ScholarShips and Grants

With a falling economy, rising bills and college tuition, it has become more important than ever for low income students to receive college aid. While there are many types of grants, scholarships, loans and forgiveness programs out there, one of the most easily overlooked is the state grant program. What is a state grant? A state grant is a grant given by a state to students who are citizens of that state! In most cases, there are little to no other qualifications except that you are planning to attend a college and have a GPA of 2.7 or higher.

Location State Grants

Locations state grants are exactly that, grants that give you money because of your location. Some state programs offer as much as $2,000 per year to a citizen (resident of 2 years or more) of their state who is attending a college in that state. Other examples include local country grants which offer anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand to students studying in their area. This type of grant is often used to promote the education in a specific area and to promote schools in that area.

Minority State Grants

Minority state grants are grants offered by the state towards student bodies who are minorities in that state. Some common examples include Asians, African American women and Native Americans. This type of grant is usually need based and will generally be somewhere between $200 and $2,000 per year!

Special Education – Disability Grants

Most states have funds set aside to help educate students who either require special education or have a disability which might prevent them from earning money to put themselves through college. Depending upon the fund, this type of grant can supply anywhere from the full amount of tuition to a few hundred dollars.

Learning Grants

A learning grant is one that is given by the state to an exceptional student in the area. This might be because they are especially intelligent, have achieved good grades or because they have excelled in athletics or etc. However; this type of grant can usually only be earned with recommendations from high school teachers.

If you are planning on attending a college this semester than you are probably looking for any and all student aid that you qualify for. After applying to the FAFSA and any local state grants you might qualify for, where else do you have to turn? Your school!

Did you know that many colleges offer scholarships, grants, loans and even tuition rebate or reimbursement to needy students? Here are a few schools with student aid programs!

Vilanovo University Pennsylvania

The Vilanovo University of Pennsylvania offers need based grants to students who qualify for the Federal Pell grant. This grant money will usually be around $1,300 per year and can only be used for tuition fees! If you wish to apply for this grant than you must attend the Vilanovo University and you must also have a passable GDA of 2.7 or higher.

State University of New York

The State University of New York offers a tuition program for needy students that depending upon the need of the student will range from $500 per year to full tuition coverage. This student aid is only available to students who study at the University of New York and who are eligible for the Federal Pell grant and the Federal Supplemental Grant.

Texas State University

The Texas State University offers scholarships per department and these can range from a few hundred dollars per year to a full scholarship coverage depending upon merit, need and a few other considerations by the school. To inquire about this type of scholarship, you should contact your school advisor when applying to the college!

All Florida Colleges

Did you know that if you attend any Florida college than you are eligible for up to $64,000 in prize money? Each year the Florida Association of Colleges and Schools selects ten of the best students of the year and then chooses one winner! $64,000 is usually enough money to cover a large portion of your college tuition!

University of Iowa

If you are interested in accounting and are planning to attend the University of Iowa than you are probably eligible for the Henry Tippings Scholarship which grants money to students who are attending an accounting degree as a freshman. The monetary amount varies per student but is usually a minimum of $200.

If you are interested in attending an online college or school but aren’t sure about how the Pell grant applies to your case, here is some information that might be helpful for you.

What is the Federal Pell Grant?

The Federal Pell Grant is a grant of several million dollars that has been set aside to help needy students to attend college.  This means that the money is set aside to give money to anyone going to college no matter what they choose to study.

Can I use the Federal Pell Grant to attend an Online School?

Until 2008 the Federal Pell grant as only available for courses that were a minimum of 30% in classroom. However, recent changes in law state that any college that has been accredited by a regional accreditation body with good quality courses is eligible for the Federal Pell grant. This means that you can use the Federal Pell grant to attend an online college or course!

How much Money can I Get from the Federal Pell Grant?

The amount given to a Federal Pell Grant applicant will vary per the needs of that person; however the minimum amount for the 2012 period is $600 per student per year and the maximum amount is $5,000 per student per year.  This is $1000 higher than the maximum of the Pell Grant for 2010 which means that student aid amounts are steadily rising! Pell Grant money may be used for tuition and tuition related costs and nothing else.

Who is Eligible for the Federal Pell Grant?             

If you wish to be eligible for the Federal Pell grant than you should come from a family with a yearly household income of $30,000 or less (qualifies as needy) and be enrolled or have applied to a school. You must also be over the age of 16 and either have graduated from high school or will graduate before the college semester starts.

How do I apply to the Federal Pell Grant?

Applying to the Federal Pell Grant is as easy as collecting your tax returns, personal information, tax data and school information and going to FAFSA to submit your data.  Your information will be reviewed and a government representative will either call, email or snail mail you with the amount of money you are eligible for along with what grants you are eligible for. It should be noted that you are required to apply for the Federal Pell grant for each consecutive year you wish to earn the grant.

This list of scholarships for high school seniors is designed to help you find the scholarship you need to help pay for your college tuition. Whether you have already enrolled in college or are planning to, this guide will give you a heads up on all of the ways you can find a little extra cash to pay for it.

Scholarship Competitions

Scholarship competitions are the easiest way to earn money (if you have a skill) because for nothing more than winning or taking second or third place, you can get as much as a few thousand towards your college education. A few of these include the Patrick Kerr Skateboard Scholarship which offers up to $10,000 to the winner of their competition.

Essay Scholarships

Believe it or not, there are a lot of programs out there that are willing to give you money for nothing more than a well written essay. These include the Being an American Essay Contest which offers $1,000 to 15 students, the Lady Liberty Essay Contest which offers $5,000 to 2 students and the Young Patriots Essay Contest which offers $2,000 and media coverage to 3 winners.

Study Scholarships

In some cases you can get money just because you are studying something that will benefit a particular organization. For example, if you plan to study veterinary health or anything that could relate to the benefit or study of sheep, you could be eligible for up to $1,500per academic year from the American Sheep Industry Association, the same association offers a make it with wool contest.  Not interested in sheep? Don’t worry; there are plenty of other scholarships for high school students in the fields of teaching, nursing and etc.

Scholarships for Exceptional Students

Scholarships for exceptional students are generally directed to those who have unusually high grades or are unusually skilled in a particular area. These include the National Civil War Challenge which offers up to $15,000 in scholarship funds to a student who is especially knowledgeable about the Civil War. There are many of this type of scholarships for high school students so look around!

Minority Scholarships

There are literally hundreds of minority scholarships available which offer anywhere from $100 to several thousand to minority students. This type of scholarship will generally offer aid to African Americans, Women, Asian students, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and etc.

Program & Club Scholarships

In some cases, your high school will give you a scholarship to help attend college. Cases like this include the Dell Scholar program which offers up to $20,000 to needy students who wish to attend college or the Key Club International Scholarship Program which offers scholarships to club members of at least two years with good grades and good club standing. There are a great deal of scholarships like this out there so if you still have 2 or more years of high school left, start enrolling in clubs!!