Guest Post: Scoures of Free Financial Help for Moms Returning to Education

Sources of Free Financial Help for Moms Returning to Education

Making the decision to return to college is never easy. It seems as if there are a million little details that must be taken care of before this venture is possible. Mothers must consider childcare and study time, but the biggest obstacle might be the financial strain that going back to school places on the family. To keep this from becoming a catastrophic problem, moms should check into every possible source of free money and make applications to all of the ones that fit their circumstances. The following are just a few of the places to look for free financial help to return to education:

Federal Financial Assistance

The federal government budgets a large pool of money to help women get the education they need to support their families. This money comes in the form of grants so women do not have to repay them. Government grants that are currently available include the following:

• Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants: If a woman can prove that going back to college is going to create an extreme hardship for the family, she should apply for this grant which helps to fund undergraduate study. The money offered through this source is up to $4,000 a year, depending on how much the family is capable of contributing to the cost of tuition.

• Federal Pell Grant: A Pell Grant can be used for 18 semesters of college work and grants are given out once per term. Presently, the most that a student can receive from a grant of this type in a single school year is $5,550, and this amount is reserved for students who have suffered the death of a parent through military service.

• TEACH Grants: This grant was set up through legislative action in 2007 and is given to encourage students to teach in low income school districts. It grants up to $4,000 a year to students who will commit to do so upon graduation.

Government money for college may also be found through the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Health Service Corps, the Indian Health Service, and the National Institutes of Health offer scholarships at various times. To determine eligibility for any of these grants, students must fill out an application form.

Private Aid for Returning to College

Students who do not qualify for federal financial help should consider some of the money provided through private funds. These are constantly changing, but the following have often given grants and scholarships in the past and should be checked:

• Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation

• Boeing Company Career Enhancement
• Dow Jones News Fund Scholarship
• Daughters of the American Revolution
• Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund

All students returning to college should begin their search at the student aid office of the college they prefer to attend. The staff are highly experienced in helping students find all of the sources of money available to them and will be happy to help women planning to finish their education find the funds to do so.
About the Author: Jennifer Lewis writes for a website that provides more information on how to apply for back to school grants for women, including Pell grants for women. She believes moms should not put off returning to school because of financial pressures, as help is available to those who need it.