Scholarships And Grants Await Those Who Want To Further Their Education!

You’re a bright young high-schooler with dreams of becoming an engineer. Your academic records qualify for the top schools, but the financing leaves something to be desired. Pell grants, state aid and the scholarships are numerous, but must be sought out.

Over the few years, the federal government has joined forces with the National Science Foundation. The goal of this team-up is to increase the ranks of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians (also called STEM fields) for the foreseeable future. The reasoning behind this is simple. It’s been said the strength of a nation is based on how well it sustains technologists, and the U.S. is losing on this front. If you need more information about scholarships, look on the internet.

A student looking for this financial aid should first and foremost go to the schools of his choice and quickly sit down with a financial aid officer. This person’s job is to get the student the cash needed to pay for such things as tuition, fees, text books and even living expenses. This doesn’t mean the young acolyte shouldn’t do his or her own homework. A quick scan of Google or any other search engine will show there are a number of sources they might never have heard of. These sources include:

(1) Pell Grant: Sure, this is obvious, but should not be ignored. At the moment, this federal grant is capable of supplying up to $5,350 towards going to college. As said before, it’s probably not all you need, but can take a chunk out. While you’re at it, don’t forget the state you reside in. The funds from most of their lotteries are supposed to go towards financing education. Make sure they do.

(2) S-STEM Scholarship: This program was created by the National Science Foundation and the Board of Education specifically to help students get anything from an Associate’s to a Masters of Science degree in a designated group of curriculum. It’s based on both academics and need. To find out more about this program, one should contact the Foundation and the Board of Education for more on it. There is an abundance of information about online degree grant on the web.

(3) Corporate Scholarships – Many technological and similar corporations find it in their best interest, both for tax reasons and as a source for recruiting, to set up scholarship funds. This includes companies such as Microsoft, which has its own scholarship/work-study program for computer engineers, to Mobil Oil, where there is a very high demand need for petroleum engineers.

(4) Professional Societies – No profession doesn’t come without its own society. In turn, it’s hard to find one that doesn’t have some sort of financial aid program. In engineering, some of the most prominent ones include the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers. The latter has a section of its web site devoted to continuing online education or as they call it, “distance learning”.

In total, with a little work, a student can find more than enough leads, such as Pell grants, for financial assistance. With a bit of patience and persistence, getting the needed financial aid is obtainable.

Finding Funding For Your Online Degree.

Imagine getting money for college that you don’t have to repay. Financial aid is out there and available. Pell Grants are federal funds that, unlike a loan, you don’t have to repay. Whether you are going to school on-line or on campus, you can get financial help and there is more money this year than ever!

The first step is filling out a “free application for federal student aid” or FAFSA. This one application makes students eligible for all federal, state and some private institution programs. You can download the application from the U-S Department of Education website. If you don’t have a computer, check your local library. Federal grant money is good at more than five thousand colleges and universities.

Pell Grants are based on financial need to students pursuing a bachelors or professional degree. The federal government chooses students using a formula determined by the U-S Congress. More than 90% of grants for online collegerecipients come from families earning less than $41,000 a year.

Pell Grants are the base for federal financial aid. Students can pile other scholarships and awards onto the initial amount. There are hundreds of other grants and scholarships. Some are offered for specific degrees, like nursing or careers in public service. Some states also offer their own grant programs. There is one catch, you can only use your grant money at one school at a time.

To get a college grantsfor an online degree program, you will generally need to study a field that is in short supply, such as science or education. There are other grants available specifically for online students. For students with grave financial need there is the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. The Academic Competitiveness Grant benefits students who graduated from an academically rigorous high school program.

The amount of money a student gets is the same every school year. It’s determined not only by financial need, but also tuition costs and enrollment. There are even special benefits for students whose parent or guardian died in military service after the 9-11 attacks.

Last year, the maximum amount given was just over five thousand dollars. The federal government has increased awards for the 2010 to 2011 school year. Qualifying students receive checks at least once each semester or trimester. The school can pay you directly, apply the funds directly to your tuition or a combination of both.

Your school or the Department of Education website will have even more information on Pell Grants and the FAFSA. Grants are the best kind of financial aid, because you don’t have to repay the money. So, if you need money for college or an online degree, spending a little time filling out an application can pay off.

The Use Of Pell Grants Throughout History

The history of the United States can easily be compared to the history of college grants. In fact, grants for obtaining a college education appears to be an American invention. In 1643, one Lady Anne Radcliffe Mowlson created the first, as a way to help Harvard to become the world institution it is today.

College grants are nothing new. In fact, the first recorded grant for college dates back to 1643, when one Lady Anne Radcliffe Mowlson created the first known grant for Harvard University. Pell, a World War II veteran and beneficiary of the GI Bill, a program then President Harry Truman set up to reward returning vets. Pell realized how much he benefitted from the government funding his higher education. Pell also realized the U.S. benefitted dramatically from the hundreds of thousands of immigrant children who got that college degree.

So in 1972, Pell promoted a bill to create what would become the Basic Educational Opportunity Grant, also known as the BEOG. It would provide federal money, based on need, for academically worthy students to achieve advanced degrees. It became so successful that in 1980, Congress renamed the BEOG the Pell Grant, a name this act still goes by.

Over the years, the grant has changed considerably. Over the years, it had expanded its qualifications, allowing more and more students to get this grants for college. That’s ended up being a two-edged sword. While the number grants permitted has grown geometrically, the cost of going for that degree, whether for a campus or online degree, has risen even more.

When it comes to obtaining college grants, the U.S. Department of Education has just released a report that’s truly cautionary. It shows the maximum amount of money one can get from Pell Grants has increased to as much as $5,350, the cost of higher education has increased to over $15,000 per year.

Even with President Obama pushing for an increase next year to $5,750 a year, these college grants will only cover barely a third of overall college costs. The cost of a higher education is clearly outstripping the money the Fed is willing to give.

For comparison, USA Today reports that when the Pell started in 1973, the maximum grant was $452, but the average tuition at that time was $438. In hard numbers, if Obama’s proposal goes through, the Pell will have gone up 1275%. At the same time, costs have exploded by 3400%, nearly three times faster than the money provided to the Pell. To top it, state grants for online college have shrunk considerably, citing the current economy as the reason.

The good news is there still are plenty of other college grants besides the Pell. Private grants like the one Lady Mowlson gave Harvard are out there. It takes work, stamina and patience to get more than just the Pell Grant. You just have to look for them, and you could be on your way to that Bachelors degree everyone needs to advance in these modern times.