Educational Grants for Single Parents
Single parents face many challenges when it comes to raising their children. Many of these challenges come from not being able to financially provide for their children as much as they would like to. However, getting a degree can increase their job prospects and increase the amount of money they can earn to support their children. Single parents should thus be aware of the various education grants that are available.
The TEACH Grant
This grant stands for the Teacher Assistance for College and Higher Education Grant. This program is for single parents who want to become a teacher at a public or a private elementary school that includes children from low-income families. If the single parent is given this grant, she can receive up to $4,000 per year.
The Federal Pell Grant
This grant is considered to be associated with federal financial aid. However, unlike a loan, the Federal Pell Grant does not have to be repaid by those who qualify for it. This grant is only usually given to those who are undergraduate students still working toward obtaining their degree. The maximum amount that can be received through this grant is about $4,500 for an award year. However, the amount varies in accordance with actual student status (full-time or part-time), financial need and school costs.
The FSEOG Grant
The FSEOG grant stands for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant. Those single parents who have already qualified for a Pell Grant might also qualify for the FSOG. However, like the Pell Grant, this grant does not need to be repaid. This grant is specifically for those undergraduate students who find themselves in significant need of financial assistance. Depending on the amount of financial need, students receive a yearly amount from $100 to about $4,000.
The Academic Competitiveness Grant
If a student has already obtained at Pell Grant award, he is also eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant. First-year college students must have become a high school graduate after Jan. 1, 2006. Second-year college students must have gotten their high school diploma after Jan. 1, 2005. The amount this grant gives ranges from about $750 to $1,300 annually. Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in order to keep this grant.
Institutional Grants
Single parents might be eligible for additional grants that are given out directly through the college at which they want to study. Some grants are given based solely on financial need, others are based on academic promise, and others are based on a mix of the two. No matter what, the single parent should apply for as many grants as possible in order to change his academic and financial future for the better.
Tags: Pell Grant, this grant, financial need, Grant This, Grants Single, their children, Academic Competitiveness