Better Lives by Putting Single Moms Through School - College Scholarships For Single Mothers

Posted by joanne on July 30th, 2009 at 01:45am

It is a difficult feat to be able to raise your children and manage your household all by yourself. Being able to finally get a degree in a field you are sure you can excell in is adding more challenge to your already challenging world. But, there is no other way you can improve your income earning potential than equipping yourself with a degree. Given the importance, any single mother should try to get college money for single mothers.

If you are a struggling single mother, you have a great number of options in institutions offering college scholarship for single mothers. With the help of these institutions and foundations, you can successfully add to your educational qualifications in order to make you eligible for jobs with better pay. Consequently, you will be able to have more room in your cash inflow not only for your children’s basic needs but for their other needs as well. A good Internet search will yield you a number of options on college scholarships for single mothers. You can find that there are a lot of these scholarships around, often with state residency and other eligibility requirements that you should meet.

The first step you should take when looking for college scholarships for single mothers is to apply for a Federal Pell Grant. Most college scholarships for single mothers require that you apply for this kind of financial assistance first. A Federal Pell Grant is not a loan and thus, need not be repaid. Qualified undergraduate students are entitled to this federal financial aid facility that is extended to deserving students who wish to complete their degrees. Grants for college for single mothers are a good first step.

Last year, the maximum amount disbursed to a student under the Federal Pell Grant amounted to about $5,000. Depending on the amount of program funding available, the applicant’s actual financial need, and whether the student commits to finish his course on a part-time or full-time basis, the maximum grant money amount could vary.

You can apply for this grant using the FAFSA form or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. This process takes some amount of time so do not dilly-dally. Make sure that you know your college enrollment and tuition payment timelines so that you have enough time to have your FAFSA application processed. There is also a need for you to secure for yourself a Personal Identification Number or PIN with the Department of Education as part of your FAFSA application. This PIN number is what you will be using during your succeeding applications for federal financial assistance.

Other sources of funding for college scholarships for single mothers are also available. These scholarships could be offered on a nationwide basis or limited in the particular state where you are located.

Private foundations offering college scholarships for single mothers all over the nation include Raise the Nation, Sunshine Lady Foundation, and the Soroptimist Women’s Opportunity Awards among others. Foundations like the Our Families Our Future program in Wyoming, the Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship, and the R.O.S.E. Scholarship program in the New England states operate only in specific states.

You could also find out if the college or university you wish to attend have their own financial assistance programs targetted towards helping single mothers further their education to improve their chances at finding better paying jobs and eventually having more resources to raise their families on their own. Try to apply for as many different grants for single mothers as possible to ensure your financial success in attending college.

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