Monday 19 December 2011

Grants For College - How To Find Free Money To Pay For College

By Steve Johnson

The purpose of college grants is very simply to help needy students afford to go to college. Students seeking grant money for college need to focus their personal search on the exact type of grant that will help further their goals, and grants that they actually qualify for to help them go to college.

Although not always an easy task, the search for college grants is indeed still a worthwhile endeavor.

Why Search For Grants?

Common sources where you might score grant funding include public civic organizations, private foundations, federal and state government agencies, college donors, and miscellaneous sources in your own local community.

Reasons for student aid are obvious -- not everyone has the means to pay for their college degree without some form of student assistance. College is expensive. Add to your potential college grants a mixture of personal savings, income from working a part-time job, self-employment or borrowing money in the form of costly student loans, and you should be able to find a way to pay for college.

The staggering cost of private, four-year colleges has put a strain on those seeking a higher education after high school. Many colleges and universities think nothing of charging $10,000 or more per semester.

Add to this the fact that rates of college tuition increases keep growing much faster than the rate of inflation, and the sad fact that they are fully expected to keep rising in the near future, and you will understand the dire need to uncover free money for college.

Grants For College -- How They Differ From Student Loans, Scholarships

Grants differ from scholarships and student loans is some very basic ways.

Grants are actually free money you get to use to attend a college or university and pursue a specialized degree. Where student loans need to be repaid, grants are yours to use for tuition, fees, books, living expenses, you name it.

Grants are usually based on your actual financial need, as compared to scholarships, which are based on your grade point average or your past merits or career achievements and are awarded by civic organizations.

How To Locate The Best College Grants

Seeking out college grants takes time, dedication, persistence and knowledge. Grants are most often categorized by major headings such as:
  • Student-specific Grants
  • Subject Matter-specific Grants
  • Career-specific Grants
  • Degree Goals
  • Minority Background
  • Gender
While the final category, "Gender", may seem discriminatory, that is not the case. Some organizations specifically target their grants toward women, to help level the playing field in financial aid for female students.

The most commonly known grants are the FAFSA -- the Free Application For Federal Student Aid. Uncle Sam wants you to go to school, and enhancements to the FAFSA program have been immense. Most of the work can get completed online. It is quite simple to seek out, apply and qualify for the FAFSA federal grants program or at our website, FindHow2.com.

In any event, finding grants for college is well worth the time and effort you put into it, and grants remain a solid portion of college aid.

Steve Johnson is a writer who founded FindHow2.com, offering free, helpful articles on credit repair, credit card debt reduction, and personal financial management, plus "how-to" informative articles on a wide variety of topics.

One of the most popular topics at FindHow2.com includes a free listing of the programs to get student loans excused.

Find out whether you are able to claim your FREE government grant by clicking here! Pay off those debts today... you might even have enough money left for a holiday :-) USA ONLY!

No comments: