Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Personal Education Grants For College

One of the easiest ways to get money to pay for college is to apply for personal education grants. The great thing about this option is that, unlike a student loan, you never have to pay the money back.

When trying to come up with a financing option to pay for school, there are a few places you can turn to. Your financial aid officer at your college is an obvious choice. They can present you with a number of loans that the school provides, scholarship programs, and government loans.

But what if you do not have high enough grades to receive a scholarship? What if you don't have down payment money, a good credit score or a co-signer. While most college students assume they are out of luck at that point, there is an option that really should be the first place.

Besides government student loans, college students can receive federal education grants to help them pay for college. This is free money that never has to be paid back, and is available in many different forms. Some grant programs are specifically for minority women, while some are for low income students. Whatever your situation is, there is going to be a education grant that you can apply for and likely receive.

When you qualify, a couple things could happen. The government or private organization that provides the funding can either send the money directly to your college to help reduce your tuition. That's often the best scenario for students who can't enroll because they have an outstanding tuition bill.

Other times the education grant can arrive in your mailbox in the form of a check. This is a great option for people who may have their tuition covered through scholarships or other programs, but can't afford textbooks, student housing and other college expenses.

Whatever the case, finding college grants from the government and other private foundation programs is simple. All you need to do is find the funding that is available and then submit your application. Often this can be done right online and you can quickly get a response.