Federal Money Available For College!
So you’re a bright young high school student with ambitions to be a scientist or enter into some other technological profession. Your grades make you a top candidate. At the same time, you’ll be in over your head in student loans before graduating. You’ve heard about Pell grants and state aid, but may be wondering what other sources of financial aid are out there.
Over the few years, the federal government has joined forces with the National Science Foundation. The goal of this team-up is to increase the ranks of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians (also called STEM fields) for the foreseeable future. The reasoning behind this is simple. It’s been said the strength of a nation is based on how well it sustains technologists, and the U.S. is losing on this front. If you need more information about pell grants, look on the internet.
Financial aid candidates looking for grants and scholarships should start by sitting down with a college’s financial aid officer. Whether it’s an online college or on campus, every school has a small army of them. It’s part of his/her job is to stay abreast of all these new programs. Not that it doesn’t hurt to also do one’s own research. A quick scan of Google or any other search engine will show there are a number of sources they might never have heard of. These sources include:
(1) Pell Grant – Obvious, but not to be ignored. At the moment, this federal grant is capable of supplying up to $5,350 towards going to college. What’s required is obtaining either one’s own or parent’s financial records, filling out a FASFA form, and then wait for response. While you’re at it, don’t forget the state you reside in. The funds from most of their lotteries are supposed to go towards financing education. Make sure they do.
(2) S-STEM Scholarship – This program was created by the Federal government specifically to help students get their Associate’s, Bachelors and even their Masters of Science degree. As of 2009, it awards one hundred students anywhere from $100,000 to $600,000, based on both academics and need. To find out more about this program, one should contact the National Science Foundation or the web site Grants.gov. There is an abundance of information about government grants on the web.
(3) Corporate Scholarships – Many technological and similar corporations find it in their best interest, both for tax reasons and as a source for recruiting, to set up scholarship funds. This includes companies such as Microsoft, which has its own scholarship/work-study program for computer engineers, to Mobil Oil, where there is a very high demand need for petroleum engineers.
(4) Professional Organizations – Every vocation has its society or professional organization. In turn, they almost always have some sort of scholarship program. It’s a good way of maintaining the ranks. Some of them include such august operations as the National Society of Professional Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Yes, doing this involves a little homework, even apply for Pell grants. This time, you’re just not shopping for a better grade, but researching financial aid online, for what could be some serious money in the future.
April 13, 2010
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Posted by Natasha Bright
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