How
can you pay for a College Education
The cost of a college education has been
going up at a fast page. Some parents can not afford to send their kids to
college because they think that the tuition is too high and it could imply a
total change on their way of living. Many
times some kids don’t go to college because they do not have the required
information on how to finance their education. There are different financial aid
programs that could make things easier for parents and students. What they need
is to find the right program for them. And here are some examples:
The most popular and first choice could
be to apply for a Federal Pell Grant. It
is popular because it does not have to be repaid. The amount could vary
depending on the situation and program that you are taking at school. This type
of aid usually applies only to undergraduate students but some post graduate
teacher programs may qualify you to get this type of aid. The amount that you could get varies
each year but the maximum for 2009 is $4,731.00. You could get a check or it
could be applied to your college tuition. The school could inform you how and
when you will get this money.
Another program in which the money does
not have to be repaid is the Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG).
There is no guarantee that you will get this help but, if you as the student, or your parents do not have the required
income to pay for your education, you could apply for this student aid. This
program was designed to help student with the highest financial need and the
school usually has limited funds. The amount that you could get may vary
depending on the funds and time in which you applied for this grant.
If you do not qualify for Federal aid
you most then look at other options. There are scholarships
offered by different institutions. Depending on the type of degree that you are
trying to get is the association you will need to find. If, for instance, you
want to follow a psychology career then you could look for a scholarship through
the “American Psychological Association”. The requirements to qualify for
these scholarships may vary depending on the amount of students pursuing the
type of degree and the need for professionals on that particular area of study.
There are scholarships from membership institutions and organizations like the
veteran associations and other social clubs. Give them a call since there is
nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
The next option could require a little
more of your time but the benefit could be much more then the last choices that
we just explored and that is a work study
program. There are a few different types of programs and you could look at
any particular school and its options. Some schools have a federal work study
program which will basically pay you per worked hour. This is good because they
usually put you in a place where you will perform duties related to the degree
that you are pursuing. In other words you could acquire some experience and
learn from others. The schools that offer this type of programs will help you
accommodate the courses that you will be taking to the working schedule.
The first choice should be to get
“free” money to pay for college but if you run out of options there are
always the loans. The idea of getting a loan to pay for college includes no to
repay more than what you should. The
Federal Perking Loan for example is a low interest loan for Undergraduate
and graduated students. One of the benefits of getting this type of loan is that
you usually have 9 months after graduation from your degree before you start
paying it back. The maximum amount that an undergraduate could borrow for his
career is $20,000.00. Also, there are other types of loans in which your lender
is the government through the department of education. It is very important to
review the type of loan before you accept it because the interest rate may vary
dramatically between one loan and another and the time to repay it will come
before you know it.
I could not tell you that these are the
only choices that you have to get money for college because there are other
options but, I hope that you could get an idea of the opportunities that you
could take if you really want to get an education. It is difficult to pay for
college but it is harder to live you whole life without other options.
Luisrcg
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