Spend Some Quality Time Looking Into Scholarships To Facilitate Online College Program Success
Millions of families are spending less and working more to help cover rising college costs, according to what they told surveyors for a Sallie Mae study released in August. Even with more than half of the families reporting that students lived at home for the 2009-2010 academic year, “How America Pays for College” noted they’re also relying on more money from tuition sources. The second largest source of tuition, behind income and savings, is scholarships and grants, according to the Sallie Mae study.
Distance learning is another area where families might consider reducing spending. With online education students study remotely and can save costs associated with commuting back and forth to campus, as well as housing, meals and the like. Scholarships these days can often be applied to online learning programs in the same way they can the campus-based variety. Information about scholarships and other forms of financial aid is also readily available, thanks to an array of free scholarship search engines that include:
CareerInfo.net: Students and families can access more than 5,000 scholarship opportunities, along with fellowship and loan options, through the U.S. Department of Labor’s free scholarship search. Searches can be as general or as detailed as you want. Providing information about level of study, student gender and ethnicity, area of residence and more, however, might actually produce more results, including scholarships intended for certain students, geographic regions and areas of study.
College Board: The College Board is non-profit organization that was founded in 1900 and works to help students find opportunity and success when it comes to college. Students on the College Board website can conduct general or more specific searches for scholarships for distance learning and campus-based programs. Specific scholarship searches might include current education level, academic area of study and whether or not results should include federal financial aid programs, internships, loans and research grants.
Salliemae.com: Families and students through the Sallie Mae scholarship search have access to more than 3 million scholarship opportunities valued at $16 million plus, according to the site. The list is updated and expanded daily, according to the site from Sallie Mae, which calls itself the country’s “leading saving, planning and paying for college company.” The organization also offers families opportunities to save money for campus and distance learning programs at the college level by contributing to what’s known as 529 plans.
ScholarshipExperts.com: ScholarshipExperts debuted in 2000, after group of parents, professionals and students wanted a scholarship search that produced quality results, the website shows. It’s since been endorsed by Forbes and Money magazines, according to the site that claims to provide families and students access to more than 2.4 million scholarship opportunities valued at more than $14 billion. Families searching for scholarships to help pay for campus and distance learning programs also are provided access to scholarship applications, according to the ScholarshipExperts site.
Student Aid on the Web: Student Aid on the Web comes from the US Department of Education. Families and students establish accounts in order to search for scholarships and receive assistance as they proceed, the website for Student Aid on the Web shows. The Department of Education on its website maintains a list of accredited colleges, universities and technical schools – an important factor since scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid often require that institutions are accredited by nationally recognized agencies.
Those dedicated to advancing with a college education who are already working more and spending less will appreciate the federal grants that are in place to aid them in just this endeavor. For the many who need to work or take care of their family responsibilities, online education programs will meet their needs while they see to their future.
Related Articles
