College grants for single mothers are in surprising abundance if you know the right place to look. The government has provisions in place that can help you to study in post secondary education. That is all well and good but the problem is that you’ll find is that the cost of a college education is far beyond the grants limits. Here is exactly is available to students from the U.S. Department of Education:
- Pell Grants. These are non repayable contributions to your Cost of Attendance (COA). The way in which they are applied for is by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online. You will then be assessed and the amount you receive is worked out. You will then be given your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) figure. The lower you EFC the more help you will get up to a limit of $5550
- The Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG). Single mothers who have a low enough EFC will qualify for this grant which again is also non repayable. This funding is for people who are least capable of financing their own education. It pays out anything from $100 - $4000 and will be paid to your college who then pay the student any money that is owed to them after their costs have been taken.
There are other ways to get a college education without leaving yourself heavily in debt. Private scholarships are a vital source of funding for many single moms in many states. There are lots of charities in place that specifically help single mothers or mothers in general get a head start. It’s wise to contact these charities to find out what the application deadlines are. One difference you’ll find with private sector grants and government grants is availability.
With Pell grants every U.S. citizen is entitled to apply and be awarded a grant. With private sector grants you may find that the amount of scholarships they can provide is limited. This will mean you could have to apply for more than one to be successful.
Even if you qualify for a private scholarship or grant from a charity because you are a single mother, you may still have to show some academic prowess. This makes sense when you consider that the money they have should be spent on those best equipped to make good use of it. Depending on what you want to study, you may have to submit some sort of example work or have recommendation letters from past tutors.
There are some grants that are available to people that are resident in certain areas like the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship. Whilst others are available because of their age like the Jeannette Rankin Women's Scholarship Fund for which you have to be 35 years of age to qualify. The point is there are so many scholarship funds and college grants for single mothers, that all you have to do is find search for which caters for your situation.