What Steps to Take When Seeking Single Parent School Grants

If you are thinking of taking out a student loan in order to help you pay for college, it is a good idea to first search out some single parent school grants which do not have to be paid back. This article will cover a few of the more popular single parent scholarships and grants available to give you a better idea of the options you have for paying for your college degree. The first of the many single parent school grants that we will be taking a look at in this article is probably the most well known program available for paying for secondary education, the Federal Pell Grant. These are typically awarded to those who are pursuing their first bachelor's degree or in some cases a graduate degree if you are pursuing a degree in teaching. This Pell grant is considered to be the foundation of all other single parent grants for school. The maximum amount you stand to earn from this program increase each year, but generally you can expect to receive as much as $4,731 (taken from the 2008-2009 academic year). Another of the many single parent school grants available is the TEACH Grant which was first introduced by congress very recently in 2007. This is a program that offers to pay up to $4,000 a year to those who are interested in pursuing a degree in teaching in public or private schools for low income families. If you think this is the program for you, simply contact the financial aid office at your college and they will provide you with some more information on how to see if you qualify. One of the lesser known single parent grants for school is what is known as the Federal Supplement Educational Opportunity Grant or FSEOG for short. This program was developed for people with a major need for financial help, such as those with the lowest expected financial contribution. From this program you can expect to receive anywhere from $100 to $4,000 a year depending on a number of factors such as the date you apply, how much you need, how much funding your college receives, and other policies peculiar to your college’s financial aid office. The last of the single parent school grants we will look at is the Academic Competitiveness Grant which is offered to first or second year college students depending on the year they graduated from high school. With this grant you stand to receive either $750 or $1,300. As you can see, there are many options available to you when you are searching for single parent scholarships and grants. The first step you have to take, no matter what program you plan on applying for is to fill out the FAFSA form.