Online Universities-Many Scholarships And Grants Offered!
National Public Radio recently broad casted a story about one young student, Ken Ilgunas. In order to afford going to Duke University, Ilgunas lives in a beat-up Econovan. He lives on a diet primarily of oatmeal, peanut butter and pasta. It’s a quarter mile hike if he has to relieve himself. It makes one wonder how much research he did on financial aid. There’s a lot more than most people know.
After all, paying for one’s college education is something that must be addressed sooner or later. Ilgunas went $38,000 in debt when obtaining his Bachelors. So he has some reason for living in a van while obtaining his Masters. At the same time, there are five different ways he could ease his burden. Here’s the rundown:
First, there are the Pell Grants. This is money provided by the Federal government. You must fill out a Free Application for Free Student Aid (FAFSA Grant) to determine one’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC). If qualified, and the Pell is based primarily on need, the applicant can get just short of $5,000. Not enough to pay all the costs, but a good start.
University Grants – A lot of schools have very generous trust funds. They are set up specifically to provide student financial assistance. The best thing to do in this situation is to consult your target institute of education and just plain ask. You’d be surprised how quickly they’ll point you to the money. After all, they don’t get it unless the student does.
Corporate Grants – There are a number of companies out there who have also set up their own trust funds. It’s a good way to assemble a higher quality employee. A good place to find these grants is Scholarship America, best known for two particular programs, Dollars for Scholars and the Scholarship Management Services.
Then there are always the Armed Forces. How effective is this program? The U.S Department of Defense reports 56% of all soldiers/officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force graduate from their respective Reserve Office Training Corps (ROTC). After graduation, applicants are obligated to military service, but that also looks quite good on a resume.
Finally, don’t be afraid to explore the Private Sector. Simply go to Google and type in “scholarship programs.” The engine will spit out nearly 2.5 million different entries. One will no doubt have to do some sort of advance searching to refine that 2.5 million to your specific needs. Still, with a clear objective in mind and little time, one can no doubt come up with more than a few private organizations that will be glad to help.
The important point is no one needs to go deep into debt in order to improve one’s position in life. People obtaining even a two-year degree via colleges online have better shots of earning more than those who just barely got out of high school. A little homework and a bit of time, and one can be well on their way to a better standard of living, with the extra help of college loans and schools online.
