How Do You Get Scholarship Grants or Financial Aid?

By Owen Jones

What is the real cost of a college education and is there a financing scheme available? Well, lets face reality - a college education is very expensive, causing a lot of parents to do a double take when their children are looking at attending a community college or a state university.

There are a lot of things that make up the total cost of a college education and the tuition fees are just a part of the big picture of getting into college. Common, everyday expenditures include food, transportation, housing, spending money and other sundry costs, which, when added up can be a large part when financing a college education.

These days, many families, even those belonging to the upper class, consider applying for financial assistance. College grants and scholarships are a very good method of financial assistance. Grant and scholarship programmes do not ask the students or even their families to repay the monies given.

These scholarships are of two kinds: (1) these scholarships are given according to financial need, and are given depending on the financial inability of the student and their families as a whole to pay for the education, and (2) scholarships based on merit, for example the talent of the student in sports is the main consideration. A students academic ability falls under the merit-based college grant and scholarship system too.

Often, college grants and scholarships combine the merit and need criteria to make the whole financial aid process easier. Many students and their families are on the look-out for this kind of financial aid. However, college grants and scholarships are quite limited in number despite the fact that there is an ever increasing number of aspiring students year after year.

Qualifying students can get into federal and a number of state scholarship programs. Some of which are the following:

Federal or National Pell Grants " this is a program, available nationwide, which is meant to provide financial assistance to qualified undergraduate learner following post-secondary schooling. Grants and scholarships of this type are given to students who have not yet finished a baccalaureate degree.

The worth of the grant can vary year after year and will depend a lot on the financial needs of the student, the expenses that will be incurred whilst attending the chosen university or college, and the availability of funds from the national government. This sort of grant will create an opportunity for students to succeed in securing financial aid from the national government.

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) " this is a programme for ongoing undergraduate students with exceptional monetary needs. However, not all students qualify for this type of grant. It will depend on the eligibility of the student and the amount of funds at the school in question.

Another form of financial assistance that students and families can get is student loans. However, this form of financial assistance must be paid back. The financial requirements of the family must be considered thoroughly to avoid paying very high interest rates.

It is also a must to learn all the terms of the lending agency such as the schedule of repayment and interest rates, before making a commitment.

Work study is yet another form of financial aid which requires students to work to keep themselves during their college education. Work study is usually carried out on college campus and is the most typical form of financial aid in all of the universities and colleges in the USA. Typically, students will render service to schools for 10-15 hours per week.

Scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid to acquire a college education is really multi-faceted, confusing at times, and even down-right exasperating. However, the good thing is that a college education is a non-refundable and non-toxic sort of investment in the student's future! - 32383

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