It is called the FAFSA and every school that offers financial aid uses this form.
The form is standardized so that all institutions can asses your information on an even basis. If everyone had a different form, it would be impossible to administer these programs fairly.
Another option for help with college tuition for single parents is a student loan. These are usually low interest and the payments are differed until you either graduate or are no longer attending school for the required number of hours.
Be very wary of the so called private student loans. These have adjustable interest rates and the terms are significantly worse that the standard federal student loans.
One thing to keep in mind about nay student loan. Be sure you know what you are signing. If you do not understand, get an explanation that makes sense to you before you sign.
Student loans cannot be discharged in bankruptcy and there is no way to get rid of the loan other than paying it back. The interest can collect on delinquent loans and this interest can add thousands of dollars to the original amount. So caveat emptor – buyer beware!
There are many adult scholarships. Returning to college is not uncommon, especially for single parents. You may want to get some help from a non-profit agency.
There is no reason to pay to locate scholarships. You can go to a place like CFNC.org which is mostly for North Carolina residents, but there are many others like it across the country.
These website help locate college scholarships for single parents and other students as well. Overall there are many school grants for single parents looking to return to school or for those just starting out.
If you have a degree and wish to get an advanced degree so that you can teach, if you want to go to school and get a degree, or if you are middle to low income a Pell Grant may be for you.
Student loans are another choice available to all. There are scholarships and programs available to single parents and some just for single moms. The trick is to know where to look and to get as much free help as possible.
This is where the admissions offices of colleges can help you. They like the adult student as they tend to be more serious than the teens.
References:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/fpg/index.html
http://www.ifap.ed.gov
http://www.cfnc.org
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